Meet the (Former) Mayor
This article is part of the ‘RUHS Featured Family’ segment. Please share your stories with us at marketing@ruhealth.org.
“It’s been an honor to work with professionals that contribute to my community every day, and I get to be a part of that interaction with my community.”
One of my earliest memories is of my Kindergarten teacher telling my mother that I would pretend to be the "mayor" of my class every day and get my fellow students to clean up the classroom or playground. To this day, I don't understand how I convinced a bunch of 5 years to work around the school.
Fast forward to age 26 and being elected to the Hemet City Council and the city's youngest mayor. I have always wanted to change and positively impact my surroundings. Previous jobs or careers never felt fulfilling if they didn't affect people positively.
Mental health was always a subject in my home growing up. Mental health and mental health stigma were at the forefront of our family. Learning to live with immediate family members with mental health issues was challenging during my childhood.
— interview with the Press Enterprise
I served eight years on the Hemet City Council. During that time, I worked with mental health advocacy organizations such as NAMI to bring awareness of mental health services and reduce the stigma for family members to seek help and support for themselves and their loved ones with lived experience.
When nearing the finish of my second term on the Hemet City Council, I decided that I did not want to seek a third term. I also did not want to find a career within my previous background in finance and investments. So instead, I decided to pursue a career combining my two passions of mental health and community impact.
I'm proud to say that I have been with RUHS Behavioral Health for eight years.
It's been an honor to work with professionals that contribute to my community every day, and I get to be a part of that interaction with my community.
— Robert Youssef, M.B.A.
Sr. Public Information Specialist with RUHS - Behavioral Health