PRESS RELEASE

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Media Contact:
Eric L. Steckel,
Communications Manager
510-768-3147

esteckel@cceb.org

Catholic Charities of the East Bay Promotes

Sister Marian Castelluccio to Director of Mental Health
Leading East Bay agency in treatment for victims of crime selects director with
deep background in restorative practices
OAKLAND, Calif. February 11, 2015 Catholic Charities of the East Bay, a social services
agency serving Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, has selected Sister Marian Castelluccio,
OP (Order of Preachers), Adrian Dominican Sister, as its new director of mental health.
Sister Marian is a pioneer in trauma-informed treatment models and school-based
restorative practice services. She follows in the footsteps of Millie Burns and Cindy Hill-Ford
who were instrumental in developing Catholic Charities innovative RTIPS (Restorative TraumaInformed Practices) program. RTIPS combines current evidence on the impacts and treatment
of trauma with the conflict resolution and community-building of restorative processes.
Sister Marian will be responsible for developing and leading program services and
maintaining program excellence within the Mental Health and Violence Prevention (MHVP)
Division. In her new role, she will oversee current agency programs, including clinical case
management services to victims of violent crime and traumatized youth and families, as well as
family preservation services.
The Catholic Church is the largest provider of social services throughout Alameda and
Contra Costa Counties. Catholic Charities, founded in 1935, is the visible face of the diocese in
that work, providing social services and advocacy for the working poor and underserved in the
East Bay.
There is no doubt that Sister Marian is the right person as the director of mental health.
Her many skills, talents, heart, and faith are evident from the moment you meet her, said Chuck
Fernandez, Catholic Charities CEO. Sister Marian is a very special human being and God has
blessed us with her presence and many gifts. Everyone who spends just one minute with Sister
Marian immediately feels her calm strength, her passion for her work, her commitment to her
clients and the staff she leads, and her love for her community.

With a passion for serving the suffering, Sister Marian has spent the past 20 years as a
mental health specialist. In 1995, after receiving her Masters of Social Work from San Francisco
State University, she was appointed clinical case manager at Alameda County Behavioral
Health Care in Oakland. There she was responsible for outpatient community based mental
health services. In 2009 she joined the Catholic Charities of the East Bay mental health
department, serving populations and communities at risk of violent crime and trauma. As a
clinical case manager, she was responsible for providing mental health services. In October
2014 she was appointed the interim director of mental health.
Sister does her part every day to bring peace and love to our world, continued Mr.
Fernandez. There are leaders who can change the world and make a difference. She is one of
them.
Sister Marian received her Bachelor of Science degree from Siena Heights College in
Adrian, Mich. with a major in math and minors in biology and chemistry. She was awarded a
Masters in Theology from Manhattan College in New York, N.Y. and completed course work at
the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. In 2000 she received her license for clinical social
work in the state of California.
About Catholic Charities of the East Bay: Catholic Charities of the East Bay (CCEB) is a
social services agency headquartered in Oakland, California. In the last fiscal year, Catholic
Charities served over 8,000 clients in three primary programs: "Fostering Self-Sufficiency"
provides services designed to strengthen families and increase income to livable wages.
"Welcoming the Stranger" offers legal immigration, refugee relocation and refugee employment
services. "Healing Trauma" delivers immediate and sustained support to victims of crime,
especially those impacted by community, domestic, and family violence, as well as mental
health treatment to students and adolescents experiencing multiple, ongoing incidences of
trauma. For more information, visit www.cceb.org.
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Media Contact:

Eric L. Steckel, Communications Manager Office: 510-768-3147

Mobile: 415-713-2220 E-mail: esteckel@cceb.org