The Wellness Coalition’s Executive Director, Sam Castello, is leaving his post as of March 4th, 2014. Sam has been with The Wellness Coalition since February of 2004 and has served as its Executive Director since January of 2007. During his tenure, Castello brought The Wellness Coalition’s Youth and Conservation Corps programs into the State and National spotlight - more than doubling the number of AmeriCorps Members in our region and building a robust Youth Conservation Corps that employs more than 30 youth annually from Catron, Grant and Hidalgo counties. He also worked to raise the profile of Positive Youth Development in the region – a model of Youth Engagement that treats young people as assets to be supported rather than problems that need to be “fixed”. Castello guided the development and expansion of The Nonprofit Resource Center which is now a part of Hidalgo Medical Services’ Center for Health Innovations as the Nonprofit Resource Group.

“We appreciate the dedication Sam has shown to our communities and this organization,” says The Wellness Coalition Board Chair Christie Ortiz. “It’s always tough to see someone leave, and we wish him success in his future endeavors.” The Wellness Coalition Board has a transition plan in place to seek a new Executive Director and expects to make a job opening announcement very soon. Board Member Earl Montoya stated, “We want to thank Sam for his service and are looking forward to working with a new Executive Director to secure a great future for The Wellness Coalition and the communities we serve.” Programs such as AmeriCorps, Youth Conservation Corps and The Spot Youth Center are all expanding and thriving and will continue without interruption during the transition period.

For more information about The Wellness Coalition, please visit www.wellnesscoalition.org .
Contact: Christine Ortiz
Phone: 520-507-0455
Email: hidalgospirit@yahoo.com