Chris Kughn, LMFT
(he/him)
Chief Executive Officer
Chris Kughn, LMFT, joined Buckelew Programs in May of 2019 as Chief Executive Officer with more than 20 years of experience in the public, private and nonprofit behavioral healthcare systems. Prior to Buckelew, Chris served in several executive management roles. As Executive Director of Solano County for Caminar, a nonprofit behavioral health social service organization, Chris built strong community partnerships through transparency, trust and collaboration. Chris served in several management roles with Marin County Department of Health and Human Services including Division Director of Adult and Older Adult Services. His commitment to nonprofit behavioral health services began with his work as a licensed therapist serving adults, children and families in myriad circumstances, including juvenile justice, crisis stabilization and adult homeless systems.
Chris earned a B.S. degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. degree in Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is a member of the California Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies (CASRA). He lives in Marin County and is an avid mountain biker, cyclist and scuba diver.
Teresa Bowman
(she/her)
Regional Director Substance Use Services, Marin County
Teresa is a native of Marin County who began her career path as a young adult, just after graduation from Tamalpais High School. She furthered her career with a degree in business from Heald’s Business College in San Francisco, and later completed U.C. Berkeley’s Alcohol and Drug Studies program to become a Certified Addiction Specialist. In 1999, Teresa co-founded the Helen Vine Recovery Center, also known as “The Vine”, and served as its Executive Director, a role she continues to hold.
As Executive Director of Helen Vine Recovery Center, Teresa was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award in 2005. In 2011 The Vine merged with Buckelew Programs. Teresa has been instrumental in overseeing The Vine’s adoption of evidence-based treatment and, in 2020, the addition of two critically needed sober living residences.
Today, Teresa oversees Buckelew‘s Substance Use Services and remains dedicated to working with her colleagues and staff to continue expanding Buckelew’s co-occurring disorders treatment services.
Sylvie V De La Cruz
(she/her)
Regional Director Substance Use Services, Sonoma County
Sylvie has been in the treatment and recovery field for more than 20 years and is a leading advocate for social justice and equality in Sonoma County. Her passion for ensuring all individuals and families within our community have access to opportunities to improve their lives have been recognized throughout the state.
Sylvie started with Buckelew Programs in September of 2022 to reopen Athena House and continue operation of the Hope Village sober supported housing campus after the programs were closed by former operator, California Human Development (CHD). With Buckelew Programs, Sylvie is looking forward to integrating the mental health services within Athena House’s new structure.
Prior to joining Buckelew, Sylvie served as SUD Division Director and was responsible for oversight and operations of Athena House, Hope Village and outpatient treatment with CHD for over 20 years. Sylvie has been instrumental in building substance use services in the local community over many years. She has developed six different sober living houses for women and women with children to continue their progress and maintain continuity in their recovery work and reunification with children. Through her work as Division Director she and her team have assisted more than 1200 women to access an opportunity to change their lives, reunite with their children, obtain employment and find fulfilling lives with hope for a better future. Sylvie’s focus is on empowerment of women and eliminating the stigma surrounding drug addiction. As an alumna of Athena House, Sylvie understands the need for women to heal from the trauma that led them down their path of self-destruction and lack of hope. Sylvie has implemented several evidence-based programs that are specifically designed for healing from trauma and are focused on the whole mind, body and spirit of every woman who has the courage to walk through the doors.
Karen Frost
(she/her)
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO)
Karen Frost joined Buckelew Programs in May of 2022 as CFAO with more than 35 years of experience in nonprofit finance, grants management and facility operations. For the last seven years, she has focused on housing and homelessness issues in San Francisco. Prior to this, Karen worked with international nonprofits, directing offices from the Republic of Georgia to Indonesia. Her passion for compliance led her to teach the grant management skills needed to get USAID funds.
Following her graduation from Wittenberg University in 1984, Karen joined the accounting firm of Touch-Ross. She is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of California as well as a Certified Global Managerial Accountant (CGMA).
Karen lives in Santa Rosa with her husband and daughter. Together they enjoy exploring abundant outdoor activities from beaches to mountains.
