Wellness Centers

As Superintendent of the largest district in Monterey County, Dan embraced parent requests and worked with the Board of Education, to lead Monterey County’s first-ever initiative to establish dedicated student Wellness Centers on each of his campuses, ensuring students could access mental health support without leaving school. Through collaboration with stakeholders, Dan secured the resources to build Wellness Centers that focused on providing services through a holistic, tiered approach to well-being—combining proactive, district-wide programs with targeted group interventions and individualized care.

The results have been outstanding for student support and Dan has been commended for his leadership that reflected vision, innovation, and practical problem-solving. In fact, this has become a model that other districts look to for meeting the comprehensive needs of their students.  Dan humbly credits his staff and partnerships for bringing this vision to reality.

Dan’s vision for employee recruitment and retention led to a first-of-its-kind development in Monterey County and one of the only few programs like this for K-12 educators in California.  Dan modeled the protocol from a similar project that he initiated in Daly City, CA.

The Workforce Housing model provides below-market-rate housing for up to 50 eligible district employees, allowing them to stay local and serve our community while possibly saving for a down payment on a home in the area.   

This visionary leadership has resulted in both Salinas and Daly City and being models throughout the State for employee housing solutions.