Award-winning executive, scholar, educator, and clinician championing thriving for all.
EXPERIENCE
Principal
Thriving For ALL, LLC (July 2024 - present)
● Consulting services offered in the areas of research and policy; clinical consultation; and public speaking
● Clinical psychotherapy services for individuals, couples, and families
● Clinical expertise in trauma and stressor related disorders, psychosis, acute symptom management, depression, anxiety, family conflict, mind-body connection, and systemic stress
Adjunct Lecturer – Silver School of Social Work
New York University (January 2020 - present)
● Professor of Mental Health Policy in the Graduate School of Social Work
Vice President of Science, Equity, and Integration
ETR (January 2023 - November 2024)
● Reporting to the CEO, oversaw and supervised agency programs and promoted ongoing focus on integration of health equity into scientific standards and practices
● As a subject matter expert, oversaw expansion of strategic business endeavors related to behavioral health, health equity, and youth engagement
● Designed and oversaw ETR’s strategic planning process, successfully identifying 3-5 strategy for ETR’s business development future
● Designed and oversaw the development of ETR’s equitable research and evaluation standards of practice
● Designed and oversaw an internal mixed methods initiative that identified organizational integration and capacity building strategies to embed equity into staff and org practices
● Individually responsible for fundraising goal of $750,000 annual revenue
● Represented ETR at external meetings, presentations, and convenings as a nationally recognized subject matter expert
Director – Kennedy Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity (KSCMHE)
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), Atlanta, GA (May 2021 - December 2022)
● Founded by Congressman Patrick J Kennedy (D-RI) and the 16th Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. David Satcher, KSCMHE leads research, policy innovation, and leadership convening to promote equitable access to positive behavioral health outcomes at a national level
● Responsible for all administrative, fiscal, and leadership of the portfolio of KSCMHE programming and supervision to KSCMHE staff
● Raised USD $3 million in two years for KSCMHE and provided consultation and technical input on fundraising for broader MSM community
● Lead mixed methods research initiatives aimed at investigating behavioral health inequity
● Lead the development and dissemination of white papers, blogs, OpEds, multi-media communications for KSCMHE
● Presented at and facilitated several large scale convenings as a leader and subject matter expert in health equity
● Served as consultant and advisor to multiple leading government and non-government organizations, including
SAMHSA, Mental Health America, American Psychological Association, American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, among others
Consulting Supervisor and Clinician
Behr Psychology, New York, NY (July 2020 - July 2024)
Director/Team Leader – Manhattan Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team
Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), New York, NY (July 2019 - April 2021)
● Director to an intensive mobile behavioral health unit serving 68 clients in New York City carrying various diagnoses of serious mental illness and co-occurring issues related to biopsychosocial barriers to stabilization and wellness
● Responsible for administrative and fiscal oversight of the MACT program including monitoring and reporting at the city, state, and forensic levels; internal systems development and administration, and coordination between collaborating providers and agencies
● Responsible for clinical oversight to MACT program and its 12 interdisciplinary staff, as well as clinical group supervision to social workers across agency
Program Administrator/Bilingual Psychotherapist
Metropolitan Center for Mental Health/NY Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY (December 2015 - July 2019)
● Lead clinical liaison for an initiative that embedded community- based mental health clinicians into the care coordination team of a large, urban hospital system
● Conducted in-patient assessment and linkage to care for dually- diagnosed medical patients at NY Presbyterian Hospital deemed appropriate for post-discharge outpatient behavioral health services
● Developed and provided in-house trainings to clinical staff on trauma-informed care, risk assessment, and crisis mitigation
● Bilingual (Spanish and English) community clinician treating patients (children and adults) carrying diagnoses of trauma and stressor-related disorders, major depression, and anxiety related disorders
National Program Coordinator
National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, Inc., New York, NY (June 2015 - April 2016)
● Managed national programs focused on HIV testing, counseling, and prevention; Hepatitis C; and grantee capacity building in U.S. Black/African-American communities
