Mr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola MD, Ph.D.
Communities Representing: Latino, Family Member, Provider
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: Member since March 2011
Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola is a professor of Clinical Internal Medicine and serves as Director of the Community Engagement program and Center for Reducing Health Disparities at the University of California,…
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Communities Representing: Latino, Family Member, Provider
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: Member since March 2011
Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola is a professor of Clinical Internal Medicine and serves as Director of the Community Engagement program and Center for Reducing Health Disparities at the University of California, Davis. He is an internationally renowned expert on mental health in ethnic populations, and was recently honored with a National Minority Health Community Leadership Award (Hispanic Community) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one of ten that recognize excellence and outstanding accomplishments of pioneering leaders dedicated to improving health in specific minority populations. He is P.I. of the Mexican American Prevalence and Services survey, the largest mental health study conducted in the U.S. on Mexican Americans, and the coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean of the WHO (World Health Organization) Mental Health survey. Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola has vast experience in developing culturally and linguistically sensitive diagnostic mental health measures and in translating research into practical information for consumers and their families.
John Aguirre
Communities Representing: Consumer, Family Member, LGBTQ
CMMC Committee: Administration – Co-Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Mr. Aguirre is very familiar with California's mental health system as a consumer, advocate, service provider and family members who have mental health challenges. He has a long and successful background in consumer advocacy and collaboration building in the arenas of family violence prevention and intervention,…
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Communities Representing: Consumer, Family Member, LGBTQ
CMMC Committee: Administration – Co-Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Mr. Aguirre is very familiar with California's mental health system as a consumer, advocate, service provider and family members who have mental health challenges. He has a long and successful background in consumer advocacy and collaboration building in the arenas of family violence prevention and intervention, mental health, poverty issues, and substance abuse prevention. For many years he served as a representative on local mental health boards and other policy making bodies at the regional and state level, representing Latinos, the rural Central Valley, veterans, LGBTQ communities, those with substance abuse issues, mental health consumers and family members, and foster care systems. He is conversant in the barriers that consumers must face on a daily basis to assist local mental health providers in the design of consumer driven services while striving for respect, without discrimination or stigma from those who are there to serve them while maintaining a shared leadership. Besides the CMMC, Mr. Aguirre has served on the Central California Coalition of Child Abuse Councils, the Executive Advisory Board of Prevent Child Abuse California, the Tulare County Health & Human Services Integrated Advisory Council, as his County Representative to the California Association of Local Mental Health Boards, as the California Alternate representative to NAMI National Veterans Council, and on the LGBTQ Reducing Disparities Project Strategic Planning Workgroup.
Michelle Alcedo
Communities Representing: Asian Pacific Islander, LGBTQ, Older Adults
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendations Co-Chair
CMMC Membership: December 2012 to present
Michelle Alcedo is the Director of Programs at Openhouse, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization serving LGBT older adults in San Francisco Bay Area. As an LGBT aging issues trainer for Openhouse and the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging,…
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Communities Representing: Asian Pacific Islander, LGBTQ, Older Adults
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendations Co-Chair
CMMC Membership: December 2012 to present
Michelle Alcedo is the Director of Programs at Openhouse, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization serving LGBT older adults in San Francisco Bay Area. As an LGBT aging issues trainer for Openhouse and the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, Michelle has worked with over 2,000 aging network providers throughout California to cultivate enhanced services and programs to meet the needs of LGBT older adults. Most recently, Michelle was appointed to San Francisco’s first LGBT Aging Policy Task Force by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She also currently serves as co-chair of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Community Partnership and the LGBT Community Partnership, groups whose goals are to improve access to health and social services for marginalized seniors, namely, elders of color and LGBT elders/of color. As a board member of the Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly (CASE), Michelle engages in advocacy efforts that inform and influence public policy to meet the continuing and changing needs of San Francisco’s aging and disability communities. Michelle fosters collaborations between HIV providers and aging network providers to help strengthen their services to meet the needs of aging community members living with HIV.
