A New Chapter at Mateo Lodge
Friends of Mateo Lodge, Inc.
Chronicle
First Quarter 2026 · Redwood City, California
After a long hiatus, our quarterly newsletter is back. In this first issue we welcome Mateo Lodge's new CEO, introduce the board and the team at Humboldt House, celebrate our art program, and share what nursing interns discover here. For nearly fifty years, Mateo Lodge has provided housing and compassionate care for adults living with severe mental illness in San Mateo County.
From the DirectorA Message from the CEO
As I write this, it has been three-quarters of a year since Ian handed the reins to me on July 1, 2025. In many ways, it feels both recent and significant — a season of learning, growth, and deep gratitude. Stepping into leadership at Mateo Lodge has been both challenging and deeply purposeful. It is no small thing to step into these footsteps, and carrying this legacy forward is both an honor and a privilege.
These past months have been full. We have navigated audits and inspections, engaged in ongoing meetings and negotiations with the County, and worked closely with our Board as we continue strengthening the foundation and vision of our organization. Through it all, I have been reminded of the resilience and commitment of our staff and the importance of steady, mission-driven leadership.
Most of all, I feel hopeful. Hopeful about the potential for growth, about new opportunities for fundraising and community engagement, and about creative ways to reach families and clients more deeply. Our work has always centered on helping the people we serve live fuller lives — lives that foster autonomy, creativity, connection, dignity, and belonging.
While we remain committed to the core services that define Mateo Lodge — high-quality housing, compassionate care, strong case management and outreach — we are also looking ahead. How do we expand possibility? How do we deepen impact? How do we keep evolving while staying rooted in our mission?
For me, this work is personal. My journey began with a desire to serve — first with children and adolescents, and eventually dedicating more than 32 years to supporting adults living with severe mental illness and their families. Mateo Lodge has been home to me for much of my professional life. I have grown here as a mental health professional, as a leader, and as a person. I even met my husband here, and we have three amazing sons, two of whom now work with us in outreach, case management, and house counseling.
As we relaunch this newsletter, my hope is that it becomes a space to celebrate our clients, recognize our staff, update our community, and share the story of Mateo Lodge more broadly. Thank you for walking alongside us. The future is full of possibility, and I look forward to fighting the good fight with all of your support.
"Advocating for treatment and services… remain important tasks of our time."
Marie Koerper, Mental Health Advocate
Volunteer LeadershipMeet the Board
Maria Anderson & John Anderson
President & Treasurer
Maria and John were first introduced to Mateo Lodge when the FAST team supported a member of their family. After getting to know the staff and clients, they were invited to join the board, where they have now served for eight or nine years. "We have been blessed to meet a lot of like-minded people who are also working to help people with their mental illness issues." Outside of Mateo Lodge they enjoy soccer, music, dancing, travel, and volunteering at events at the ranch.
Karina Marwan
Vice President
A registered nurse who works part-time in the San Mateo County jails, Karina grew up in San Mateo and first learned about Mateo Lodge as a family member during a time of crisis. "I'm forever grateful for the incredible support provided." Her son was a client of Wally's Place around the start of the pandemic. Her volunteer work focuses on mental health and housing — and a new puppy keeps her busy in all the best ways.
Marie Koerper
Mental Health Advocate
Marie has spent thirty years advocating for people and families affected by mental illness. She is Past President of NAMI San Mateo County, a past board director of Caminar, and a current board member of Mateo Lodge. "Advocacy for treatment and services, healthcare, housing and reduction of stigma remains important in serving the unmet needs of people with mental illness."
Board of Directors
- CEO
- Mary Beth Sandoval
- President
- Maria Anderson
- Vice President
- Karina Marwan
- Treasurer
- John Anderson
- Secretary
- Iveth Cuellar Celallos
- Advocate
- Marie Koerper
- Members
- Oscar Reynoso Valdez, Jereline Kendrick, Judy B. Wheeler
The People Behind the CareOur Staff: Humboldt House
In this issue we introduce some of the team at Humboldt House — our independent-living and six-bed facility in San Mateo.
