Our Foothill Family
Our internal family of more than 300 employees includes licensed and pre-licensed social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists; early childhood therapists; case managers, child specialists, and parent partners; consulting psychiatrists; executive and clinical leadership; and administrative staff.
As a reflection of the beautiful diversity in Greater Los Angeles, 84 percent of our staff are bilingual and collectively can speak 14 languages, including Arabic, Armenian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, German, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Mandarin, Persian (Farsi), Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Steve Allen - CEO
Foothill Family CEO Steve Allen joined the agency in 2013. Born in London, England, Steve was an active member of the community from an early age and, at 18 years of age, became a volunteer youth leader in his hometown. As an undergraduate student at the University of Manchester, Steve majored in Youth and Community work and went on to successfully complete his post graduate studies in Social Work at the University of Liverpool.
Following a 10-year career as a probation officer and then manager of a center for high risk youth, he moved with his wife, Barbara, and two young sons to Pasadena, California.
Steve became the Director of Social Services for The Salvation Army, Southern California Division, where he was responsible for an array of social services programs, many of which were children, youth and family based, along with oversight of 700 full-time staff. He completed this very successful 16-year tenure at the Salvation Army, serving four years as the Executive Director of Development.
Most recently, Steve served as the Chief Development Officer for The American Red Cross, LA Region, where under his leadership, local fundraising more than doubled in just three years.
Tami Mitsumori-Miller, LMFT
Tami Mitsumori-Miller joined Foothill Family in 2004 as a Clinical Coordinator for School-Based Services and was promoted in 2005 to Clinical Director for the El Monte site. Tami became the Associate Chief of Clinical Services in 2012 and in September 2014, assumed the role of Chief of Clinical Services. Tami received her bachelor's degree from Asbury College in Kentucky and her master's degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Psychology in Pasadena, California. She has worked in the community mental health field since 1994 and has experience working with foster youth and providing intensive services to children and adults.
James Siegrist, MBA
Jim Siegrist joined Foothill Family in 2012 as the Chief Financial Officer and in 2022 assumed the additional role of Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining the Agency, Jim spent 10 years in various roles with MediaNews Group, most recently as the Chief Financial Officer of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Jim also served as General Manager of the Torrance Daily Breeze and Chief Financial Officer of the California Newspapers Partnership. Prior to MediaNews Group, Jim worked at a number of startup companies in the healthcare and real estate industries as well as holding corporate and division level positions with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), the Los Angeles Times, and Thomson Newspapers. Jim obtained his MBA from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC) and also holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from USC.
Tiffany Tsuchiyama, MS
Tiffany Tsuchiyama joined Foothill Family in 2015 as the Chief Human Resources Officer. Tiffany has over 23 years of experience working in human resources within the non-profit community-based behavioral health sector as well as in private, for-profit organizations. Tiffany obtained her Master of Science degree from California State University at Los Angeles and also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles. She is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), the Professional Human Resources Association (PIHRA) and WorldatWork. Tiffany holds certifications as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR), a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), a Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) and a Six Sigma Black Belt Professional.
Chris Howard
Chris Howard joined Foothill Family in 2008 to implement and manage Foothill’s new electronic heath record system, Welligent. After serving as IT Manager, Chris was promoted to Director of Information Technology in 2012. In addition to Welligent, Chris also oversees the CISCO phone system and hardware and software infrastructure. Prior to joining Foothill, Chris spent eight years in various roles with UCLA’s Physician Billing Office as well as a number of years with Prime Clinical Systems, an EMR and physician billing software vendor. Chris received his bachelor's degree in Information Technology from CSULA as well as an AA and AS in business from Pasadena City College.
Patti Johnson, Director of Marketing & Communications
Patti Johnson joined Foothill Family in 2020 as the Director of Marketing & Communications. Most recently, serving as a strategic marketing consultant, Patti consulted for high profile non-profits including Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country, Alzheimer’s Association and Habitat for Humanity. Immediately prior, Patti served as the Director of Marketing for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. Patti served in various creative services roles at The Hollywood Reporter and the American Film Institute (AFI). Patti served on the Board of Directors for the Hands and Feet Project whose mission is to end the orphan crisis in Haiti and continues to be involved with the organization. Patti earned an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Westmont College.
Amy Cousineau
Amy Cousineau joined Foothill Family in 2022 as the Director of Program Development. Amy received her Master's of Psychology and Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology from Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University in La Mirada, California. She has worked in Community Mental Health for more than 15 years. She has leadership experience in an array of DMH programs, intensive mental health services, transitional housing, residential services, and nonpublic schools.
Gassia Ekizian, LMFT
Gassia Ekizian joined Foothill Family in 1998 as a School-Based Therapist. She then served as the Clinical Manager of the Child Abuse Treatment program and then was later promoted to Director of Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement. Gassia received her bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge and her master's degree from Phillips Graduate Institute.
