Our Pioneers
A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, “We did this ourselves.”
The History of The Hume Center
The Hume Center was initially incorporated as Neurobehavioral and Psychological Institute (NPI) in 1993, providing outpatient services in a room rented from Rosebridge Graduate School. Soon after the founding, the name was changed to Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center as the services offered expanded into a continuum of care.
Mental Health Consultation had always been a specialty of The Hume Center, as implemented by Dr. Meji Singh. He is recognized internationally as a trainer in community mental health and organizational consultation. The agency’s consultation practices are grounded in the work of Gerald Caplan, who developed the theory and practice of Mental Health Consultation, and have been modified based on experiences and successful practice by Dr. Singh and CEO and President Joty Sikand, PsyD.
Dr. Sikand has helmed The Hume Center since 2004. She has utilized enabling leadership to facilitate the expansion of the agency to twelve programs, with services being delivered throughout the continuum of care.. She has partnered with trainees or former trainers in the development of each program and this expansion has resulted in the agency now serving over 2,000 people directly each year. Dr. Sikand has worked to expand The Hume Center’s impact in the community and to lay the foundation to spread Mental Health Consultation throughout the world.
Our Chief Executive Officer / President
Since 2004, Dr. Joty Sikand has served as Chief Executive Officer and President of The Hume Center, leading its transformative evolution. Under her direction, the organization grew from a small Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) with a modest training program into a comprehensive system offering diverse program services across the behavioral health care continuum in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Her 900%+ increase in revenue has significantly expanded the Center’s impact through diverse services and multidisciplinary training, including the recent launch of the Community Behavioral Health Training Center (CBHTC), established in partnership with Human Liberations Founder and Hume Center’s Founding President, Dr. Meji Singh.
A dedicated advocate across county, state, and national levels, Dr. Sikand has been instrumental in developing Prevention and Early Intervention services, reaching welfare populations and unserved populations partnering with 80 school and human services organizations. Her efforts strategically focus on reducing stigma and expanding access for underserved immigrant populations, notably through specialized health promotion programs for the South Asian and Latino communities. A key innovation is her pioneering of the Primary Behavioral Health Clinician (PBHC) model—a service design that utilizes doctoral clinical psychology professionals as the primary clinical care lead of a multidisciplinary team. This model improves functioning for individuals with serious mental illness and reduces the need for higher levels of care. Furthermore, she directed the development of integrated intensive outpatient programs for uninsured individuals, a community-defined approach recognized as effective under healthcare reform.
A champion of collective leadership, Dr. Sikand has strategically pivoted her roles at the Hume Center to serve as both CEO and Chief of Community Mental Health (CCMH). This dual-leadership model anchors clinical excellence at the heart of the organization, seamlessly blending service-driven administration with visionary strategy to deliver sustainable impact and redefine modern nonprofit management.
Dr. Sikand holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Wright Institute, Berkeley. Her extensive academic background also includes two Master’s degrees and two graduate certifications: one in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling, and another in Organizational Development Consultation, complemented by a Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. Her distinguished career has garnered numerous accolades, including a Recognition Award from the California State Senate and the Early Career Psychologist Award from the California Psychological Association. She has also served as a State Leadership Delegate for the American Psychological Association and was recognized as a Behavioral Health Champion by National Behavioral Health. Most recently, she was honored as a Spotlight BIPOC Affinity Leader by the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois and the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies.
Our Chief Executive Officer / President
About R.K. Janmeja Singh
Our dear Being, R.K. Janmeja Singh, PhD (aka Meji) has gone home filled with peace and joy. We are left with great sadness for the empty place his November 14, 2023 passing will leave in our lives and we will cultivate his vision to move forward our collective Being, Cosmic Self.
Meji was recognized internationally for his work as a groundbreaking Psychologist in the field of Community Mental Health. He was a Mental Health Consultant, an Organizational consultant, a prolific Author, an Advocate for Peace, a Trainer, a Teacher, a Supervisor, a Mentor, a Partner, a Father, a Brother, a Son and a highly dedicated Friend which all signify the vast amount of contributions he made to his various communities and families. And, to those of us who knew him intimately and with whom we served in various roles, he was “Meji” who was an evolving humble human being who loved his daughters, his family, his family friends, his colleagues and those he cared for as part of the collective community.
Meji was a central force that brought so many different circles together
“What matters is that we are the same. We are dreaming that we are not.”
“There is major focus on the individual without even creating awareness that the individual is an integral part of the interconnected and interdependent one Universe: our Cosmic Self.”
Who Was
Portia Bell Hume?
Portia Bell Hume, M.D was a pioneer in developing community mental health and was instrumental in the writing and passage of California’s Short-Doyle Act in 1957. She had the foresight to provide professional training by creating the Center for Training in Community Psychiatry. R.K. Janmeja “Meji” Singh, PhD, Founding President of The Hume Center, worked with her as the Assistant Director for 14 years. Her legacy of dedication to the betterment of the community lives on today, as the Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center was named after her to continue her vision to provide comprehensive mental health services and best practices in professional training and research.