Building Community: Marian Meadows Finding Purpose and Meaning

Marian Meadows

When you ask Marian Meadows what fuels her work, her answer is simple yet profound: connection, compassion, and community. 

“I am about the Golden Rule and helping people find purpose and meaning,” Meadows told the Forum. 

As the Coordinator of Behavioral Health at Castro Valley Unified School District, Marian has spent over a decade building bridges between schools, students, families, and the broader community—quietly becoming one of the town’s most influential leaders in youth mental health and wellness.  

But Marian’s roots in Castro Valley go back even further. “My family is old-school Castro Valley,” she says. Her grandfather, Dr. Neil McMillan, was an oral surgeon at Eden Hospital in the 1950s. Marian returned to the area decades later, moving from Alameda while pregnant with her first daughter. “We were just looking for a good place to raise our kids—we had no idea how amazing the schools were.”

With degrees in social work and experience in the Oakland and San Lorenzo Unified School Districts, Marian joined Castro Valley Unified around 14 years ago. She began as a student counselor on a county grant focused on building social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. From that modest start, she helped grow a districtwide behavioral health program through persistent grant writing and community partnerships. 

“The need was greater than the facilities we had at the time,” she says. “So, we built out what became the Wellness Center.” 

Thanks to the support of voters who passed Measure G, Castro Valley High School now has a dedicated Wellness Center that serves as a hub for student mental health services. Marian also helped secure partnerships with organizations like Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Sutter Health, Fremont Bank, the Castro Valley Education Foundation, and the Rotary Club. Through her efforts, what began as a small program now spans the entire district with a team of 10 social workers and ongoing expansion at all school levels. 

But Marian’s work doesn’t stop at the school doors. She is also an ordained interfaith chaplain, trained at The Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley. 

“My chaplaincy work complements my mental health work—it’s all about helping people find meaning and purpose in their lives,” she explains. She’s part of a Buddhist sangha, was raised Catholic in a multifaith household, and is passionate about holding space for people of all beliefs. Marian is especially focused on supporting women and LGBTQ+ communities through spiritual circles, music, creativity, and connection. 

Recently, she joined the Eden Area Castro Valley Chamber of Commerce to deepen her outreach.

“As a sole proprietor in my interfaith work, the Chamber has given me access to small business resources, networking, and support,” she says. “I want to be a resource for the community—especially in times of transition or crisis.” 

Marian believes in the power of community circles, an indigenous practice that brings people together to address challenges and celebrate successes. She envisions a future where Castro Valley adopts this model. 

“Castro Valley is small enough that we can talk to each other and know each other. We’re all neighbors. We have this incredible opportunity to solve problems together.” 

She sees extraordinary potential in Castro Valley’s faith community—more than 40 churches, temples, and spiritual centers. “If those 40 groups came together to focus on just one issue—like supporting the over 100 homeless families in our town—we could change lives.” 

Through it all, Marian hasn’t lost sight of her central mission: supporting youth. “Our kids are brilliant, but they face a lot. Even a simple act of kindness from an adult can make them feel like they belong here,” she says. “And that feeling—that they’re seen, valued, and part of something bigger—that’s where healing and hope begin.”

In a world often dominated by news headlines of crisis, Marian Meadows offers a quiet revolution: one of presence, purpose, and people showing up for each other. Castro Valley is lucky to have her heart beating at the center of its community.