The First Step of Sarasota Board of Directors consists of business leaders, philanthropic donors and mental health experts.
Board members
Deputy Chief Patrick Robinson Chair
Ron Turner
Vice-Chair
Jack Cox
Eric Hoonhout
Dana Keane
Elizabeth LaBoone
Wade McVay
Jay Miller
Dr. Kevin O'Neil
Brena Slater
Sheriff's Representative Bill Spitler
Dr. John Wesley Walker Jr.
Executive Officers The First Step of Sarasota executive officers as of July 2020: left to right, Gwen MacKenzie, CEO; Tracy Weeden Chief In-patient and Residential Services Officer; Mounira Ragsdale, Chief Administrative Officer; and Vickie Tiutyama, Chief Financial Officer.
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For more information about our programs, or to speak confidentially with one of us, please fill out the short form below. We look forward to hearing from you.
*Community partners are businesses that have chosen to support our organization as a community partner sponsor. If you are interested please click here for the sponsorship form.
Mental Health Partners:
FIRST STEP OF SARASOTA, INC. IS A 501 (C ) (3) ORGANIZATION. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION ON CH1573 MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL FREE 800 435 7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
Welcome to First Step of Sarasota
A UNITED EFFORT Serving Sarasota, MANATEE, DESOTO & Charlotte counties.
For more than 50 years, we have been "Caring for Our Community" by providing affordable, evidence-based behavioral healthcare services to children, adolescents, adults, seniors and their families who struggle with mental-health and substance-use issues.
July 2020 saw two organizations with this mission — First Step of Sarasota and Coastal Behavioral Healthcare — join to provide better service more cost-effectively. The leadership and staff of this new, stronger First Step of Sarasota Inc. know that while the job is never done, we succeed every time a family is reunited, a person with a mental illness is well again, or a child threatening suicide is saved.
We celebrate every time an individual achieves his or her self-determined goals for health, life, and well-being.
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