Will Lightbourne
Will Lightbourne was appointed as the interim executive director for the Commission in November 2024, as the Commission conducts a national search for a new executive director.
Will most recently served as a senior advisor in the Office of Youth and Community Restoration at the California Health and Human Services Agency where he provided leadership and support for increased integration of the juvenile system with other youth serving public programs in health, behavioral health, social services, and housing, with the goal of supporting positive community reentry.
Will also served as interim director at the California Department of Health Care Services from 2020-2021 while the country was responding to the emergency conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As director of the California Department of Social Services (2011-2018), Will launched a landmark effort to move more foster children out of institutions and into family-based settings and is credited with increased oversight of psychiatric drugs prescribed to youth in foster care.
Prior to his State service, Will was director of social services in Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz counties. As head of the Santa Clara County Social Services Agency from 2000 to 2011, he worked to reduce the overrepresentation of kids of color in the child welfare system and directed the closure of the local children’s shelter.
Sandra Gallardo
Sandra joined the Commission in 2024 and is a passionate advocate for improving behavioral health for the people of California. Sandra joined the Commission after nearly a decade as executive director of a California State University auxiliary non-profit where she provided direct services and support to the students of Sacramento State. Immediately prior, Sandra served as assistant secretary at the California Health and Human Services Agency where she worked as liaison to the Commission and various other Agency Departments. Sandra also brings experience from Capitol Hill, having served as senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and several years as a commercial litigator at a large law firm. Sandra earned her law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law and her Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Norma Pate
Norma Pate joined the Commission in 2010. After the Commission separated from the Department of Mental Health in 2012, Norma established the agency’s Human Resources, contracting, procurement, and budgeting divisions. Since then, Norma has focused on programs aimed at improving the wellbeing of children, increasing access to crisis services, and addressing disparities.
Before joining the Commission, Norma held leadership positions with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations’ Division of Addiction and Recovery Services, the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, and the Victim Compensation and Government Claim Board.
Kendra Zoller
Kendra joined the Commission in 2023 and is committed to leveraging her expertise in policy development and community engagement to elevate and advance the Commission's mission to ensure everyone who needs behavioral health care has access to and receives effective and culturally competent care. Kendra also oversees the Commission’s advocacy contracts, planning and implementation of Commission meetings, and communications team. Prior to joining the Commission, Kendra spent 12 years at the Department of Insurance as Deputy Legislative Director where she focused her efforts on developing and implementing policies that strengthened consumer protections, regulated insurance markets, and ensured fair and transparent insurance practices. Her legislative accomplishments include expanding consumer protection laws to assist wildfire survivors, ensure community and public safety, and protect vulnerable communities. Kendra also previously worked at the California Air Resources Board where she assisted in developing and advocating for policy recommendations aimed at promoting and protecting the public health and ecological resources of California through effective reduction of air pollutants. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in agricultural business from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.
Tom Orrock
Tom Orrock MA, LMFT joined the Commission in 2017 after spending 20 years building the largest private practice in south county. Prior to that, Tom worked as a social worker and therapist for children and youth in foster care and juvenile detention settings. Tom has worked as a clinical supervisor, training over 75 LMFT and LCSW interns in community-based organizations throughout Sacramento.
In his work at the Commission, Tom oversees a portfolio of over $500 million which includes the Behavioral Health Student Services Act, Early Psychosis Intervention, Mental Health Wellness Act, and allcove® youth drop-in centers. Tom also leads the research and evaluation team in its efforts to use data, dashboards, key metrics, and evaluation to support transparency and accountability of the public behavioral health system.
Tom is an advocate for the advocates and believes that the voice of consumers, family members, providers, and communities is critical in our effort to transform California’s mental health system into one that is relevant, accessible, and effective.
In his role as Deputy Director of Research, Evaluation, and Program Operations, Tom works to set a clear vision, build partnerships, and to work with key contributors to solve stubborn problems. He has launched learning collaboratives to gather knowledge from various partners to address needs in school behavioral health, statewide advocacy, and early intervention of psychosis. Tom has a Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology and is a California licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.