Charlene Dimas-Peinado, L.C.S.W., E.M.L.
Wellnest
President and CEO
Visionary for Change | Champion for Children, Families & Communities
For more than two decades as a nonprofit chief executive, Charlene Dimas-Peinado has transformed organizations into bold, innovative institutions capable of achieving their most ambitious visions. Widely regarded as a catalyst for institutional change and capacity-building, she centers racial equity, community voice, and generational impact in every initiative she leads. She is known for spearheading trauma-informed systems of care that integrate behavioral health, supportive housing, and wraparound services for children from birth to age 25—including family and Transitional Age Youth housing—and for rebranding two nonprofit child health organizations to elevate children’s mental health and advance health equity.
Her career is distinguished by expertise in leading complex, multi-phase real estate acquisition and development projects—from feasibility and entitlements through financing, risk management, and construction—totaling more than $100 million in capital investments that strengthen community infrastructure and expand access to care. Equally skilled in managing large-scale government contracts, capital campaigns, and philanthropic expansion, she is adept at aligning boards, staff, and cross-sector partners around bold strategic plans that grow budgets, multiply assets, and exponentially increase community reach.
Since 2016, Charlene has served as President & CEO of Wellnest, one of the oldest nationally recognized trauma-informed behavioral health and housing organizations in Los Angeles, now entering its second century of service. When she arrived, the nonprofit was still known as the Los Angeles Child Guidance Center. She guided the organization to think differently—linking mental health care to stable housing and forging powerful collaborations that have broadened Wellnest’s impact. Under her leadership, the organization has completed transformative housing and infrastructure projects in sequence: the Life Learning Center (2019), The Nest on Florence—permanent supportive housing for families (2022), The Nest on Exposition—interim housing for individuals ages 18–25 (2025), and the state-of-the-art Community Wellnest Center, scheduled for groundbreaking and completion in 2026. During her tenure, Wellnest also earned CARF Accreditation and Healthy Families America Accreditation, while strengthening its financial position to a $33 million annual operating budget and $63 million in assets.
The first Latina to lead Wellnest since its founding in 1924, Charlene has cultivated a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration, achieving unusually low staff turnover in a high-burnout field. She has modernized operations with robust key performance indicators, digital governance tools, and electronic health record implementations, all while ensuring compliance with complex regulatory requirements. Her leadership has positioned Wellnest as a trusted resource on policy and funding issues at local, state, and national levels, elevating its visibility through strategic advocacy, media engagement, and coalition work.
“Every child and family have a story and their stories have meaning and, like a ripple of water, they affect our community. Our objective is to make a positive impact on those we serve…one that improves a life, improves our community.” —Charlene Dimas-Peinado
Charlene holds a Master of Leadership from the University of Southern California and a Master of Social Work from California State University, Long Beach. Her leadership and vision have earned numerous honors, including being named one of Women of Impact: Los Angeles’ Leading Women Professionals (2025) by LA Magazine; Top 50 Women Leaders of Los Angeles(2023–2024) by Women We Admire; Leader of Influence: Nonprofit & Philanthropy (2023) by the L.A. Business Journal; and being honored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis on International Women’s Day (2024). In 2015, she received the Community Advocate Award from the National Latina Business Women Association (NLBWA-LA).
Her public service includes an appointment in 2022 to the California Interagency Council on Homelessness Advisory Committee by the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary and California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary. She was appointed in 2015 to the Board of Governors for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, elected in 2017 as Vice President of the Board of Governors, and currently serves as Chair of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, where she chairs the Women’s Policy Council, and is Chairwoman of the Board of Governors at City Club Los Angeles.
Previously, Charlene served on the Los Angeles County Commission for the Department of Public Social Services representing the First Supervisorial District, the Board of Directors for BizFed, and Rotary LA5.
