About ACEs Aware

The Office of the California Surgeon General and the California Department of Health Care Services are leading a first-in-the-nation statewide effort to screen children and adults for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in primary care, and to treat the impacts of toxic stress with trauma-informed care. The ACEs Aware initiative is built on the consensus of scientific evidence demonstrating that early detection and evidence-based intervention improve outcomes. The bold goal of this initiative is to reduce ACEs and toxic stress by half in one generation, and to launch a national movement to ensure everyone is ACEs Aware. For more information, visit www.ACEsAware.org.

Speakers/Moderators:

Dr. Adela Cruz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She works for the Anaheim Union High School District and is the Coordinator for School Mental Health, Homeless Education, Foster Youth programs and Internship Training Institution. Dr. Adela Cruz received her Bachelors in Human Services from CSU Fullerton, her Master’s in Social Work from CSU Long Beach, and finally, her Doctorate in Social Work and Organizational Leadership from USC. Currently, Dr. Cruz works as a Coordinator and a Foster Youth and Crisis Response Lead at Anaheim Union High School District and as an Honorary Adjunct Professor at USC. Dr. Cruz has had experience working in many areas such as being a social worker in CalWORKs to address barriers with self-sufficiency and IHSS with the elderly, blind and disabled to assess their needs, grant writing, fiscal management, development of workshops and health programs, and serving as a Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist.

Tricia Nguyen is the Chief Executive Officer of Southland Integrated Services, Inc. formerly known as Vietnamese Community of Orange County. She is responsible for the administration, financing and operations of the non-profit that provides comprehensive health, mental health, social, transportation and other supportive services to low-income residents in Orange County. Mrs. Nguyen oversees three facilities: Headquarter (Santa Ana); branch office (Westminster); and a Federally Qualified Health Center (Garden Grove). She is currently serving as the Treasurer on the Board of Coalition of Orange County Community Health Centers. She previously served on the Board of Directors for CalOptima (2012-2016) and Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UCLA. She has over twenty years of experience in non-profit management and public health services.

Dr. Miguel Gallardo, Evaluation and Clinical Director at MECCA and is a Professor of Psychology and Director of Aliento, The Center for Latina/o Communities at Pepperdine University. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and maintains an independent/consultation practice at the Neurobehavioral Clinical and Counseling Center where he conducts therapy, forensic/legal psychological, and neuropsychological screening assessments, and consults with organizations and universities on developing culturally responsive systems. He teaches courses on multicultural and social justice, advocacy, and professional practice issues. Dr. Gallardo’s areas of scholarship and research interests include understanding the psychotherapy process when working with ethnocultural communities, particularly Latinx communities and in understanding the processes by which individuals develop cultural awareness and humility.

Iliana Soto Welty is the Executive Director of the Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (MECCA) which is a collective impact organization that works to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in order to improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of ethnic communities in Orange County. Iliana has worked in the areas of inter-ethnic relations, intercultural communication and worked with schools, cities, hospitals, universities, nonprofits and police departments on diversity initiatives for over 25 years. Her passion is building the capacity of underserved communities to share their stories and have a voice to create meaningful systems change. She advocates to improve the access, quality and equity of mental health services through collaborative efforts at the county and state levels. She has expertise in place based initiatives, community building, community strategic planning and collective impact strategies. Iliana enjoys creative writing, adventures with her two daughters and likes to spend time outdoors hiking, biking, and off-roading.