Murphys, CA…Wayne Brown, the retired Superintendent of the Stanislaus Union School District, who was chosen in July to be the first full time Executive Director of the Mind Matters Clinic in Murphys, has resigned because of pressing family problems. “This is one of the more difficult decisions I have had to make but it is the right one for my family and me,” Brown wrote in an email to Jan Alcalde, chair of the clinic’s board of directors.  “I do not do this lightly.”

“We were very disappointed to receive this news,” says Alcalde. “We felt in Wayne we had found an ideal person to lead Mind Matters in its quest to meet the needs of families throughout our area as they deal with the issues of autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD), and learning disabilities. We were particularly pleased with his efforts to interact with the various school systems.”

It will now be up to the board of directors to appoint an interim ED and begin the search for a permanent replacement.

In reflecting on his three months as director of the non-profit clinic, Brown stated, “Mind Matters is a wonderful place with wonderful people. Most importantly, it provides for people of need. I realize how disruptive this change will be after the clinic having just transitioned to a different leadership model.  Again, my personal issues were unexpected but are important enough for me to make this difficult decision.”

The Mind Matters board of directors met on October 21 to begin the process of dealing with Brown’s departure.