LEADERSHIP STAFF

Roger W. Daniels is a Bay Area native who grew up in Berkeley, California.   He attended Florida A&M University where he received a BA in Business Administration.  After undergraduate school Roger worked in the private sector for 8 years before deciding to attend the School of Social Welfare at the University of California Berkeley where he received his M.S.W. in 1995.  In 2000 Roger received his L.C.S.W.  After graduate school Roger worked for a Foster Family Agency, Alternative Family Services, for approximately 11 years before taking a position at Fred Finch Youth Center in 2007 as a Program Director for two programs that serve Transition Age Youth in Alameda County. 

In the fall of 2012 Fred Finch received a grant from Alameda County Vocational Services to pilot an evidenced based employment program that emphasized supporting clients with obtaining competitive employment within the county.  Under Roger’s guidance the employment program received 2 awards: one from the Alameda County Mental Health Advisory Board, and a second, national one from Dartmouth’s IPS Learning Community.  In addition to supervisory responsibility for IPS; Roger received a promotion in 2015 and is currently the new Senior Director of TAY Community Based Clinical Programs with responsibility for oversight of 3 outpatient mental health programs for TAY as well as the Rising Harte Wellness Center which services middle school students and TAY.   In addition to being a Social Worker Roger has been married for over 20 years and together with his partner Greg Merrill is raising 2 boys ages 12 and 16 who are truly an inspiration to him. 

Joslin Herberich, LCSW joined Fred Finch in 1997 as a Residential Social Worker and was then a Clinical Supervisor and Program Director for wraparound services.  She was promoted to her current position as Senior Director of community based services for youth and families in 2006.  Prior to Fred Finch, Joslin gained clinical experience in Kaiser’s psychiatry departments (Oakland and San Francisco) and on the child/adolescent psychiatric unit at First Hospital Vallejo. She has her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgetown University and her MSW from the University of California, Berkeley.  
 

Dr. Cristobal Hernandez, Psy.D., has joined Fred Finch CARES as the new Senior Director for Enhanced Care Management (ECM), where he will oversee programming across regions.

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With over 20 years of dedication to the behavioral health sector, his most recent role was serving as the Director of Behavioral Health and Social Services at a Federally Qualified Health Center. Throughout his career, Cristobal has demonstrated leadership in a diverse range of behavioral health and social services programs, including children's behavioral health clinics, adult programs, substance use disorder (SUD) programs, crisis services, FSP programs, and ECM programs. His experience extends to program oversight in both non-profit and county behavioral health sectors. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Cristobal enjoys working with a wide variety of populations.

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Cristobal holds a Master’s and Doctorate in Organizational Development from Alliant International University, along with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
 

Maria G. Luna, LMFT, BCBA is the Senior Director for the Fred Finch Specialized Wrap and CARES Initiative. She aims to integrate programs into a comprehensive continuum of care model providing mental health, behavioral health, psychology, psychiatry and ABA services to children, youth and their families with developmental disabilities and mental health concerns. This new model promotes enhanced coordination of care and broadening of services for improved outcomes for our participants, while the Initiative builds and sustains new partnerships and diverse revenue streams. Maria graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from UC Riverside, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University and holds an LMFT and a BCBA Certification. She is a bilingual-bicultural Latinx therapist who’s worked at CARES for more than 12 years-- most recently as Program Manager serving Orange County and Temecula.

Laura McClarin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has over twelve years of experience providing services in community settings while utilizing a solution focused and strength based philosophy.  Before joining Fred Finch, Laura was the Program Director of Cabrillo Assessment Center: an outpatient community therapy center for New Alternatives for five years.   After joining the Fred Finch team, she became Clinical Manager of the Wraparound program for the South and East regions and served as the Quality Assurance (QA) Liaison for the program.  She earned her Bachelors Degree from the University of California Davis and her Masters in Psychology from Cal State San Luis Obispo.  Her previous work experience includes group home settings, community colleges, and outpatient clinics.  Laura is currently the Senior Director overseeing a new pilot program, the Child and Family Team Meeting Facilitation program.

Dr. Nydia Mershani, Psy.D., LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who joined Fred Finch in 2015 as a Program Director for Alameda County School Based Programs. She was promoted to her current position as Senior Director of Alameda County School Based Services in 2022.  She possesses more than 17 years of progressive experience in the psychology field, and she has extensive experience working with diverse populations, while utilizing different therapeutic modalities. Prior to Fred Finch, Nydia gained clinical and managerial experience as the Director of Clinical Services at the YMCA in South San Francisco, Mental Health Specialist in Contra Costa County, Clinical Supervisor and Evidence Based practice supervisor in Los Angeles at an outpatient non-profit agency. In her previous roles she provided outpatient individual and family therapy to adolescents, families, severely mentally ill clients, children, teens, families, youth on probation, Domestic Violence survivors, adults in both outpatient and shelter programs, college students, and homeless populations. Dr. Nydia Mershani, LMFT, Psy.D., earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Redlands in 2002, her master’s degree in Counseling/Psychology from Argosy University in 2005 and her Doctorate Degree in Psychology from the Chicago school of Professional psychology in 2015. 

Mar Smith is Senior Director over Residential and Non-Public School Services at Fred Finch.  She has been with the agency for more than 29 years and has extensive knowledge of milieu, teamwork, trauma informed care, clinical supervision mental health developmental disabilities and autism. She believes in the resiliency of youth and families and uses this belief to inspire hope for change. She has a BA in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Social Work from San Francisco State University.

Bruce Wexler, MS, MFT has been with Fred Finch Youth & Family Services for more than 12 years. He currently serves in the role of Senior Director where he leads agency programming for at-risk, special needs youth and families throughout San Diego County. Services include intensive mental health treatment, a residential treatment center, special education services and aftercare supports designed specifically for dually diagnosed adolescents.

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Throughout his career, Bruce has played a key role in the development of behavioral health treatment programs, from outpatient counseling and parent education programs, to evidence-based therapeutic foster homes, residential centers, and hospital-based psychiatric care. He is a trained mediator and consultant who has worked with a variety of corporate teams to improve their management processes.  Bruce has served on several community boards and remains active in County Child Welfare and Behavioral Health Services committees, focused on improving the system of care for San Diego’s most vulnerable youth and families.