Jack Barbour
Communities Representing: African American, Provider, LGBTQ
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Dr. Barbour is a psychiatrist with 35 years of experience seeing ethnic minorities in Los Angeles. Previously, Dr. Barbour served as Medical Director for Portals for 10 years.…
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Communities Representing: African American, Provider, LGBTQ
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Dr. Barbour is a psychiatrist with 35 years of experience seeing ethnic minorities in Los Angeles. Previously, Dr. Barbour served as Medical Director for Portals for 10 years. As a Board Member of the California Council of Community Member Health Directors – Dr. Barbour has worked to insure that legislation is provided and monitored to provide statewide quality mental health services. As Director of an Agency in South Los Angeles he is familiar with the importance of cultural competency for the demographic change in our community. Dr. Barbour is also Co-Chair of the Mental Health Division Empowerment Congress in the 2nd District of Los Angeles, represented by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. In this capacity he has worked to facilitate summit meetings to engage community members with mental health issues.
C. Rocco Cheng Ph.D.
Communities Representing: Asian Pacific Islander, Provider, Immigrant
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Rocco Cheng is Corporate Director of Prevention and Early Intervention Services at Pacific Clinics. He is responsible for planning and coordinating PEI services for various ethnic and age groups in the Clinics’ five-county service area.…
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Communities Representing: Asian Pacific Islander, Provider, Immigrant
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Rocco Cheng is Corporate Director of Prevention and Early Intervention Services at Pacific Clinics. He is responsible for planning and coordinating PEI services for various ethnic and age groups in the Clinics’ five-county service area. A licensed clinical psychologist since 1996, Dr. Cheng has worked as a crisis counselor, team leader, project coordinator and program director. He directed programs on mentoring, parenting and gang awareness, as well as several prevention projects aimed at reducing substance abuse, HIV, youth violence and gang affiliation.
With the implementation of Mental Health Service Act in California, Dr. Cheng has been actively involved in local and state level providing expert input to various departments. He was an expert consultant to State Department of Mental Health and Mental Health Service Oversight and Accountability Commission (OAC). He has served on two of the five committees and currently on the Services Committee of the OAC. Dr. Cheng has directed the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Strategic Planning Workgroup (SPW) of the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) since 2010. In this capacity as the Project Director, he coordinates the 55-member statewide coalition to address the issue of disparity and community defined strategies in reducing mental health disparities. The CRDP API SPW has produced a population report regarding the current state and potential solutions for these disparities. Dr. Cheng and his cultural responsive training team currently is also involved in two other statewide Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Projects, including statewide cultural responsive training with NAMI-California as well as Workplace mental health issues with Mental Health American of California. Recently he has been appointed as an Advisory Council Member for the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity.
In addition, Dr. Cheng also advocates for the underserved cultural community through his involvement with several statewide coalitions such as a steering committee member of the CalMHSA’s Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Consortium as well as his past involvement of four years at the Cultural and Linguistic Competence Committee of OAC. Dr. Cheng is also very interested in the spiritual dimension of mental health. He is a steering committee member of the statewide Mental Health and Spirituality Initiative since 2007.
Crystal D. Crawford Esq.
Communities Representing: African American, Family member, Provider
CMMC Committee: Administration
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Crystal Crawford is a Program Director for The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) where she oversees the Foundation's grant-making related to the issues of diversity in the health professions and women's health.…
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Communities Representing: African American, Family member, Provider
CMMC Committee: Administration
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Crystal Crawford is a Program Director for The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) where she oversees the Foundation's grant-making related to the issues of diversity in the health professions and women's health. Her responsibilities include reviewing letters of interest and grant proposals and making funding recommendations related to these issues. Before joining TCWF, she served for seven years as CEO of the California Black Women's Health Project (CABWHP), the only statewide organization solely devoted to improving the health of California's black women and girls through policy, advocacy, education and outreach. Previously, she was CABWHP's director of public policy for five years. Throughout her career, Crawford has combined policy and legal approaches to many social justice and civil rights issues and causes. Before working in the nonprofit, public interest sector, she was an associate with corporate law firms in Los Angeles, Boston and New York, as well as a public school teacher. Originally from Harlem, N.Y., Crawford earned her bachelor's in history from Dartmouth College and her law degree from New York University School of Law. Among her many recognitions are the Advocates' Award from Western Center on Law and Poverty and the PowerPAC Award from the Los Angeles African American Women's Political Action Committee. She is admitted to the bar in California, New York and New Jersey.