Maria Muñiz, MA
Maria Muñiz joined Foothill Family in 1999 as a School-Based Case Manager. She quickly emerged as a leader and became a Senior Case Manager providing training and consultation to case managers at each of our service sites. In 2002 she was promoted to the position of Community Challenge Grant-Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Coordinator prior to becoming the Program Director for Teen Family Services in 2008 and then the Director of Youth and Family Services in 2016. Maria received her bachelor's degree in Spanish Literature and Arts from California State University, Long Beach and her master's degree in Human Development: Leadership in Education with a
Meg Bennett, LMFT
Meg Bennett joined Foothill Family in 2006 as a Clinical Manager for School-Based Services. In 2012 she was promoted to Clinical Director for the El Monte Site. Meg received her bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, Massachusetts and her master's degree from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. She has worked in Community Mental Health for more than 15 years. She has experience providing Intensive In Home Services, Wraparound Services, School/Agency Based services and Clinical Supervision.
Daneta Calderon-Vital, LCSW, Site Director
Daneta Calderon-Vital joined Foothill Family in 2010 as a Clinical Manager for School-Based Services. In 2016, she was promoted to Site Director for the Covina Site. Daneta obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Sciences with a minor in Criminal Justice from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and her Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles. Daneta has over 20 years of experience in the mental health field and has experience working in the child welfare system, family preservation, school/agency based services, family therapy, adult mental health, and clinical supervision.
Sheila A. Thornton, LCSW
Sheila Thornton joined Foothill Family in 1985 as a Contract Worker in the Clinical Services Department. In 2001 she was promoted to Clinical Director for the Oak Knoll/ Family Center Site in Pasadena. Sheila received her bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame and an MSW from Boston College. She has worked in the community mental health field for 32 years and has experience in foster care and adoption, child abuse treatment and prevention as well as domestic violence treatment and prevention and crisis mental health.
Mia Williams - Director of Community Engagement
Mia Williams joined Foothill Family in 2021 as Director of Community Engagement. Mia received her bachelor's degree in Human Services from Phoenix University and her master's degree in Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute. She comes to Foothill Family with 20 years of experience working in the non-profit mental health and social services sector and is passionate about engaging the community ,children, youth, and families.
Lindsey Lansburgh, Director of Philanthropy
A native of Southern California, Lindsey began her career at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association in the corporate fundraising field, managing the community-based corporate relationships at the iconic Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall. She soon moved her focus to the annual giving sector within the organization, managing $4.1 M in annual revenue. Her most recent position provided an opportunity to grow the donor base and outward facing volunteer and fundraising efforts at the LA Phil’s sister organization, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the resident chorus of Walt Disney Concert Hall, as the Associate Director of Individual Giving. In June 2019, Lindsey assumed the position of Director of Development at Foothill Family, overseeing the fundraising and outreach efforts of the mental health and early childhood development service organization based in the San Gabriel Valley. Her career has led her to building relationships and seeing strong revenue growth from within the arts industry and now the mental health communities, with a focus on data-driven analysis, corporate, individual, and special event fundraisers, and friend-raising.
Lindsey studied oboe with Carolyn Hove, Solo English Horn of the LA Phil, while attending California State University, Long Beach, where she received her degree in Music Performance. During her time as a student, she received performance acclaim in the university and community settings, and was a recipient many scholarships, including a full-ride program dedicated for students achieving a specialized instrument degree. Lindsey has remained a performer in the Los Angeles and Orange County area to pursue her passion for music education for all. She performed frequently with the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras as Principal Oboe and Solo English Horn, and was part of the group’s ground-breaking recordings, one of which debuted at the top of the Billboard Classical Charts.
When not friend-raising or music-making, Lindsey enjoys spending time with family and her garden. She resides in Azusa with her classically-trained pianist husband, Alex, son Theo, and black Labrador, Poppy.
Danette Lew, LCSW
Danette joined Foothill Family in 2005. She has led Foothill Family's
Board of Directors
Officers
Laurel Bear, Ph.D, Chair
Vince R. Lawler, Vice Chair & Secretary
David Y. Lin, Treasurer
Chuck Tapert, At Large
Julietta Perez, Past Chair
Directors
Advisory Board
Gail Bardin
The Honorable Kathryn Barger
- LA County Supervisor
The Honorable Geoffrey Baum
- Vice President, Pasadena City College Board of Trustees
William R. Boyd, Jr.
Mike Buchanan
Rosalina Cardenas
Brian Center
Judge Ed Chau
- Superior Court of LA County
- US Congresswoman
The Honorable Mike Eng
Cristina Perez Gonzalez, Esq.
J. Dale Harvey
Craig Hodgetts
Priscilla Hunt
Jean C. Lauricella, MD
Anita Lawler
The Honorable Jeanette Mann,
- Member, Pasadena City College Board of Trustees
Peter McAniff
Todd E. Molz, Esq.
The Honorable Grace Napolitano,
- Former United States Representative
The Honorable Anthony Portantino
- Former Member of the California State Senate
Mark Repstad
Robert J. Riewerts, MD
Lori Winters Samuels
The Honorable Adam Schiff,
- United States Senator
Sheila Thornton
Bill Ukropina
Friends of Foothill Family Board
