Leadership
Akilah Templeton is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Veterans Village of San Diego, the largest non-profit veteran service organization in San Diego County. Each year, Veterans Village of San Diego serves thousands of veterans in overcoming homeless and related challenges through its core programs that include transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, substance use treatment, case management, employment services and temporary financial assistance. Under Akilah’s leadership, the organization has expanded its partnership with the Cohen Veterans Network to now operate 3 outpatient mental health clinics serving San Diego and Los Angeles Counties.
Akilah is an experienced organizational change expert and leader whose career in mental health, substance abuse, veteran services, and homeless services spans more than 30 years. Akilah is a master’s Level Addiction Specialist and a recognized expert in the veteran and homeless services spaces. Akilah sits on the Board of CAVSA (the California Association of Veterans Service Agencies) and holds a seat on the Governance Advisory Committee for the local Continuum of Care. As a member of several community-based work groups including the City of San Diego Community Action Plan on Homelessness and the Leave no Veteran Homeless initiative, Akilah works with leading service providers and government agencies to develop solutions to homelessness and veteran homelessness countywide.
Akilah holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California with a sub-concentration in Military Social Work; a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership from California State University – Northridge; and a Bachelor of Arts – Sociology from California State University-East Bay.
Michael W. Farrier, II is the Chief Operating Officer of Veterans Village of San Diego and is a veteran of the United States Army. Throughout his career, Michael has held pivotal executive leadership roles that promoted strong organizational culture founded on integrity, honesty, transparency, and a dedication to servant leadership principles. Michael is a multitalented operations manager and people leader with wide experience building and managing key programs and strategic partnerships for a large metropolitan county government who excels at winning interagency and community collaboration. He has a strong background in program development and execution, goal setting, KPIs, financial management, budgeting, recruiting, training, and mentoring engaged, productive teams. Michael’s past executive experiences have provided him with an intricate understanding of the issues associated with persons experiencing mental health needs, substance addiction, and homelessness.
Michael holds a Master of Arts Degree in Adult Education from the University of Phoenix, a Master of Science Degree on Criminal Justice focusing on Emergency Management from Saint Leo University, and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Arizona.
Program Directors