A. Viviana Criado
Communities Representing: Afro-Peruvian, Family Member, Older Adult
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan – Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Viviana Criado is the Executive Director of the California Elder Mental Health and Aging Coalition (CEMHAC), a statewide member-driven advocacy organization that seeks to promote and improve quality of life for older Californians.…
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Communities Representing: Afro-Peruvian, Family Member, Older Adult
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan – Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Viviana Criado is the Executive Director of the California Elder Mental Health and Aging Coalition (CEMHAC), a statewide member-driven advocacy organization that seeks to promote and improve quality of life for older Californians. In her role, she works closely with statewide public and private government, community based organizations, and educational institutions to promote increased attention and sponsorship of evidence-based research focused on mental health and aging services, delivery and utilization issues, caregiver considerations, etiology of mental illness among the aged, effective treatment and intervention factors, and cross-cultural factors contributing to mental wellness. As an older adult advocate, Mrs. Criado represents older adults and family caregivers at various local, state-wide and national level planning and advocacy efforts addressing policy, fiscal and regulatory developments that impact older adult health care and quality of life. Her involvement includes: the California Mental Health Planning Council; the California Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission, Evaluation Committees; the MHSA Partners’ California Stakeholder Process Coalition; the California Mental Health Directors Association – Older Adult System of Care Committee; the NAMI Stigma Reduction Project – Cultural Competence Steering Committee; and the California Multicultural Mental Health Multicultural Coalition – California Reducing Disparities, Strategic Plan Committee (Chair). Mrs. Criado has worked both in the public and private mental health services sectors; and for over 10 years, she has worked tireless to improve the quality of mental health care for older Californians. In recognition for her efforts, she has been the recipient of two distinguished awards, San Diego County Mental Health’s Community Person of the Year Award, and The California Institute of Mental Health Champion of System Transformation Award. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, New Jersey (1982) and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University (1994). Currently, Mrs. Criado is pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership.
Jessica Elm
Communities Representing: Native American, Consumer, Child Welfare
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders Mentorship
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Student in the doctoral social work program at the University of Washington School of Social Work. She completed an undergraduate degree in social work at San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in social welfare at the University of California,…
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Communities Representing: Native American, Consumer, Child Welfare
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders Mentorship
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Student in the doctoral social work program at the University of Washington School of Social Work. She completed an undergraduate degree in social work at San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. Ms. LePak has work experience in a wide variety of settings and positions, including behavioral health project coordinator, child welfare social worker, and federal and state policy advocate. Her general research interests include examining American Indian, Alaska Native, and Two Spirit health inequities within stress and coping and life course frameworks; and resiliency, posttraumatic growth, and protective factors in Native individuals, families, communities. Ms. LePak’s career goal following doctoral degree completion is to teach and pursue research in an academic setting while continuing to work with tribal communities on tribally defined wellness initiatives.
Stephen Garrett MFT
Communities Representing: African American, Provider
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2013 to present
Stephen Garrett is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who has worked in the field of mental health and social services for 18 years. Prior to working in mental health and social services,…
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Communities Representing: African American, Provider
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2013 to present
Stephen Garrett is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who has worked in the field of mental health and social services for 18 years. Prior to working in mental health and social services, Mr. Garrett served 4 years in the United States Air force and received an honorable discharge at the rank of E-4 Sergeant. Mr. Garrett currently serves as the Chairperson for the African American Cultural Competency subcommittee for the High Desert through the San Bernardino Department of Behavioral Health. He also served for 5 years as the facilitator for the Cultural Competency Workgroup for a mental health agency. Stephen Garrett looks forward to CMMC membership affording him the opportunities to not only contribute to the expansion of multicultural MHSA services, but also to increase his own knowledge and understanding through the process.
Jim Gilmer
Communities Representing: Faith-Based, Veterans, African American
CMMC Committee: Administration, CMMC Co-Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Jim Gilmer is the Co-Chair of the CMMC, and the Co-Coordinator of the African American/People of African Descent Strategic Planning Work Group which are both components of the California Reducing Disparities Project,…
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Communities Representing: Faith-Based, Veterans, African American
CMMC Committee: Administration, CMMC Co-Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Jim Gilmer is the Co-Chair of the CMMC, and the Co-Coordinator of the African American/People of African Descent Strategic Planning Work Group which are both components of the California Reducing Disparities Project, administered by the Department of Public Health/Office of Health Equity. He serves on the Services Committee of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Jim was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Mental Health America/California, and he is one of the founding members of the Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition.