● Supervised NBLCA Tampa affiliate and NBLCA Detroit affiliate
● Supervised NBLCA MPH Graduate Internship program (2-5 interns, across NY State)
● Oversaw NBLCA Leadership Training Institute and lead development of curriculum and trainings
Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Fellow
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD (June 2014 - August 2014)
● Appointed summer IRTA fellowship with the NIH Clinical Research Center’s Department of Social Work to lead a systematic review and qualitative research investigating psychosocial functioning and posttraumatic stress symptomology in oncology/hematology settings
Master of Clinical Social Work Intern
Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx, NY (September 2013 - May 2014)
● Completed Advanced Concentration Year Field Learning placement with the Lincoln Hospital Crime Victim’s Assistance Program (LVAP), providing trauma-focused crisis therapy, case management, legal advocacy, and collaborative medical care to crime victims identified within the acute trauma hospital units
Master of Clinical Social Work Intern
Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Center (RCC), New York, NY (January 2013 - August 2013)
● Completed Foundation Year Field Work placement at RCC, providing bilingual (Spanish-English) family psychotherapy services in a low-income community on the Lower East Side
International Program Officer I – Global Health, Population and Nutrition Group
FHI 360, Washington, DC (November 2010 - June 2012)
● Provided bi-lingual programmatic coordination to US Government-Funded HIV/AIDS projects focused on capacity building, technical assistance, and the strengthening services offered by partners and stakeholders in the Dominican Republic and South Africa
● Lead the in-country kick-off for the USAID/PEPFAR/FHI 360 South Africa Partners Impact Evaluation
● Conducted on-the-ground field research, secured partners, developed the technical approach, and co-coordinated overall production of several international grant proposals
● Member and co-leader of the FHI 360 Youth Community of Practice
● Represented FHI 360 at the Alliance for International Youth Development
DCPS New Heights Teen Parent Program, Program Assistant
District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, DC (November 2009 - November 2010)
● Responsibilities included facilitation of seminars, case management, and community engagement for pregnant and parenting DCPS students on life skills, parenting skills, and DC resource education, both in Spanish and English
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP SERVICE
Board Member and Committee Chair, Mental Health America
Board Member, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Behavioral Health Advisory Panel Member, National Committee for Quality Assurance
Advisor, SAMHSA National Suicide Prevention Strategy
Reviewer, Suicide Prevention Resource Center, Best Practices Registry
Subject Matter Expert, NCSL National Task Force for Workforce Mental Health Policy
Subject Matter Expert, CAPE-Youth National Working Group on Youth Transitions
EDUCATION
New York University (May 2015), New York, NY
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Master of Social Work (MSW)
Cum Laude – 3.77 Combined GPA
Faculty-nominated MSW representative – Silver School Social Justice and Diversity Committee
The George Washington University (May 2009), Washington, DC
Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Affairs (Concentration: Latin American Studies), Spanish Minor
NCAA Division I Scholarship Athlete, GWU Varsity Women’s Tennis Team (Captain)
SELECT WRITTEN AND SPOKEN WORKS
Embedding Equity into 988: The Policy Brief, Lead author (Morehouse School of Medicine, 2022)
Economic Burden of Mental Health Inequities in the United States, Contributing author and lead SME (Morehouse School of Medicine, 2022)
For My Fellow People of Color: It's Okay to Get-Away and Rest, Author (ETR, 2023)
Destigmatizing Mental Health for Emerging and Practicing Filmmakers, Panel design and moderator (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 2023)
988 and Equity: 2022 HLTH Conference, Featured Speaker (Bamboo Health/HLTH/SAMHSA, 2022)
Criminal Justice and Equity Speaker Series: Bridging the Gaps, Design, moderator, and speaker (Morehouse School of Medicine, 2022)
Future of Mental Health Podcast Episode #49: What is Equity in Mental Health?, Featured guest (Psych Hub, 2021)
AWARDS
40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health (2022), National Minority Quality Forum
LICENSE AND CERTIFICATION
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), New York State, active
SKILLS
Language: Spanish (written and oral fluency), French (written and oral proficiency), Hindi (oral proficiency)
Technology: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher; HTML; Adobe Acrobat; SPSS; Alchemer; Qualtrics; RedCAP