It is my pleasure to introduce to you our new Executive Director for Gateway Center of Monterey County, Mike Gonzalez!
Mike brings over 18 years of experience in the health and human services sector, with a focus on public health, healthcare services and social welfare. He has worked extensively on Medi-Cal and public health initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of vulnerable populations. Most recently, Mike served as an Executive at FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, where he led efforts to support the healthy development of nearly 30,000 high-risk children. Prior, Mike worked at Santa Clara Family Health Plan, a managed care organization, where he led efforts to improve healthcare access for 350,000 Medi-Cal members. Mike has also held leadership roles at the County of Santa Clara and the American Heart Association, consistently working to strengthen healthcare systems and policies to improve outcomes for vulnerable groups. We look forward to his strong and transformative leadership at Gateway!
As I transition out of my role as Interim Executive Director and continue serving as Chair of the Board, it has been my honor to lead Gateway through this transition period.
During this time, I supported our dedicated staff to ensure we continued providing a safe and nurturing environment for our residents and day program clients. I’ve also had the privilege of spending time with our residents and clients, which has been a truly rewarding experience. On behalf of the Board of Directors and myself, I am confident that Mike will successfully guide Gateway in its mission to support and empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), helping them reach their full potential.