Tykes & Teens Has Appointed Eric Garza as CEO

PALM CITY, Fla. (January 29, 2021) – The Board of Directors of Tykes & Teens has appointed Eric Garza, previously the agency’s Chief Operating Officer, as Chief Executive Officer effective January 29, 2021.  Eric is replacing outgoing CEO Rodney Battles, MBA. 

“We are thrilled to welcome long-time Tykes & Teens leader Eric Garza as our new CEO,” said Tykes & Teens President and Chairman of the Board F. Shields McManus.  “Eric’s training in social work and experience as a therapist, as well as his education and experience in healthcare management is ideally suited to carry out our mission of prioritizing children’s mental health in our families, schools and communities we serve through prevention, education and treatment.  We thank Rodney for his professional work and his efforts while at the agency and wish him well in his future endeavors.” 

“I am honored, excited and fully committed to carrying on Tykes & Teens’ mission in serving the emotional well-being of children and families with quality healthcare, ensuring the agency’s healthy growth and continued collaboration with our community partners, and just as importantly, providing a culture of caring for all of our team members,” said Tykes & Teens newly appointed CEO Eric Garza. 

Eric earned his Master of Health Administration from Florida Atlantic University, his Master of Social Work degree in 2009 from Florida Atlantic University and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2011. He attained the credential of Certified Addictions Professional in 2012, became a Qualified Supervisor for Registered Social Work Interns in 2013, and met Florida requirements to be titled as a Clinical Sexologist in 2014. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Keiser University, and is a member of the Advisory Board for Psychology at Keiser University’s St. Lucie Campus.  Eric began his career at Tykes & Teens in 2008 as an intern and then served as an Outpatient Therapist for five years. He became the Director of Outpatient Services in 2014 and then Chief Operating Officer in 2017. He specializes in the field of trauma and sexual development throughout the course of childhood and adolescence. Since 2008, he has provided individual, group and family services to more than 700 children and their families.  Eric’s passion for helping children comes from his own experience of benefiting from having an advocate as a teenager in high school. He believes that every child has the right to have access to quality mental health services to help process whatever is impacting them.  

About Tykes & Teens 

Tykes & Teens has been a leading mental health provider for children and adolescent evidence-based programs and services for nearly 25 years.  Our passion and commitment are to empowering children and strengthening families by ensuring that all children have access to high quality counseling and mental health services, regardless of financial status.  Our mission is prioritizing children’s mental health in our families, schools and communities through a wide range of prevention, education, and treatment programs and services.  We also advocate for increased awareness of mental health to remove the stigma and shame often associated with seeking mental health treatment.  Since our inception, we have provided affordable quality mental health services for more than 60,000 children in need across the Treasure Coast from more than 50 service locations, including outpatient offices in Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Port St. Lucie, and Vero Beach, on-site services in all Martin County schools, and in schools in Okeechobee and Indian River counties, as well as collaboration with numerous community partners, in addition to virtual telehealth services.  We have continued to offer our services and programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including virtual telehealth care.  We accept most insurance, private payments, and we are a Medicaid-approved provider. We have successfully administered a sliding fee scale for those in need when necessary for more than 20 years.  As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, we also provide $750,000 in unreimbursed services to the communities we serve each year.