In Ventura County, Jim is the Co-founder of Multicultural Community Ventures Initiative which is collaborative of ethnic organizations and small businesses focusing on social equity in the arts, music, cultural enrichment, and community development. Cyrus Urban Inter-Church Sustainability Network (CUISN) was co-founded by Jim and local ministers to provide technical assistance for ethnic faith-based organizations.
Jim Gilmer is a member of the Black American Political Association of California (Ventura County Chapter); NAACP; Black & Brown Alliance of Ventura County, CAUSE, LULAC, and the Community Advocacy Committee.
He holds a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management, Leadership, Administration, Marketing, & Theology (Urban Ministry Emphasis) from Azusa Pacific University. He has over thirty years of experience in resource development, fundraising, youth development and working with the homeless.
Jamila Guerrero-Cantor
Communities Representing: Latino, Community College, Deaf and Hard of Hearing
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment and Recommendations
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011
Jamila Guerrero-Cantor, MA, NCC was raised in Los Angeles, CA where she currently works as a School Counselor for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at Marlton School and Cerritos College.…
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Communities Representing: Latino, Community College, Deaf and Hard of Hearing
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment and Recommendations
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011
Jamila Guerrero-Cantor, MA, NCC was raised in Los Angeles, CA where she currently works as a School Counselor for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at Marlton School and Cerritos College. She became a young activist at Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden’s political/performing arts camp Laurel Springs in Santa Barbara, CA.
Through her high school years she learned about organizing with the Los Angeles Student Coalition – often protesting apartheid on the steps of the South African Consulate in Beverly Hills. Later, her passion for music and social justice merged together to form a band, “Wozani” (a call for the people to come in Zulu), that toured through out the U.S. She graduated with a B.A. in Community Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, doing her fieldwork within the organizing efforts of the United Farm Workers – and then joined on as an Organizer and National Coordinator.
She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and graduated with a M.A. in School Counseling and Guidance from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. -the first and only university for the Deaf in the world.
She did her Counseling practicum with Deaf youth in the coastal region of Oaxaca, Mexico enabling her to learn about the complexities of their reality as well as Mexican Sign Language. She is a member of the California Mental Health Services Act Multi-Cultural Coalition and the National Counselors for the Deaf Association. As a Board Member for the Dolores Huerta Foundation she is committed to supporting the work of social justice – the legacy of Dolores Huerta.
Shaista Jaffri
Communities Representing: Pakastani and Provider
CMMC Committee: Current Emerging Leader
CMMC Membership: June 2014-present
Shaista Jaffri serves as the Chief Counselor and a Board Member of Muslim American Society – Social Services Foundation – Sacramento (MAS-SSF-SAC). She has a part of the organization since its founding in 2007.…
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Communities Representing: Pakastani and Provider
CMMC Committee: Current Emerging Leader
CMMC Membership: June 2014-present
Shaista Jaffri serves as the Chief Counselor and a Board Member of Muslim American Society – Social Services Foundation – Sacramento (MAS-SSF-SAC). She has a part of the organization since its founding in 2007. Her education includes a Master’s Degree in Psychology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law. She has previously volunteered with Friendly Visitors and CASA.
Perry G. Joshua Two Feathers Tripp
Communities Representing: Native American, LGBTQ, Family Member
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders Mentorship Term of CMMC
Membership: March 2011 to Present
Perry Two Feathers Tripp is a member of the Smith River Rancheria, a federally recognized California Tribe located in Smith River California in Del Norte County.…
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Communities Representing: Native American, LGBTQ, Family Member
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders Mentorship Term of CMMC
Membership: March 2011 to Present
Perry Two Feathers Tripp is a member of the Smith River Rancheria, a federally recognized California Tribe located in Smith River California in Del Norte County. Mr. Tripp is a descendent from the Tolowa, Yurok and Pomo (Yokayo/Sherwood) Tribes of Northern California and identifies himself as a Two-spirit.
