Direct Services Manager

Xochitl Marina Castellanos grew up in Mazatlan, Mexico and has lived in Pacifica for over 20 years. Marina is married to a wonderful man, Rene, and has three beautiful children – Alma Leslie, Ramon and Isabella Renee – and is a proud grandmother of Kenneth Rene. She graduated from Universidad De Occidente with a business degree (Administration of Hotels and Motels). After working in the hotel industry for a few years, Marina became interested in other cultures and decided to immigrate to the United States. Once in the U.S., she found that her degree and limited English was not enough to support her daughter; she was a single mother with no family, no driver’s license, and no idea of resources available to her. After meeting her husband and having her second child, Marina stayed home to raise her children, then went back to school to take computer classes at ROP and ESL at Serramonte del Rey when her son was in preschool. She got her driver’s license and became a US Citizen. Because of her struggles in this new country, Marina became very aware that others may also be struggling because of lack of communication and resources. She started working at PRC as an Office Assistant in 1996 and was mentored by the PRC’s former Director Pat Paik, who supported her professional growth. After 7 years, she was promoted to Case Manager and started advocating for other parents in the school district and translating English documents to Spanish for the Pacifica School District. Marina has earned more than 13 certificates on a variety of topics, including Office Work, Intensive Case Management, Financial Security, Early Education through the Brazelton Institute, Mental Illness, and Non Profit Management through San Jose State University. She was also the City Of Pacifica’s Employee of the Year in 1999. Marina loves helping families and individuals become self-sufficient, and is proud to say that she is part of the PRC.

Case Worker

Ann Cooney has enjoyed a 25-year career in non-profit and small business management, fundraising and stewardship, marketing and communications, staff and volunteer development, and information management systems. In addition to serving in leadership positions, she has provided professional consulting services to more than 50 Bay Area organizations optimizing their use of technology. One of her most treasured roles, however, was practicing her budding horticulture skills with her friends at Linda Mar Florist. Ann joined the Pacifica Resource Center in 2009 and is honored by the opportunity to directly serve her neighbors in Pacifica. She is active in a number of local organizations, including the Pacifica Beach Coalition and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Ann earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Executive Director

Anita M. Rees earned her BA in Sociology at the University of California Berkeley as a single mother receiving welfare. While at UC Berkeley, she served as coordinator of the student-run family resource center at the University Village student family housing development. After administering a multi-agency domestic violence project at Legal Aid of the North Bay, Anita spent a decade directing services and organizing activities for LIFETIME –a grassroots organization created by student mothers at the University of California Berkeley who completed college degrees while raising their families on welfare, and who are committed to helping other low-income parents do the same. Anita was also part of the LIFETIME leadership team that won the Ford Foundation and Advocacy Institute's 2003 Leadership for a Changing World Award. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) board of directors, as well as the Vice-Chair of the California Family Resource Association (CFRA) board of directors, providing fiscal and programmatic oversight to both organizations. Having experienced the challenges of juggling family, school, and work responsibilities while on welfare, Anita is committed to helping other low-income and underrepresented families in Pacifica and throughout California access the resources they need to become stable and economically secure. Anita joined the PRC in January 2010.