SAN DIEGO, CA – (November 22, 2022) Family Health Centers San Diego (FHCSD) has added Shea Benton to their team as Director of Government Relations, bringing over a decade of experience in government affairs and community relations to the organization.
Benton comes with over a decade of experience in San Diego politics, economic development and community affairs. He joins the FHCSD team with an intimate knowledge of public policy, community relations, regulatory compliance and public affairs. Most recently he was Director of Public Affairs at Cook + Schmid, where he successfully led efforts for community outreach, public support and ultimately unanimous approval of the Tri-City Psychiatric Health Facility in Oceanside, CA. The project broke ground last month.
“Family Health Centers of San Diego is pleased to welcome Shea,” said Fran Butler-Cohen, FHCSD CEO. “His wealth of experience, education and demonstrated track record will help further FHCSD’s growth and goals.”
In the past, Shea was appointed by California Governor Edmund J. Brown to the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) in July 2017 and re-appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 to the same role. He assisted businesses of all sizes and industries with incentive identification, facilitation with local and state agencies, site selection, and other needs in order to ensure their success in California. Additionally, Shea worked with state and region-wide business organizations on various larger initiatives to support the overall economic health and business climate of the state.
Other past roles include working for the San Diego Regional EDC and for elected officials at the state, federal and local level of both parties. Shea is passionate about helping people from all different backgrounds and is active in local nonprofits and other advocacy organizations focused on mental health and substance abuse.
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About Family Health Centers of San Diego
For over 50 years, Family Health Centers of San Diego’s (FHCSD) mission has been to provide caring, affordable, high-quality health care and supportive services to everyone, with a special commitment to uninsured, low-income and medically underserved persons. FHCSD is one of the nation’s ten largest FQHCs, operating 62 sites across San Diego County and providing care to over 227,000 patients each year, of whom 91% are low-income and 29% are uninsured.
