Ecker Center names Sandouka as CEO

ELGIN - Ecker Center for Mental Health announced Daphne Sandouka, Ed.D., has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Karen Beyer, who retired in June after serving for 19 years.

Since joining Ecker in 2014 as the community counseling supervisor, Sandouka demonstrated her leadership skills and was promoted to therapy director in 2016 and clinical director in 2017. She has represented the agency with mental health funders, community partners and at fundraising events as well as being an advocate for individuals with mental illness.

Her responsibilities have included oversight of the Psychiatry & Nursing, Psychiatric Emergency, Crisis Residential, Therapy and Psychosocial Rehabilitation programs.

Prior to her joining Ecker, she worked as a professor at Argosy University where she educated and mentored master's and doctorate level counselor education students.

Sandouka graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1999 with a BA in Psychology. In 2001, she earned her MS in Counselor Education from Western Illinois University followed by her Ed.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Northern Illinois University in 2007. In addition to achieving her LCPC license in 2004, Daphne fulfilled the requirements of the Elgin Area Leadership Academy earlier this year.