It is with great sadness that Family Paths announces the death of former Executive Director, Marcella Reeves, due to health related issues.

Marcella started at Family Paths in 1992 (when it was known as Parental Stress Service), as a half time supervisor on the Parent Support Hotline and a half time staff therapist. She quickly took charge of transforming the agency’s Short/Doyle Medi-Cal program by incorporating working with children and youth, and advocating with Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBHCS), for increased funding to expand into what would become one of the first EPSDT funded programs in Alameda County. She also helped expand services by developing one of the initial early childhood mental health/mental health consultation programs in the County in 2001. Marcella was the founding Program Manager of the Families in Transition Program in 1998, became Associate Director in 2001, and eventually Executive Director from 2007-2015.

She visioned and grew a healthy and thriving culturally diverse organization, with increased infrastructure support and necessary resources for staff in Oakland, Hayward and Fremont offices. Through her graceful, heartfelt leadership she modeled a management structure and style that shared decision making, prioritized supporting staff, and emphasized the agency’s core values of working to strengthen families from a place of respect, integrity, compassion, and hope.

As an organization, we are mourning her loss and celebrating her legacy with a memorial event at our Oakland office on Wednesday, May 17 starting at 4:30pm. A short ceremony will begin at 5:45pm. Please RSVP by Monday, May 15 by clicking HERE.

To express your condolences to her husband Jeff and her son Greg, please address to:

Jeff Reeves
c/o Family Paths
1727 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Oakland, CA 94612

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Marcella’s name to Family Paths.

We hope to see you on May 17.