Supported program divisions and senior leadership in continued implementation of organization's strategic plan goals. Lead efforts to institute new processes, understand contractual requirements and promote inter-divisional collaboration, especially as it relates to performance management.

Dept. of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Rutgers University August 2015-Sept 2015 *Interviewed young adults and those working in the field to identify best services to provide for supported education assistance on college and in community organizations. Interviewed 25 individuals and summarized emerging themes.Fred Finch Youth Center April 2015-August 2016*Write narrative section for agency’s response to requests for proposals (RFP’s) for new programs. Conduct research into best practices and consult with agency staff to gather supporting data.

Oversaw all start-up activities for Young Adult Health and Wellness Center, a collaborative effort with Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), multiple county agencies, and school district. Center opened October, 2014, providing medical, dental, behavioral health, health education and youth development services to Transition Age Youth (16-25 year olds) and middle school students, regardless of ability to pay. Oversaw extensive needs assessment with multiple constituents, development of programming, budget development, created job descriptions and led hiring. Facilitated stakeholder groups, including county behavioral health, healthcare and social service agency leaders and potential clinic-users. Developed memorandum of understanding and contracts between agency and five collaborative entities. Developed marketing materials and conducted outreach to community agencies and community youth, targeting former foster care and homeless youth. Supervised program directors of three community-based behavioral health programs serving transition age youth with significant behavioral health conditions. Managed budgets totaling $3M+. Responsible for contract management, including responding to requests for proposals for maintenance and/or expansion of programming. Collaborated with two county behavioral health systems, including participation in county prioritizing and planning processes. Networked with other system of care providers. Participated in county-wide planning for services for TAY.Selected to Co-chair agency’s Clinical Services Committee: provided quality assurance and leadership to program directors across all programs. Leader in efforts to direct agency in becoming more data-driven. Oversaw development of comprehensive dashboard in which all agency program directors collected outcomes data, creating standardization and process by which directors and agency leadership could effectively aggregate data.

• Implemented an innovative $1.4M start-up program funded by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) to serve underserved and unserved transition age youth who are homeless and impacted by significant behavioral health conditions. Successfully initiated program in collaboration with county behavioral health and program partners (homeless youth serving agency and grassroots empowerment program for Latinas), delivering compassionate, participant-centered, strengths-based services to vulnerable TAY and their families. Recovery-oriented approach that welcomed TAY and families with co-occurring conditions, engaging them through motivational interviewing practices. Effectively established partnerships within a new service area for agency. Built cohesive multidisciplinary team through recruitment and training of master’s level, bachelor’s level and consumer staff to work collaboratively on a community-based treatment team. Provided leadership for team of 12 staff, creating and promoting a supportive work environment to balance high stress situations, resulting in high morale and low staff turnover. Achieved contractual program goals/outcomes: 70% reduction in hospitalizations; 63% reduction in Psych ER visits. Facilitated Critical Incident Stress Debriefing for agency programs.

TAY subcommittee contributor for state-wide provider toolkit

Implemented newly formed position in innovative, inner-city high school to provide individual, group and family counseling for students in grades 9-12. Participated in multi-disciplinary treatment meetings. Co-created curriculum on resiliency based on review of the literature, research by doctoral students and training by subject matter experts. Facilitated groups on adolescent girl’s issues, media literacy and real world issues for girls. Provided support and guidance to teachers and principals regarding students’ behavioral health needs/issues, as well as psycho-educational training. Coordinated peer mediation program and on-going training of student mediators.Facilitated referrals to agencies and private practitioners. Supervised MSW and BSW student interns. Participated in longitudinal study in collaboration with researchers at Rhode Island Hospital’s Injury Prevention Center. Researched comparative effectiveness of two substance abuse prevention interventions administered to adolescent population. Assisted in the implementation and oversight of the project, including: survey development; acquiring signed informed consent; development, piloting and final administration of intervention; pre- and post-testing of participants. Facilitated Critical Incident Stress Debriefing for staff and students related to student deaths.

Hired, trained and supervised master’s level clinicians, bachelor’s level case managers, para-professionals, and MSW interns in community- based intensive services program for children at-risk for out of home placement due to abuse and neglect. Provided outpatient therapy to children, ages 4-17, and their caregivers. Managed four program budgets. Implemented and managed grant funded programs to run groups in elementary schools. Cultivated community relationships with outside agencies and school districts. Negotiated funding for continued services with insurance companies. Provided on-call crisis management.Provided individual, couple, and family therapy in community- based intensive services for children at-risk for out of home placement. Coordinated clinical services with team clinicians, case managers, psychiatrists and collateral treatment providers. Facilitateded Critical Incident Stress Debriefing.

Provided individual, group and family therapy to residents, ages 8-18, living in treatment program for minors who had been sexually abused. Performed on-call crisis management duties at night and on weekends. Facilitated multi-disciplinary treatment team meetings.