A successful entrepreneur and private equity investor with experience in health services, Garen Staglin knows what a powerful impact science and innovation can have on people’s lives. So when the Staglins’ son, Brandon, was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, Garen and his wife, Shari, together with Brandon and his sister, made a family decision to “run toward the problem,” hoping to “elevate the science and dismantle the stigma.” Within five years, Brandon was on the path to recovery, and the Staglins turned their attention to the millions of other Americans facing mental health challenges, often without access to the support and resources Brandon had.
As owners of the Staglin Family Vineyard in Napa Valley, Garen and Shari had just the venue for their new initiative to transform mental health care. The first annual One Mind Music Festival was held in 1995 and has since featured headliners like Lyle Lovett, Jennifer Hudson, Sheryl Crow, and Train. A science and innovation symposium takes place on the same day. Three decades later, the festival has raised over $600 million for brain health research, with additional donations or causes chaired by the Staglins bringing funds generated to more than $1.2 billion. Their nonprofit, One Mind, grew out of the festival to “advance better diagnostics, treatments, and preventative interventions for people facing mental health challenges.” As well as funding innovative research, studies, and scholars, the foundation has created workplace wellness initiatives and an accelerator supporting 37 mental health startups, helping 860,000+ people to date.
“Theirs is a profound demonstration of transformational leadership,” says Gordon Starr, MBA ’68, about Garen and Shari. “They’ve turned a life-altering breakdown into a grand opportunity to make a difference.” Garen also founded the Healthy Brains Global Initiative, which works with providers to create and enhance mental health programs around the world, and is a partner of a venture fund for companies with innovative neuroscience services and treatments. “They’ve got the tools now, they have the science, so we just need time and more people doing it, and we’ll get these things cured in our lifetime,” says Garen.
