Fred Finch Youth & Family Services recently announced that David Channer will become the agency’s next chief executive officer effective July 20, 2026. David takes the helm from Tom Alexander who retired in April.
“David is an excellent addition to the Fred Finch team,” said Lacy Vong, Chair of the Fred Finch board. “The Board conducted an extensive search to find the next leader to continue the organization’s 135 years of excellent mental and behavioral health services. We selected David because of his deep understanding of public funding, county relationships, and the complexities of system-wide initiatives such as Medi-Cal, in addition to his commitment to helping children, youth, and families overcome mental and behavioral health challenges.”
Founded in Oakland in 1891, Fred Finch evolved from an orphanage into a leading provider of residential treatment, family support, transitional housing, and community-based behavioral health services across California.
An LCSW who has led clinically and managed operationally, David joins the organization from A Better Way, a Berkeley-nonprofit where he worked for 20 years, including five as its CEO. While there he grew the organization into a USD 15 million dollar agency and expanded service capacity and geographic reach through strategic alignment with county systems and funding. Early in his career David worked for Fred Finch as a supervisor for the Therapeutic Behavioral Services program.
“Fred Finch is a nationally recognized leader in the field that was among the first to adopt a trauma and culturally responsive delivery of care, something deeply important to me,” said David Channer. I’m proud of what I helped build at A Better Way, and I’m excited to bring my experience and passion to Fred Finch — an organization with an exciting and diversified array of programs, deep community roots, and a board and staff that are clearly committed to doing this work right.”
Laura McClarin will act as interim CEO until David starts. At that time, Laura plans to return to her previous Vice President of Program Operations role and work closely with David and the rest of the leadership team to continue the organization’s track record of excellence.
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