Mr. Tripp has served his communities in various capacities starting out at a young age as a Ukiah Police Cadet, Gaming Security Officer/Investigator, Patrol Lt. for the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians and as a Tribal Government Security Contractor, who successfully started and ran his own business for many years before being contracted with the Office of Homeland Security/FEMA via CalOES State Homeland Security Grant for California Tribal Emergency Preparedness. Mr. Tripp has served on many local, county and state committees such as the California MHSA Multi-Cultural Coalition. Chairman of the Mendocino Native American Advisory Committee at Mendocino College for over 6 years and served as a Mendocino County Mental Health Board member where he started the Jail/First Responder Special Committee that developed the first forensic jail survey. Mr. Tripp has been instrumental in the development of Cultural Competency Trainings and Standards development assisting Native American Communities to develop Law Enforcement Officer Cultural Competency training and wellness trainings for Counties in California.
Mr. Tripp has had the very fortunate opportunities in working with Mr. Guadalupe Pacheco, director of the Technical Assistance Center for Cultural Competency at the Federal Office of Minority Health, where Mr. Tripp developed Cultural Competency for Emergency/Disaster Services Personnel. Mr. Tripp is a Court Certified expert in Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) including being a P.O.S.T. Certified Archeological Damage Site Investigator, Tribal Emergency Manager, Emergency Preparedness Instructor/Trainer, Terrorism Liaison Officer and subject matter expert on Two-spirits and cross cultural competency. Mr. Tripp enjoys his days doing community work, spending time with family and insuring that all our communities are educated about our past, present and future of our California Native lineage.
Janet King
Communities Representing: Native American, Family Member, Provider
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Janet works at the Native American Health Center (NAHC) in Oakland, CA. At NAHC Janet works in the Community Wellness Department as the Project Director of the Children’s Trauma Grant.…
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Communities Representing: Native American, Family Member, Provider
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Janet works at the Native American Health Center (NAHC) in Oakland, CA. At NAHC Janet works in the Community Wellness Department as the Project Director of the Children’s Trauma Grant. She has been a member of the Native American Strategic Planning Workgroup within the California Reducing Disparities Project. While with the Workgroup she helped develop the Native American community-based report. The report included community-defined best and promising practices for addressing mental health treatment disparities in the Native American population. Additionally, Janet is the Vice-President for the Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition.
Nga Le
Communities Representing: Asian Pacific Islander, Education, Immigrant
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
I was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the US with my family when I was two years old. I graduated from the University of California,…
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Communities Representing: Asian Pacific Islander, Education, Immigrant
CMMC Committee: CRDP Strategic Plan
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
I was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the US with my family when I was two years old. I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with my Bachelor’s degree in Integrative Biology. While attending UC Berkeley, I volunteered my time serving and mobilizing the immigrant, refugee, and underserved Asian / Pacific Islander community in hopes of challenging the economic and social inequalities facing the community. I coordinated youth programs to encourage and empower students of color to pursue higher education. As a volunteer health interpreter, I was able to advocate for the Vietnamese community in a healthcare setting. My involvement with the Southeast Asian community helped me understand that while Southeast Asian communities have differences, we also share commonalities in our refugee experiences and history. I currently work at Community Health for Asian Americans as the Community Wellness Advocate. I coordinate our Southeast Asian youth group along with a youth-led tobacco prevention research project. I also work with our API Connections advocates on the Sisterhood for Wellness HIV Testing and Prevention Program which serves API and African immigrant, refugee, and asylee women.
