Please introduce yourself. I’d love to know when you attended Ball State, your study area, and any other tidbits that would help us get to know you.

I’m a Cardinal from the graduating class of 2008—chirp chirp. I majored in psychology and minored in creative writing. My favorite time on campus was the first snow—as a girl raised in the South, I loved even the smallest of flakes falling. I chose to go to Ball State from Texas because my father’s family lived near, and I was able to room with my cousin, experience a smaller teacher-to-student ratio, and experience four seasons.

Tell us about your current job. We’d love to hear about the day-to-day work and your broader projects.

Currently, I work at the University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School, as the Director of Dean’s Office Strategic Initiatives. I keep projects moving forward and on time that help the school run. I’ve only been in this role for a short time. My past role was the Director of Mental Healthcare Redesign at Dell Medical School, where I led the Austin State Hospital Redesign project for Central Texas. I had the amazing opportunity to convene over 150 stakeholders that work with the mental health system, build a replacement state psychiatric facility, and learn so much about how the mental health system has a long way to go before it’s a more efficient model of care. Not many realize this, but many people enter the mental health system when they’ve reached a crisis, and sadly, are approached by law enforcement, that will may then lead to the person being jailed due to their behavior. My aim is to continue to find ways to improve the system so folks experiencing a crisis do not go to jail before a hospital, but receive the care at the right time and in the right place. As I worked on this project, I realized how many people wanted to know what others were doing across the US to bridge the gaps in care. Myself and my mentor, Dr. Steve Strakowski, and I edited the book Redesigning the US Mental Health Care System, published by Oxford University Press, to amplify the voices of those across the US who aim to improve the system. 

Will you describe your career path? Did you land your current job immediately after graduation or find your way there circuitously?

It’s interesting to look back and find little nuggets on how I landed the Mental Healthcare Redesign role. Out of college in 2008, finding a job was not easy. I moved back to Texas and brought a Hoosier boy with me, who’s also a BSU alum. My original path was to become a clinician, but this is not what came to be. My first job was at a private psychiatric group in Houston. I worked in their revenue cycle management office, fighting with insurance companies to authorize and pay for care that people desperately needed, prior to parity. From there, I went back to school and got a master’s in healthcare administration from Texas Woman’s University to strengthen my business skills in healthcare. Following this, we moved to Austin, where I was raised. In Austin, I joined a local mental health authority and rose to director roles, having the opportunity to introduce revenue cycle management to the safety net for 8 counties, help build an automated appointment reminder system, and lead the rebranding of the organization. From there, I landed the job of redesigning the Central Texas mental health system and building a hospital that is a complete shift in care setting and a person-centered design. With this experience, I then worked on a project with Travis County Commissioners Court to examine how we can decrease the number of people with mental health issues entering the criminal justice system, and a project building a Healthcare Collaborative for our unhoused neighbors who become housed in permanent supportive housing to help them sustain their health and housing. 

How have you grown and learned in your successive jobs that have led to your current position?

As I’m new to this role, I’ll reference my previous role. Each role has built another layer to my foundation, and I take pieces from each of my experiences with me. While working on my master’s, I took a healthcare facilities elective, which was one of my favorite classes that I never thought would come back around. And then, I did in fact need to know how to read blueprints for a job later down the road. Your network is so important, especially when you’re working on public mental health. Mental healthcare touches so many people and different systems that knowing people from the judicial sector, law enforcement, general and specialty health providers, teachers, and people with lived experience – creating the network is needed because you never know when you’ll need to reach out to them.

What is the most fulfilling part of your current job? 

Making a positive impact on the mental health system. Although my day job does not focus on mental health currently, I’ve found ways to stay engaged through continuing my education at Johns Hopkins to obtain a Doctorate in Public Health to strengthen my policy and management knowledge, being on the board of directors of NAMI Central Texas and speaking and sharing knowledge on co-designing with people with lived experience through MindCareConnect that I co-founded

What are the most valuable skills you learned as a Ball State student in the Department of Psychological Science? How have they helped you post-graduation? 

The most valuable skills I gained from Ball State’s Department of Psychological Science are learning about people and their behavior, as well as my own. In roles where I interact with a variety of individuals, these skills support relationship building and communicating while designing system changes.

Is there a particular class, professor, or professional opportunity that significantly impacted you?

Professor Brown, who I believe is no longer there, was a wonderful professor who taught a course in children’s or family mental health, which, although I’m not a clinician, I took those lessons into my personal life. Dr. Gaither was and I’m sure still is, a great mentor to discuss how to move forward in the system after graduating.

What advice do you have for current or future students in your major or who might hope to follow your career path? 

For those of you interested in a clinical career path – go for it! There is so much need in the workforce.

For those of you interested in a public health path, such as myself, this is what I say: “I move the system forward a centimeter each year.” It will take such a long time for the mental health system to improve, and the stigma and understanding of mental health hinder an equitable start with other healthcare specialties. Keep moving the system where you can – it’ll take us all.

Finally, as students, even if you set out on one path and it doesn’t go as planned, everything you do in your life is a building block. I went from a desire to be a clinician providing care to redesigning the system for people to gain access to the care they need. Trust in the process.

And my last item – people with lived experience (someone who has experienced mental health firsthand) have some of the best insights to provide in changing the system and adding to one’s care. Take a look at peer support specialists and their impact!

Read more CSH Alumni stories on our Cardinal Directions page.