Shawna Morris, MPA

Shawna brings more than 25 years’ experience in the behavioral and mental health care fields to her role as Chief Executive Officer.

Her extensive history of executive leadership includes 18 years as senior vice president and chief operating officer of Menninger Clinic, where she managed a successful merger with Baylor University College of Medicine and led a $50 million capital campaign to establish the organization’s 50-acre campus in Houston. She also served as president and chief executive officer of the Phoenix House California and Texas, overseeing a chain of six inpatient facilities along with a number of outpatient addiction and mental health treatment programs.

Shawna believes in elevating the community by focusing on the potential of every child and family. In her role with Casa Pacifica, she is advancing the agency’s mission of serving youth and families in need, significantly expanding Casa Pacifica’s transitional age youth program to address homelessness among at-risk young adults and increasing collaborative partnerships with government and family service providers locally and throughout the Central Coast. Shawna brings with her a commitment to an outcomes-driven clinical model and a strong passion for team culture and collaboration.

Shawna received her MPA from the University of Kansas and earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and communication from Grace College.  She is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives and an active member of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services.

Having grown up on a farm in the Midwest, Shawna enjoys being outdoors.  The beautiful hills and acres of agriculture at Casa Pacifica remind her of the many gifts and blessings that abound around us.  She welcomes you to join her in a local run or to help cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs and the KU Jayhawks.