Beatrice Lee
Communities Representing: Chinese, Provider, Immigrant/Refugee
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendation
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Beatrice Lee, MPA, has over 30 years of community-based non-profit health & wellness promotion and management experience for vulnerable populations, with particular focus on Asian and Pacific Islanders.…
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Communities Representing: Chinese, Provider, Immigrant/Refugee
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendation
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Beatrice Lee, MPA, has over 30 years of community-based non-profit health & wellness promotion and management experience for vulnerable populations, with particular focus on Asian and Pacific Islanders. She has served 25 of those years in an executive leadership role with experience in program development and implementation, community development, public policy, strategic planning, financial management and budgeting, and group facilitation. Most recently, she was Executive Director of Community Health for Asian Americans (CHAA) providing over ten years of leadership to advance the health and wellness of un/underserved communities from diverse racial, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and class backgrounds. Beatrice serves on many County and State health policy bodies. Beatrice is President for REMHDCO (Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition) since ______. REMHDCO continues to be a strong voice on many policy issues on behalf of California’s growing underrepresented communities. A recent significant accomplishment has been securing a contract with the State Office of Multicultural Services to develop and implement a Statewide MHSA Multi-Cultural Coalition (as part of the CA Reducing Disparities Project) to advise the State on ways to increase access, quality of care, and increase positive outcomes for racial, ethnic and cultural communities.
Yvette McShan
Communities Representing: African American, Consumer, Provider
CMMC Committee: Administration
Term of CMMC Membership: December 2012 to present
Yvette McShan is close to completing her undergraduate degree in Social and Human services. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Victorious Black Women and was formerly a Peers Envisioning Recovery Services mentor.…
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Communities Representing: African American, Consumer, Provider
CMMC Committee: Administration
Term of CMMC Membership: December 2012 to present
Yvette McShan is close to completing her undergraduate degree in Social and Human services. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Victorious Black Women and was formerly a Peers Envisioning Recovery Services mentor. She has also served as a peer counselor and advocate of mental health and quality of life issues including housing, medical care, employment and education. She also believes in the principles of Maslow’s theory basic needs of all humans. Ms. McShan also has community outreach experience working with at-risk youth, substance abusers, homeless, battered women and ex-offenders. She has a career commitment to the mental health field and public health issues; knowledge of non-profit organization procedures; and, is a steering committee member of the Pool of Consumer Champions, a consumer mental health organization. Ms. McShan also serves on Stanislaus Mental Health Board, MHSAOC Client/Faamily Member Committee, U.S. Human Rights Taskforce, as well as Beyond Walls for Children and organization counseling youth of incarcerated parents. Throughout her career, Ms. McShan has been known as a self-described leader and follower meaning “as a leader sometimes we have to follow in order to lead”. She is a quick learner, self-starter and provides a multi-cultural perspective on many issues.
Poshi Mikalson
Communities Representing: Provider, LGBTQ, Education
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders Mentorship
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Poshi Mikalson is the Project Director for the LGBTQ Reducing Disparities Project through Mental Health America of Northern California in collaboration with Equality California Institute. Ms. Mikalson has focused her career on improving mental wellness for LGBTQ communities.…
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Communities Representing: Provider, LGBTQ, Education
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders Mentorship
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Poshi Mikalson is the Project Director for the LGBTQ Reducing Disparities Project through Mental Health America of Northern California in collaboration with Equality California Institute. Ms. Mikalson has focused her career on improving mental wellness for LGBTQ communities. In addition, she conducts LGBTQ Awareness trainings throughout California in order to increase awareness, sensitivity and knowledge of LGBTQ mental health needs. Ms. Mikalson holds a Masters in Social Work from CSU Sacramento She can be contacted via email: LGBTQmentalhealth@att.net
Raja Mitry
Communities Representing: Arab-American, Aging and Older Adults
CMMC Committee: Administration
Term of CMMC Membership: December 2012 to present
Raja Mitry was the Project Coordinator for San Mateo County’s Anti-Stigma Initiative, a Prevention/Early Intervention project funded by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). In November 2012,…
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Communities Representing: Arab-American, Aging and Older Adults
CMMC Committee: Administration
Term of CMMC Membership: December 2012 to present
Raja Mitry was the Project Coordinator for San Mateo County’s Anti-Stigma Initiative, a Prevention/Early Intervention project funded by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). In November 2012, he was elected to the MHAC Board and to the Board of Directors of the California Elder Mental Health & Aging Coalition. He is pleased to be a member of REMHDCO (Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition) and the California MHSA Multicultural Coalition. He was appointed to the San Mateo County Mental Health Board in October 2001 and served as Chair for three terms (2004-2007). Recognizing possibilities envisioned by MHSA's core values, he initiated effective outreach to under-served communities by taking the public meetings of the Mental Health Board to communities that had been traditionally under-served so community folk would be able to attend where they felt safe and comfortable to participate. His vision that relationships and dialogue can and need to blossom with diverse communities exists throughout his involvement in different venues. He joined the Social Justice Advisory Committee of the California Mental Health Directors Association (CMHDA) as a charter member in October 2009, and continues today on the Executive Committee of the Cultural Competence, Equity, and Social Justice Committee (the joint effort of CMHDA's Social Justice Advisory and Ethnic Services Committees). Since January 2010, he has been on the MHSOAC Cultural and Linguistic Competence Committee and a member of the OAC’s Community Forums planning workgroup. His interest in cultural competence and building equity continually increases, and he is committed to stakeholder engagement at all levels of mental health policy development, service implementation, and program evaluation. He is inspired by the lived experiences of people and encourages identifying potential leadership for advocacy among clients and families. His philosophy of honoring cultural values, practices, and responsiveness to community needs are core to his work efforts.
