The Santa Barbara Mental Health Association has hired two new employees, Neil Friedman and Ramona Winner.
Friedman will be the program manager of the association’s Recovery Learning Center at the Fellowship Club, Santa Barbara’s primary rehabilitation and social center for people recovering from mental illness.
Born in Los Angeles, Friedman graduated from the University of California-Davis with a degree in psychology and received a master’s in social work from the University of Southern California.
Before joining the Mental Health Association, Friedman developed several programs as program manager at Columbia River Mental Health Services in Vancouver, Wash., a position he held for 15 years. Before moving to Portland, Friedman was a Santa Barbara resident and served as clinical director at the Phoenix of Santa Barbara.
Winner will serve as the Spanish-speaking family advocate.
Winner is an award-winning author and publisher of bilingual books for children with multicultural themes, including It’s Okay To Be Different! ¡Esta Bien Ser Diferente! and Lucas and His Loco
Beans.
A former U.S. Marine, Winner has held positions with several health care organizations in the Santa Barbara area, including Goleta Valley Community Hospital and the Breast Cancer Center.
She is a member of the local Toast Masters Club and offers presentations on diversity and sensitivity to educators and students of all ages. Winner lives in Goleta with her husband and two sons.
— Daniella Elghanayan is a publicist.