Joseph M. Costa brings over 30 years of experience in the health and human services industry to the OPEN MINDS team, with expertise in strategic positioning, development of organizational structure, mergers and acquisitions, and fund development.rnrnPrior to his work with OPEN MINDS, Mr. Costa served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hillsides in Los Angeles, California. Hillsides is a non-profit premier provider organization that serves 17,000 children, youth and families throughout the greater Los Angeles County. Under Mr. Costa’s direction, Hillsides successfully completed an $18 million capital improvement project in 2019 to enhance its main campus in Pasadena. In 2016, Mr. Costa oversaw Hillsides’ affiliation with Bienvenidos, which allowed for an increased presence in East Los Angeles and the addition of foster care and adoption programs. Mr. Costa further helped Hillsides achieve national accreditation through the Council on Accreditation and recognition as a trauma informed organization by the National Council for Behavioral Health in 2013.rnrnPrior to his role at Hillsides, Mr. Costa served as the Chief Executive Officer of Side by Side, formerly Sunny Hills, in San Anselmo, California. In this role, Mr. Costa completed the merger of Sunny Hills and Children’s Garden, an initiative to consolidate residential services in Marin County. Mr. Costa helped Sunny Hills evolve from being a local residential services provider to a community-based provider of mental health services with a presence in multiple counties.rnrnPrior to his role at Side by Side, Mr. Costa served as the Chief Operations Officer for Para Los Niños, where he led the organization through its initial accreditation process, developed the mental health services, inaugurated an additional early childhood center, and secured a grant to develop a charter school.rnrnMr. Costa is a known leader in the child welfare field, serving as Chair of Child Welfare League of America from 2014 until 2017. Mr. Costa continues to serves on the governing body of the Child Welfare League of America as well as the California Alliance for Child and Family Services Board of Directors until 2020.rnrnMr. Costa earned a Masters degree in Divinity from St. Johns Seminary, School of Theology and a Masters in Social Work from Boston College Graduate School of Social Work.