Patricia "Patty" Sandoval
Program Administrator
Patty joined Mateo Lodge in 2018 with a background rooted in community service and cultural connection. She spent nine years in Mazatlán, Mexico, deepening her fluency in Spanish, later inherited her mother's childcare business, and went on to study Spanish medical and legal interpreting. After fifteen years with the County of San Mateo, including San Mateo Medical Center, she built on that experience at Mateo Lodge as a case manager and social rehabilitation coordinator. Today she serves as Program Administrator for Humboldt House — a role, she says, that continues to bring her purpose and fulfillment.
John Atkinson
Counselor
Born in San Francisco and a lifelong Bay Area resident, John started at Mateo Lodge in 2014 as a relief counselor working across all three residential facilities before settling at Humboldt House, where he is now the senior counselor. With experience of mental illness in his own family, he believes deeply in the goals of Mateo Lodge.
Oscar Reynoso
Case Manager
Oscar works with Humboldt House residents around day-to-day stability, treatment support, and housing needs. He values practical, direct support and believes care should never cost people their dignity.
Lena Herbert
Case Manager
Lena joined Mateo Lodge in 2024 and quickly became Activities Coordinator at Wally's Place before moving to Humboldt House as a case manager in August 2025. After many years in retail, she values the humanitarian mission of Mateo Lodge and the camaraderie between staff and clients. In her spare time you'll find her reading, eating good food, or with friends.
Creativity & BelongingThe Art Program
Many of you have seen our art teacher, Suzi Reed, in action. Suzi's history with Mateo Lodge runs deep: she started as a house counselor in 1986, became a program director, and rose to Director of Service — designing and licensing the Wally's Place rehabilitation program and helping open Humboldt House. After years in the tech world and then as a contract manager for San Mateo County's Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, she returned in 2022 to take over the Art Teacher position.
Under Suzi's leadership, the program offers diverse art classes to all residents and partners with outside studios — Randall Reid Ceramics for weekly pottery, and Monica's Mosaics for mosaic work, including a current special project. Suzi is also an organizer of the Montara Art & Music Festival, where students display and sell their work each year. One of her greatest joys is telling a student: "Congratulations — you sold some of your art, and you are now a professional artist." There is nothing better, she says, than instilling that kind of pride and belonging.
InternshipsNurses Are Made With a Little Extra Love
For years, nursing students from UCSF and SFU have completed internships at Mateo Lodge, gaining hands-on experience that broadens both their clinical skills and their understanding of mental health. Many arrive with limited exposure to psychiatric care and to the lived experiences of people navigating mental health challenges.
Each group is welcomed with an introduction to our history, mission, and values, and guidance on approaching every resident with dignity, respect, and empathy. Initial uncertainty quickly gives way to genuine rapport — shared conversations, laughter, and everyday moments. Interns join residents for walks, games, and time in the kitchen baking cookies or blending smoothies, and begin to see beyond diagnoses to the individuality, resilience, humor, and humanity of each person.
By the end, many reflect on how transformative the experience has been. Long-held stigmas are challenged, perspectives shift, and a deeper compassion takes root. At Mateo Lodge, we believe nurses truly are made with a little extra love — and here, that love grows even stronger.
Save the DateMontara Art & Music Festival
Each year, Mateo Lodge art students display and sell their work at the Montara Art & Music Festival on the coast — a celebration of creativity and community.
Sunday, September 20, 2026 · 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
5th Street, Montara, California
Get InvolvedSupport Mateo Lodge
Your generosity provides housing, care, and dignity for adults living with serious mental illness in San Mateo County. Gifts can support all of our programs or a specific one — Humboldt House, Wally's Place, Cassia House, the Support Team, Small Voice Farm, or client enrichment activities. Make a donation or get in touch using the details below.