Executive Team

Mary Kaye Gerski
Executive Director

Mary Kaye Gerski has extensive experience directing youth mental health programs across the state. She joins RCS from southern California where she served as the Director of a 140-bed residential treatment facility serving adolescents with co-occurring disorders. Previous experience managing psychiatric and mental health services for major urban hospitals as well as extensive work in recreational therapy uniquely qualify her to lead RCS' residential, clinic, and community-based behavioral and mental health services.

Mary Kaye Gerski's history of successful leadership and program management has been built on strengths she developed both in the public and private sectors, which include strategic planning, policymaking, financial and program management, systems development and analysis, staff recruitment and development, and customer relations. Ms. Gerski received a BA from Chico State University and a Masters in Human Resources Management from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Mary Kaye Gerski has committed her professional life to serving youth with mental illness. At RCS, this commitment drives her to support and expand RCS' community services, mental health programs, fundraising, and community involvement, with the goal of appropriately addressing the needs of each child and family we serve.

Linda Haskin, CPA
Chief Financial Officer

Linda Haskin spent 10 years in for profit accounting and finance and then left the “rat race” to follow her dream of working for a nonprofit. She now has over 15 years experience managing nonprofit finance and accounting operations. Prior to her employment with RCS Linda was CFO at a nonprofit serving seniors and Director of Finance at EMQ.

Linda has a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a California Teaching Credential; she earned a Masters in Business Administration, with a concentration in accounting, from California State University, Hayward and holds a CPA license. She spent 3 years at Deloitte and Touche earning that license.

Linda believes that the finance and accounting department can be people oriented. She says, “The Finance Department at RCS is here to support the employees of RCS and the clients they serve so well.”

Randall Ramirez, LCSW, MFT
Chief Clinical Officer

Randall Ramírez has  over 30 years of experience working with youth and families impacted by a wide range of serious emotional disturbance, health-related illnesses, and psychosocial stress. He currently serves as Chief Clinical Officer at Rebekah Children’s Services where he oversees all contracted mental health programs and provides clinical supervision and training for pre-licensed interns and trainees.  Randall  is on faculty at the School of Social Work, San José State University where he  lectures on such topics as psychopharmacology, adolescent & child mental health, health/mental health policy, and acculturation stress.

After  Randall  spear-headed a collaborative partnership with Gilroy Unified School District for school-based  behavioural health services 4 years ago, the local Board of Education ratified a new contract for mental health services to youth who qualify for Emotional Disturbed services on 3 campuses.  This has not only generated new dollars for services to RCS youth in the Gilroy community, but has secured us in the position of being the behavioural health provider of choice to the district.  This October, Randall, along with Gilroy Unified’s Director of Student Services, will be presenting their model of collaboration at the 15th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Mr. Ramírez graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1979 with a Masters in Social Welfare. He is licensed in California both as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist.

• Presented at the 2009 Cultural Competence Mental Health Summit on “Healing Generational Trauma through Latina Youth Empowerment & Indigenous Spiritual Practices” in Burlingame, CA.
• Presented at the 2009 Northern California Mental Health and Spirituality Conference on “Youth Empowerment and Leadership Retreat: Integrating Culture  and Spirituality” in Oakland, CA.
• Presented at the 2009 Partnership Training and Placement Fair on “Preserving Placements for Children with Reactive Attachment Spectrum Disorders” in Burlingame, CA.
• Presented at the 2009 California School Health Centers Conference on “Integrating the School Community: Innovative Approaches to School-based Mental Health Services” in Sacramento, CA.
• Presented at the 2008 California Mental Health Advocates for Children & Youth Conference on “Culturally & Spiritually-Centered Collaboration Among Latino Mental Health Populations” at Asilomar, CA.
• Presented at the 2007 Santa Clara County Binational Health Week Conference on “Acculturation Stress & Bicultural Competence” in Morgan Hill, CA.
• Presented at the 2006 California Mental Health Advocates for Children & Youth Conference on “Treating Acculturation Guilt: A Community Mental Health Approach for Serving Latino Immigrant Youth” at Asilomar, CA.
• Community Partner participant on the Head Start Policy Council/Santa Clara County Office of Education, since October 2006.
• Member of the Community Mental Health Advocates for Children & Youth (CMHACY) since May, 2006.
• Certified in Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing through the EMDR Institute, Inc. since August, 2005.
• Regular guest speaker on Childhood Matters radio program, funded through various county FIRST 5 grants.
• Awarded “Social Worker of the Year” by the Antelope Valley Unit of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), March 9, 2002.

Robert "Smitty" Smith, MA
Chief Operations Officer

Robert Smith has over three decades of experience working with kids and families. Starting at a summer camp in upstate New York and gaining experience as a child care worker, a case manager, therapist, program supervisor, social worker, and director. Smitty earned his Bachelors and his Masters Degrees in Psychology from State University of New York at New Paltz. Being involved in child welfare field for the past thirty years has given him the opportunity to participate in the evolution of practices that focus on the resilience of kids and their families.

Jorge Montes
Chief Information Officer

Jorge Montes joined Rebekah Children's Services in 1999 as a Mental Health Specialist. It wasn't long before Jorge's broad expertise of regulatory requirements and technical knowledge cemented his role as the expert in Compliance and Information. Jorge's experience in Children's Mental Health spans three states and 20 years. He has been responsible for developing proactive processes and systems to maintain Rebekah Children's Services' compliance with federal, state, and local laws/ordinances. Jorge is instrumental in the development of risk management strategies for Rebekah Children's Services resulting in huge fiscal savings and near perfect audits. Jorge's responsibilities have grown to include compliance audits, claims auditing, contracts, policy and procedures and information technology. His broad knowledge base covers regulatory experience in psychiatric hospitals, residential facilities, and community based mental health. Jorge serves as a consultant to health care entities in several counties specializing in quality assurance, information systems and quality improvement.