Joe Santiago, Program Manager

About Joe:
I have spent the last 14 years of my life pursuing my passion of working with children and families to find ways to thrive and realize their true potential and foster the process of helping these same families to become healthy members of their communities both locally and globally.  My work as a counselor in a wilderness intervention program and as the Program Manager for CCMP have given me countless opportunities to put my ideals of a better community into action.  I am now in my fourth year with CCMP after coming back to Monterey after being gone for ten years, and it has been a dream come true to come home and give back to my hometown.  I plan on living and growing old in Monterey, and my work with CCMP has made me a better father, partner, and community member.  Thanks, Community of Caring!

What does CCMP mean to you?
CCMP is the embodiment of the ideal that a healthy and thriving community is one that is caring about the children.

What attracted you to become a part of CCMP?
I was attracted to CCMP because having been raised in this community, the idea of being a part of an organization whose mission is to connect the members of a large and diverse community with the goal of creating a healthy and thriving environment, offered a real and meaningful way to give back to the place that raised and cared for me.

Which of the five values is your “favorite”? Why?
Trust is the value that is to me creates an environment that allows so many of the members of our community to experience the other CCMP core values.  It is a “gateway” value.

Most memorable middle school experience:
Middle school was the place where I first realized and experienced the idea of romantic love.  I had my first kiss in middle school.  Coincidentally, I get the great opportunity to work with the students in that very same school so I feel connected to what those students are feeling and experiencing there.

Which choice, between the ages of 15-25, made the most difference in where you are now?
The choice to say no to drugs and criminal behavior has made the most difference in where I am now.  A very caring teacher at Seaside High School was influential in me making that choice.

Favorite word?
Love

Least favorite word?
Hate

Name three people, dead or alive – fictional or real, would you most like to have dinner with:

1. Joseph Campbell
2. The Dalai Lama
3. My Great Great Great Grandfather

I am passionate about…
Making a positive difference in the world. To learn more about Joe's passion visit PURSUIT Values in Motion.

Professional affiliations:
Member of the Board of Directors for Restorative Justice Partners and the Community Restorative Justice Commission of Monterey County since 2011.