The Board of the Family Service Agency of the Central Coast in Santa Cruz has announced the appointment of Bill McCabe as its next Executive Director, effective August 29th. McCabe follows in the exceptional footsteps of David Bianchi, who recently announced his retirement and decision to relocate near family on the East Coast.
Dr. Elisa Breton, Chair of the Board of Directors, expressed the profound gratitude of the Board, staff, and volunteers to David, whose remarkable 35 years of leadership have seen the dramatic growth and service diversification of this exceptional regional service agency. “David has led Family Service through generations of challenges. These include a half dozen mergers with other respected nonprofit organizations, and continuing additions and refinements to our services for children, youth, cancer survivors, sexual abuse survivors, families in need, those at risk of suicide, and others. We will miss him greatly and are fortunate to have been able to recruit a leader in Bill McCabe who can begin a new chapter in the history and mission of our agency.”
Dr. Breton has summarized McCabe’s background: “Bill is an East Bay native who initially pursued a philosophy degree at Berkeley and whose aptitudes with finance and information technology have made him the “numbers and IT guy” wherever he has been. These skills might have taken his career in a different direction. But Bill’s deep-seated interest in human behavior and healing prompted his transfer from UC Berkeley to UC Santa Cruz, his study of psychology, and his subsequent pursuit of a gratifying career in family services. That mix of aptitudes, with his leadership abilities, have advanced him quickly and steadily into higher levels of executive responsibility. After completing his master’s degree, his first position at Encompass Community Services in 1998 was followed by one promotion after another, culminating in his oversight of 90 staff in 20 programs in a $5 million division of a large multi-service agency. Bill is eager to continue in management and institution building and, of course, knows that Family Service offers him a leadership opportunity aligned with his aspirations.”
Bill McCabe has expressed his excitement at both the opportunities and challenges ahead. He has remarked on how he has been so greatly impressed by the Board, staff, and volunteers and by the essential services we provide throughout the Central Coast, and by the possibilities of building on the organization’s many accomplishments to expand community services even further. He appreciates how he has been embraced by all he has met and looks forward with optimism to the future.