Executive Director Rita Constantini is a former United States Army Black Hawk helicopter crew chief, has served as a Sonoma County Chaplain for since 2015. Previously, she was a board of director with Sonoma County NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), organized fundraising events in the community including the PTSD Awareness Walk, was the local co-chair for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and led the PTSD and Suicide Prevention awareness trainings.  

During her first seven years at LECS, Constantini worked with the Chaplain academy, training new Chaplains for duty. Additionally, Rita has helped organize and operate the annual “Tour de Fuzz” bicycle ride fundraiser, www.tourdefuzz.org. The one-of-a-kind event attracts nearly 1,500 participants and is the primary funding source for annual operations.  

Constantini attended the US Army School of Transportation & Aviation and was deployed to Iraq for Operation Provide Comfort. She has proven leadership, administrative and entrepreneurial skills and is a successful business owner in Santa Rosa.

Constantini’s hiring comes as the organization implements a plan of strategic growth to meet increasing service calls in the community. Chaplains are on call and available 365 days/year, around the clock. Currently, LECS has over 40 active chaplains supporting Sonoma County.