On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am sorry to announce the resignation of Executive Director, Barrie Becker, who took over for EBCLO’s founding executive director, Roger Chan, in 2017. Ms. Becker’s last day at EBCLO was April 20, 2018. Ms. Becker will be remembered as a kind, generous leader who helped EBCLO through the latest disappointing round of state budget cuts by working to broaden our income base, including expanded foundation-based fundraising. She also spearheaded a recent staff reorganization and established a long-needed salary scale for EBCLO employees. Ms. Becker leaves us to pursue new personal and professional opportunities.
Although we regret Ms. Becker’s departure, the Board of Directors is delighted to announce the appointment of co-founder and former Managing Attorney, Kristin Mateer, as EBCLO’s new Executive Director effective April 23, 2018. Ms. Mateer, a certified Child Welfare Law Specialist, has devoted her legal career to improving the quality of legal representation and services for children and youth in Alameda County’s superior court systems. In 1998, after completing a post-law-school judicial clerkship, Ms. Mateer became a Dependency Attorney with the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office where she gained the reputation of being an intelligent, hard-working, vigorous advocate for indigent parents and children in child welfare proceedings. When the Public Defender’s Office discontinued dependency practice in 2009, Ms. Mateer became a co-founder of EBCLO where she was instrumental in establishing EBCLO’s holistic representation practice on every level. Her duties included securing state funding, developing EBCLO’s organizational structure and by-laws, hiring attorneys, social workers and administrative staff, locating office space, and developing a comprehensive benefits package for EBCLO employees. As Managing Attorney, Ms. Mateer expanded EBCLO’s scope of practice to include court-appointed representation of children in probate guardianship proceedings and has directed that practice since 2010. While managing the probate practice, carrying a personal caseload including both dependency and probate clients, supervising staff attorneys, and working with other executive team members to maintain all aspects of EBCLO’s organizational structure, Ms. Mateer also developed and ran EBCLO’s individual giving campaigns, and produced EBCLO’s Annual Report. Outside of EBCLO, Ms. Mateer finds time to be involved in numerous community activities, including serving as CASA Advisory Board Chair since 2011, and volunteering extensively at her daughters’ elementary school. The Board fully expects Ms. Mateer to lead EBCLO brilliantly for many years to come.
– Kathy Siegel, EBCLO Board chair person