Pacifica Graduate Institute Welcomes Dr. Leonie Mattison as New President and CEO

Dr. Mattison Becomes First Black Woman to Lead Central Coast Post-Graduate Institution

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After a unanimous Board vote, Dr. Leonie Mattison started this week as the new President and CEO of Pacifica Graduate Institute, a graduate school in Santa Barbara specializing in depth psychology.

"After extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and a unanimous Board vote, we are confident Dr. Mattison is the best leader for Pacifica's future and we welcome her to the Pacifica community," said Dr. Thyonne Gordon, Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Mattison comes to Pacifica with a Doctorate and MBA in Organizational Leadership and over 20 years of transformational leadership experience. Her leadership and accomplishments range from strengthening national public health research to building up adult education across the country, all while supporting students from diverse backgrounds.

"Pacifica is a leader in depth psychology, a practice that has changed the lives of people across the world, including my own. Pacifica's mission is to heal souls, and I look forward to working to make sure our institute is in the best position it can be to accomplish that mission worldwide," said Dr. Leonie Mattison.

Dr. Mattison has an extensive track record. She was pivotal in developing Employees University, an open-source university created through a partnership between the county and Santa Barbara City College that has provided high-quality training and cutting-edge leadership development for over 4,700 county employees. She served as Chief Operating Officer of CommUnify, a community agency that provides education and support services for vulnerable Santa Barbara residents, and taught as adjunct professor and lecturer at Antioch University and Santa Barbara City College School of Extended Learning. She is also a member of the American Psychological Association, American Christian Counseling Association, and Association of Black Psychologists. This year, she published her book, The Thread: Six-Steps to Intentional Transformation After Trauma or Crisis, which was recently recognized by the Santa Barbara Independent. She was recognized by the Pacific Coast Business Times as an emerging Black leader in 2021.

Pacifica Graduate Institute is an accredited graduate school offering masters and doctoral degree programs framed in the traditions in depth psychology. The Institute has established an educational environment that nourishes respect for cultural diversity and individual differences, and an academic community that fosters a spirit of free and open inquiry. Students have access to an impressive array of education resources on Pacifica's two campuses, both of which are located between the coastal foothills and the Pacific Ocean, a few miles south of Santa Barbara, California.

Contact: Marcos Rodriguez Maciel
[email protected] 

SOURCE Pacifica Graduate Institute