Masa Nakama
Communities Representing: Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Late-Deafened,
Deaf-Blind, Deaf Plus
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders
Term of CMMC Membership:
Masa majored in psychology at Gallaudet University in the hope of working with children. He co-founded ColorFEST, a now annual festival for Deaf and Hard of Hearing LGBTQIA Youth at the Rochester Institute of Technology.…
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Communities Representing: Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Late-Deafened,
Deaf-Blind, Deaf Plus
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders
Term of CMMC Membership:
Masa majored in psychology at Gallaudet University in the hope of working with children. He co-founded ColorFEST, a now annual festival for Deaf and Hard of Hearing LGBTQIA Youth at the Rochester Institute of Technology. After graduating with his master’s degree he began working in San Diego as an advocate for people with Addiction. Masa currently works as a school counselor.
Ahmed Nemr
Communities Representing: Arab/Muslim, Client/Consumer, Family member of a transition age youth
CMMC Committee: Administration – Co-Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Mr. Ahmed serves as the president of Muslim American Society, Sacramento Chapter. This non-profit organization has over 60 chapters in the United States.…
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Communities Representing: Arab/Muslim, Client/Consumer, Family member of a transition age youth
CMMC Committee: Administration – Co-Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Mr. Ahmed serves as the president of Muslim American Society, Sacramento Chapter. This non-profit organization has over 60 chapters in the United States. Mr. Ahmed has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and has experience working with SED teens and Adults with mental illness in schools, prisons, group homes and acute facilities. He has worked as a teacher in an Islamic School K-8th in the City of Fresno. In this position he worked with diversity within the Muslin community including students and their families from Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Yemen, Somalia, Lebanon, Pakistan, India, Spain, Turkey, Mexico and more.
Emma Oshagan Ph.D.
Communities Representing: Armenian, Provider, Immigrant/Refugee
CMMC Committee: MHSA Recommendations & Assessment Term of
CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Ms. Oshagan came from Beirut, Lebanon to the US in 1975 as a Fulbright-Hays Scholar to study Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received a Ph.D.…
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Communities Representing: Armenian, Provider, Immigrant/Refugee
CMMC Committee: MHSA Recommendations & Assessment Term of
CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Ms. Oshagan came from Beirut, Lebanon to the US in 1975 as a Fulbright-Hays Scholar to study Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received a Ph.D. in Communication Arts and started teaching at Memphis State University in Tennessee. Ms. Oshagan then transferred to California and continued teaching in the California State University system. In 1988 she started studying for a Clinical Psychology Degree at California School of Professional Psychology, graduated with a Ph.D. and was licensed soon after.
Ms. Oshagan’s work experience includes private practice, therapist in psychiatric hospital, therapist in nursing home for the elderly, children and adolescents in public schools. In 1998 she was hired by Pacific Clinics to develop a Clinical program for Armenian students in public schools in Glendale, California and presently serves as the Director of Armenian Program Development at Pacific Clinics. In 2006, she started the Armenian American Mental health Association and has been serving as President of the Association. She also serves as Chairperson of the Pasadena Chapter of the Armenian Relief Society, the only international social services Armenian organization; member of other Armenian organizations and is active in the community.
