Los Angeles, June 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hillsides Board of Directors today announced that Hillsides’ Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Stacey Roth has been tapped to succeed President and CEO Joe Costa, who is retiring from Hillsides next year after more than 10 years in the role. Roth will assume the role of CEO on July 1 and take on the President role in January, at which point Costa will become President and CEO Emeritus until his retirement in late June 2021.
“Hillsides has been incredibly fortunate to have had Joe at the helm for the past decade,” said Jesse A. Cripps, board chair. “He has brought incredible stability and progressive thinking to the organization and we’ve continued to grow in the services that we have provided under his leadership.”
Hillsides Board Vice Chair Deborah L.S. Booth also praised Costa’s efforts to grow and promote the organization with his external leadership on the national, state and local levels, greatly expanding Hillsides’ supporters and overseeing a major $18 million capital campaign that wrapped up in 2018.
“He has a lot of connections and is really great with donors and foundation contacts in communicating the terrific work of the organization and our ongoing funding needs,” Booth said. “Our outreach within the Pasadena and Los Angeles community has really connected us to a whole new audience of supporters. There’s so much more awareness of Hillsides and what we do.”
Both Cripps and Booth said Roth was an obvious choice to succeed Costa during the search process. As Director of Community-Based Programs, Roth grew the program from 40 employees to over 200 employees and $1 million in contracts to over $24 million over ten years. She also put the organization in the national spotlight with her leadership in creating a Trauma-Informed Care approach and manual for nonprofits to adopt in partnership with the National Council for Behavioral Healthcare.
“Stacey has served Hillsides in many capacities for 25 years,” Cripps said. “First as a therapist in the residential program, then as the director of community-based programs, and most recently as the Chief Operating Officer. As a result, she is familiar with all our service divisions. She brings to the CEO position not only administrative experience but also a keen awareness of the clinical needs of the children and families we serve. Her commitment to the organization is evident not just by her years of service but also by her willingness to lead significant initiatives that have advanced the quality of care offered by Hillsides.”
Added Booth: “I remember something she said when we were interviewing her that her parents always told her to go for it and not give up. She goes for it like nobody I’ve ever seen. In a good way, a nice way. She can hit the ground running when she starts her new role.”
Among the most immediate tasks for Roth will be to help the organization navigate the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis, both organizationally and financially, and work with the board on a new strategic planning process. “We like all organizations are looking at the new normal and trying to learn from it. Stacey has been very open to exploring different ways we can provide services in an uncertain future,” Cripps said. “It’s a challenging and exciting time for the organization and Stacey brings to the table a lot of ideas for growth. The energy that she brings is really an extension of the culture that Joe created. It’s one of finding ways to continue to grow and thrive as an organization.”
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About Hillsides: Hillsides, with its affiliate Bienvenidos, is dedicated to healing children and young adults, strengthening families, and transforming communities through quality comprehensive services and advocacy. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the agency serves nearly 17,000 children and families in Southern California throughout more than 40 sites, including school-based mental health offices in Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Baldwin Park. Foster care and adoptions services are offered in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. To learn more about Hillsides, please visit www.Hillsides.org. Visit Hillsides on Facebook @hillsideschildren, on Twitter @Hillsides, or on Instagram @HillsidesPasadena.
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