Pat Gallagher
(she/her)
Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO)
Pat Gallagher joined Buckelew Programs in December 2020 as Chief Philanthropy Officer. Pat is an established development professional with a demonstrated history of working in Human Services, Community Health, and Education sectors in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her experience includes capital campaigns, major and annual gifts, grant-making, planned giving, relationship building, and events management. Her experience includes oversight of communications and marketing, volunteer services, and advocacy efforts. Pat is excited to be part of Buckelew’s team and shares their passion to support our vital mission, values, and strategic vision.
A native San Franciscan, Pat received her BA in English at Santa Clara University and Master in Nonprofit Management at University of San Francisco. When off duty, she enjoys cooking, long walks and follows, with great enjoyment, televised baking competitions.
Nori Keppel
(she/her)
Head of People
Nori joined Buckelew Programs in 2021 as Head of People, bringing over 20 years of experience in HR leadership across diverse industries. She is a seasoned human resources executive with expertise in talent acquisition, employee relations, leadership development, regulatory compliance. Nori has a proven track record of transforming HR functions into business partners, enhancing processes, and driving cultural change within organizations.
Prior to joining Buckelew Programs, Nori held key HR leadership roles at Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Whole Foods Market, Smith & Hawken and Williams Sonoma, where she implemented performance management systems, led succession planning initiatives, and introduced innovative talent acquisition strategies. She has a passion for fostering high-performing teams and developing programs that support both organizational growth and employee success.
A Northern California native, Nori earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from Humboldt State University. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, kayaking the bay, and spending time in the garden.
Erika Klohe, LCSW
(she/her)
Regional Director of Behavioral Health, Sonoma and Napa
Erika Klohe, a licensed Clinical Social Worker, joined Buckelew in 2022 with many years of experience working in the community providing direct services and developing partnerships throughout Sonoma County. Much of her work has focused on analysis of barriers and challenges, and has supported the establishment of shared practices that increase access to care. Erika is a strong advocate for culturally diverse, recovery-orientated, trauma-informed and humanistic services.
She has many years of experience working with our community’s most vulnerable including: Native and Latinx populations, individuals experiencing homelessness, seniors, LGBTQI, those involved in the criminal justice system, transitional and underserved youth and their families. Erika earned a degree in psychology from Sonoma State University and received a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from CSU-Long Beach. Erika enjoys hiking, dancing, creating art and spending time with her family and friends. She is dedicated to serving and increasing the health and wellbeing for all.
Connie Mann, LMFT
(she/her)
Regional Director of Behavioral Health, Marin County and Suicide Prevention Hotline
Connie Mann is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist that joined Buckelew Programs in 2003 with most recent transition to the Senior Management Team in 2021. As Behavioral Health Regional Director, she brings over 16 years of experience in nonprofit work, contract management, residential and supportive housing, trauma informed care, crisis management, adult and family homelessness, peer specialist, and managed care.
Connie earned her master’s degree from Sonoma State University in 2008 specializing in sexual trauma, domestic violence, PTSD, individual, couple, and family therapies, and multicultural counseling. Connie also holds a graduate level certification in Eastern, Western, and Indigenous Psychology, WRAP trainer, and Triple P parent education. She currently lives in Petaluma with her 2 daughters and is an avid hiker, jogger, and advocate for environmental causes impacting our planet.
Grace St. Clair
(she/her)
Director of Quality and Compliance
Grace St. Clair joined Buckelew in July 2024 as Director of Quality and Compliance. She is an accomplished Compliance Director with over 15 years of experience implementing and managing comprehensive compliance programs including HIPAA/privacy and anti-fraud initiatives. Grace has a proven track record of ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and organizational objectives, developing annual compliance programs, and fostering a culture of integrity and ethical behavior within organizations.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Grace earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco and a master’s in healthcare administration from California State University East Bay, where she is an adjunct professor. A lifelong student, Grace is working toward her law degree at Purdue University with a focus on healthcare law to enhance her skills and knowledge about healthcare compliance.
Grace enjoys volunteering with the California Association of Healthcare Leaders and serves as vice chair for its Member Advancement Committee. She lives in the East Bay and enjoys spending time with family and working out with her daughter.