Emma Oshagan has received several awards and certificates of appreciation for community involvement. She is an advocate for the Eastern European and Middle Eastern Communities in Los Angeles. In addition, Ms. Oshagan serves in several of Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health MHSA committees; is a member of the System Leadership Team an advisory committee to the Director of LA County Department of Mental Health; and was recently selected as a member of the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee of MHSOAC.
Christina Quiñonez
Communities Representing: Latino, Consumer, LGBTQ
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendations
Term of CMMC Membership:
Christina Quiñonez currently works with the Center for Excellence for Transgender Health (CoE) as a Capacity Building Assistant. She has been a part of the CMMC for about 3 years.…
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Communities Representing: Latino, Consumer, LGBTQ
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendations
Term of CMMC Membership:
Christina Quiñonez currently works with the Center for Excellence for Transgender Health (CoE) as a Capacity Building Assistant. She has been a part of the CMMC for about 3 years. Her mentor, Mari Radzik, who works at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, encouraged Christina to participate as an emerging leader due to her experience working with transgender youth. Ms. Quinonez’s role at CoE is to deliver in person trainings, webinars and teleconferencing with community based organizations CBO’s working with higher risk communities, specifically transgender women of color.
Prior to joining the CoE, Ms. Quinonez worked at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) – Adolescent Medicine as a Health Education Specialist. This is where she also met mentor. During her work at CHLA she served as secretary for the Transgender Service Provider Network, a group of providers in the Los Angeles region that come together to talk about prevention services to the transgender population. Prior to working at CHLA, she was a Prevention Case Manager at Bienestar Human Services with transgender women of all ages. While living in Los Angeles, she presented at various yearly conferences such as Models of Pride and Trans-Solutions. She also participated in several national conferences for example, Washington D.C. (Lobby Day for ENDA), TRANSGENDER EQUALITY, and the Transgender Leadership Summit. Christina is fluent in Spanish and has worked with HIV prevention organizations since the age of 16 focusing on providing services to the underserved and disenfranchised Latin communities.
Ms. Quinonez continues to be passionate about her work and is currently pursuing her higher education.
Mari Radzik Ph.D.
Communities Representing: Provider, LGBTQ, Primary Health
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders Mentorship – Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Mari Radzik is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she coordinates Mental Health Services for the Division.…
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Communities Representing: Provider, LGBTQ, Primary Health
CMMC Committee: Emerging Leaders Mentorship – Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Mari Radzik is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she coordinates Mental Health Services for the Division. She also supervises psychological interns and fellows, and provides mental health services to youth and young adults and also provides mental health services under the auspice of DMH. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Radzik has worked at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in both the Division of Hematology-Oncology, Behavioral Science Program (1986-1990), and in the Division of Adolescent Medicine (1991-present). Her areas of expertise include many adolescent issues such as substance use, gender and sexuality, health psychology and chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, mood disorders, eating disorders, social and school issues.
Russell Vergara
Communities Representing: Asian Pacific Islander, Family Member, Provider
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendation, CMMC Co-Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Teaches foundation courses in human behavior theory and social work policy practice at the University Southern California (USC) Graduate School of Social Work.…
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Communities Representing: Asian Pacific Islander, Family Member, Provider
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendation, CMMC Co-Chair
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2011 to present
Teaches foundation courses in human behavior theory and social work policy practice at the University Southern California (USC) Graduate School of Social Work. Russell’s advocacy and research interest is in health disparities and their link with climate change issues. He has published a number of policy briefs and agency reports on poverty, community health and community engagement. He has provided testimony to a number of state-level mental health and public health meetings and committee hearings. Russell has also presented briefings before a number of national convenings, hearings and conferences, including the Subcommittee on Populations of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. Russell can be contacted by email at rbvergar@usc.edu.
Gulshan Yusufzai
Communities Representing: South Asian/Middle Eastern, Consumer, Immigrant
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendation
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2001 to present
Gulshan is the Executive Director for the Muslim American Society- Social Services Foundation of Sacramento. Previously she was at California Network of Mental Health clients.…
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Communities Representing: South Asian/Middle Eastern, Consumer, Immigrant
CMMC Committee: MHSA Assessment & Recommendation
Term of CMMC Membership: March 2001 to present
Gulshan is the Executive Director for the Muslim American Society- Social Services Foundation of Sacramento. Previously she was at California Network of Mental Health clients.