Barnett appointed executive director and CEO of Casa de Amparo

SAN MARCOS – Casa de Amparo, a leading nonprofit in treating and preventing child abuse and neglect in San Diego County and beyond, has appointed Mike Barnett as executive director and CEO.

Barnett comes to Casa de Amparo with more than 30 years of professional experience in the public and private sectors. As Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Barnett will oversee all aspects of Casa de Amparo's programs, services, and administration. Barnett will work with Casa de Amparo's Board of Directors and staff to lead the organization's strategic initiatives to help abused and neglected children and young people heal and thrive.

Barnett was commissioned as a San Diego County deputy sheriff in 1992 and rose through the ranks, leading teams of all sizes across multiple disciplines. In 2017 he was appointed as the Sheriff's chief deputy and second-in-command. As the Undersheriff he commanded the 4,500-employee organization with a budget of just under $1 billion. He oversaw the medical and mental health care needs of thousands of people in county institutions and was responsible for providing the full scope of police services to almost one million people in San Diego County. He was also responsible for providing regional support including jail and courts systems, a nationally accredited crime laboratory, along with aviation, and emergency services to the San Diego region.

Barnett is a graduate of San Diego State University and has completed the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute for Police in Boston and the FBI's National Executive Institute in Virginia. He has collaborated with domestic and international partners on numerous initiatives.

Following his retirement from public service in early 2021, Barnett accepted a position with a San Diego health care company where he managed security operations across a multi-campus hospital system.

Barnett has served on the Board of Directors of Casa de Amparo since July 2020. For the past several months, he has been instrumental in growing the organization's partnership with the County of San Diego. He also worked with senior staff on the revision of Casa de Amparo's Emergency Intervention Plan and has provided his expertise for facility safety improvements and substantial policy enhancements.

"The Board of Directors is excited to welcome Mike Barnett to lead Casa de Amparo in supporting those affected by child abuse and neglect." said Richard Berwick, Casa de Amparo Board Chair, in a statement. "Mike brings extensive leadership experience to our agency and I especially value that he is dedicated to and experienced in serving our community."

Barnett has resided in North County for over 25 years. He will begin his duties as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer on March 7.

For more information on Casa de Amparo and the resources the organization brings to San Diego County, visit http://www.casadeamparo.org.