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A former leader of the now-defunct Senior Support Program of the Tri-Valley recently started a new job in the Bay Area nonprofit field, as executive director of the San Mateo County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health.
Robert Taylor worked for four years leading the Pleasanton-based nonprofit, including the first year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, before quietly resigning in November 2021 and going on to work for an information-technology services and consulting organization. In the wake of Taylor’s departure, Senior Support leadership subsequently merged the longtime but struggling nonprofit with CityServe of the Tri-Valley in September 2022.
News of Taylor’s hiring to lead NAMI San Mateo was first reported last month by the Redwood City Pulse, a sister publication of the Pleasanton Weekly.
Chris Rasmussen, first-year president of the NAMI chapter’s Board of Directors, called Taylor an “excellent fit for NAMI San Mateo” in a press release on May 8. “He brings a depth of knowledge and talent to challenge and support our staff, generate new funding sources, and guide us to a new and exciting future,” Rasmussen said.
The NAMI San Mateo press release cites Taylor as having “extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, business development, sales management, business administration, project/operations management and strategic partnerships”, but the statement did not specify any of Taylor’s prior professional positions, including having no reference to his tenure at Senior Support.
The troubles at Senior Support, including Taylor’s exit nine months earlier, were explored in an exposé story by the Weekly published in August 2022, days before representatives with both organizations announced publicly for the first time that CityServe would be absorbing Senior Support and the nonprofit would be dissolving after nearly 40 years.
At NAMI San Mateo, Taylor will be tasked with overseeing the nonprofit’s “overall development and strategic planning” including “increasing awareness of mental health challenges within the community, driving business development, managing financials, fostering board and community relations, and identifying fundraising opportunities,” its officials said.
“I’m very excited to join NAMI San Mateo County. NAMI is a wonderful organization that provides support, education, and advocacy for people and their families. I’m honored to be part of the NAMI San Mateo team,” Taylor said in the nonprofit’s press release.
