Mark Salazar is the President and CEO of the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, the oldest and leading peer-to-peer support organization in California that provides accessible non-judgmental support and services. Mark has been a part of the MHA network since 2005, starting in MHA-Hawaii and is now CEO of MHASF.
Mark’s goal as CEO was to expand the organization’s services, reduce barriers to accessibility, and to reach historically marginalized and underserved communities. Since becoming CEO in 2018, MHASF has taken off with revenue growth of 1,400% and an increase in number of peer specialist and staff from 30 to now over 150. MHASF has grown to become the largest Warm Lines in the nation, with over 100+ peer counselors and operates the CalHOPE Warm Line in serving over 20,000 Californians through over 100,000 calls, chats, and texts per year. MHASF has expanded integration and partnerships with Marin and San Francisco’s behavioral health system, peer support groups from 2 to 15 with groups to support BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. MHASF service users reflect its diverse staff, with 55% of participants identifying as BIPOC and 40% identifying as LGBTQ+.
Mark’s extensive experience includes Chair of San Francisco’s Task Force on Hoarding and Cluttering, management of the award winning and internationally recognized Institute of Compulsive Hoarding cluttering, children’s, and adults’ mental health outreach and advocacy, research management with various organizations including the University of California - San Francisco and San Francisco Department Adult and Aging Services.
Mark is also the Founder and CEO of Vencer Health. Launched in 2018, Vencer Health’s mission is to improve the long-term health outcomes of individuals by improving accessibility of home-care and respite services through their mobile app. Users can order services as needed or schedule them in advance, dubbed “Uber of Home Healthcare.”
Mark earned his Master of Health Administration from the University of Southern California and Bachelors in Social Sciences from the University of Hawaii, West Oahu.