Gary Bess

Dedicated and influential figure in California's social work arena

Gary M. Bess has contributed to the social work profession in California for more than 40 years, specializing in macro social work practice. He is an expert in health and human services grant development, program evaluation, advocacy, and service design and implementation for underserved communities. He directed two free medical clinics in Califoria, and since 1991 he has been a consultant to health and human services agencies across the state. Most notably, he has assisted several Native American tribes and urban agencies, homeless services programs, and health care services providers treating low-income, medically uninsured persons. He has contributed to social work education and its management literature on human services administration, childcare. behavioral health care, and social work leadership.

Bess holds two masters' degrees in social work and applied sociology from Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University respectively, and a doctorate in social work from the University of Southern Califomia (USC). He has taught macro-level social work practice at UCLA, USC, and at two California State Universities (CUs): Long Beach and Chico. Bess and a team of early program implementors started the distance education MSW programs at CSUs Chico and Humboldt, which later added on-campus programs, educating many local students to address the needs of underserved, rural northern California communities.

Through his consulting firm, Gary Bess Associates (GBA), Bess has provided grant writing, program evaluation and consultation to nonprofit and government agencies. GBA is credited with supporting the development of more than 50 federally qualified health centers in California. He has brought millions of dollars in grants and enhanced MediCal reimbursements to California agencies, as well as improved health care for the patients of the many agencies he has assisted.

Bess's staff, one-third of whom are master's level social workers, specializes in grant writing, program evaluation, community needs assessments and data analytics. They are involved in national cross-site evaluations for federal agencies and provide contracted technical assistance to grantees. GBA's assessments have covered a myriad of service programs.

Some of Bess's work has focused on Native American programs and services such as the Indian Health Services, Agency for Native Americans, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. His work with California Native American clients has included services for the Mechoopda Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Quartz Valley Indian Reservation, San Diego American Indian Health Center, American Indian Health & Services in Santa Barbara, and Susanville Indian Rancheria. He co-authored two articles in American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research: Journal of the National Center on the life cycle of the evaluation process and on process evaluation among Native American communities.