SMWC7 KEYNOTES

A woman with short brown hair, wearing a dark, patterned jacket with ruffled collar, smiling outdoors with a background of green cactus plants. Overlaid on the image is a book cover titled 'Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence' by Anna Lembke, MD.

Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University of Medicine and NYT Bestselling Author

Dr. Anna Lembke

Dr. Anna Lembke Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University of Medicine and NYT Bestselling Author Anna Lembke, MD is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she is the author of more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications, has testified before the United States House of Representatives and Senate, has served as an expert witness in federal and state opioid litigation, and is an internationally recognized leader in addiction medicine treatment and education.In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018). Dr. Lembke appeared in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives. Her latest book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021) was an instant New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and has been translated into 25 languages. It combines the neuroscience of addiction with the wisdom of recovery to explore the problem of compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.

Portrait of a woman in a white coat with the California Office of the Surgeon General's seal in the bottom right corner, standing in front of a colorful abstract background.

Dr. Diana E. Ramos

California Surgeon General

Dr. Diana E. Ramos is a well-recognized public health leader dedicated to improving health care quality and equity. She recently served as the Assistant Deputy Director of Chronic Disease Prevention for the California Department of Public Health. Past roles include the Director for Reproductive Health in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and adjunct Associate Professor at the Keck University of Southern California School of Medicine.

Dr. Ramos is the Immediate Past Chair for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, California & Ecuador (IX) District, secretary for the executive board of the National Hispanic Medical Association, and is co-chair for the Women’s Preventive Service Initiative implementation committee.

She serves on many national and international women’s health improvement and equity committees. Her areas of expertise include health disparities, social determinants of health, preconception/interconception health,preterm birth, contraception and quality improvement in health.

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Dr. Reginald Thompkins

Assistant Superintendent Instructional Support, Corona-Norco Unified School District

Currently serving as Assistant Superintendent Instructional Support for the Corona Norco Unified School District. He is the Former Associate Superintendent at Riverside County Office of Education over Student Programs and Services. Dr. Thompkins is serving in his 30th year in education with experience as PE Teacher, Coach, Title I Coordinator, Assistant Principal, High School Principal in 2 districts (including CNUSD Santiago HS), Instructional Support Admin Director (CNUSD), and Education Services Assistant and Deputy Superintendent.

He is a former member of the Riverside Overdose Data To Action Steering Committee (RODA) focused on the fentanyl and current mental health challenges. In his spare time served as High School Sports President of California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) Executive Board, and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Executive Board simultaneously. Currently a sitting member of the CIFSS Executive Committee as Superintendent Rep. He’s been fortunate to bring experience from multiple districts that add to an already strong learning environment in CNUSD. His personal mantra has always been “let’s do what’s best for our students, staff and educational community!” That includes intentionally building strong mental wellness resources alongside excellent academic programs.

Portrait of a woman standing in front of USA flags, with a Department of Education emblem visible, wearing a white blazer and jewelry, with a confident expression.

Dr. Katherine Neas

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education

Katherine Neas is delegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, at the U.S. Department of Education. In this capacity, she serves as advisor to the U.S. secretary of education on matters related to the education of children and youth with disabilities, as well as employment and community living for youth and adults with disabilities. The mission of her office is to improve early childhood, educational, and employment outcomes, and to raise expectations for all people with disabilities, their families, their communities, and the nation. Deputy Assistant Secretary Neas will deliver a live and interactive video keynote presentation on September 14th.

Neas previously served as senior vice president of public affairs at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). In this role, she oversaw APTA’s federal and state government public policy activities, federal regulatory affairs, grassroots and political action efforts, public relations along with payment and practice management activities.

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Mayra E. Alvarez

President, The Children’s Partnership and Vice Chair, California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission

Mayra E. Alvarez, MHA is President of The Children’s Partnership, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to advance child health equity by ensuring all children have the resources and opportunities they need to grow up healthy and thrive. In 2021, she was named by President Biden to the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. In 2023, she was nominated by California Governor Gavin Newsom to serve on the Covered California Board of Directors, and in 2019, to serve on the Early Childhood Policy Council. Since 2017, Ms. Alvarez has served on the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), nominated by Attorney General Rob Bonta in 2021 and previously by then-Attorney General Xavier Becerra in 2017. Prior to The Children’s Partnership, Ms. Alvarez completed a several-year set of assignments at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the administration of President Barack Obama.

Marlon Morgan

Founder & CEO, Wellness Together

Marlon Morgan is the Founder & CEO of the California-based national nonprofit organization, Wellness Together School Mental Health. He works with school districts, universities, state offices of education, and the U.S. Department of Education to increase awareness, advocacy, and access to mental health interventions for students, families, and school staff. Marlon is a curriculum consultant for Harvard Medical School and works with leading corporations, including Amazon.com, to support employee mental well-being. He has received special recognition from the U.S. Congress, California State Senate, and the California State Assembly for his innovative work promoting mental health and wellness in education. Marlon is also an honorary faculty member at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Marlon began his career as a school counselor and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, creating student support programs for underserved students in an effort to close the achievement gap. He was appointed by the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) in 2016 to develop policy recommendations for the SSPI and the California State Legislature. Marlon lives in Southern California with his wife and two sons.

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Abhay Singh Sachal

Founder, Break the Divide

Abhay Singh Sachal is a 21-year-old Canadian whose research and work reside at the intersection of climate change, ecoanxiety, mental health, and spirituality. He is the founder of Break The Divide, a non-profit organization based on principles of environmentalism, sustainability, and reconciliation that focuses on fostering empathy and understanding to inspire local action projects in communities. He created the “apathy to empathy to action” framework as he seeks to build ways in which young people can connect and learn from one another in an increasingly polarized world, allowing them to build empathy for realities that they have never faced, and empowering them to transform that empathy into concrete actions that advance the creation of harmonious and abundant futures. As a result of his work, Abhay has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists, featured as one of 10 International Youth Changemakers in Canada, and listed amongst the 100 most influential Sikhs from around the world.

Jami Parsons

Director of Educational Services, Orange County Department of Education

Dr. DJami Parsons, Ed. D. is a Director for Educational Services at the Orange County Department of Education in Costa Mesa, CA. She serves as the project lead for the CA MTSS initiative. Dr. Parsons received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California and has 28 years of experience in education as a County Administrator, School Administrator and School Counselor. She has also served as adjunct faculty at several universities including CSULB, Chapman and Concordia University in their graduate programs for School Counseling. Dr. Parsons was honored to be recognized by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) as a finalist for the National School Counselor of the Year award in 2010 and selected as the statewide Advocate of the Year for the California Association of School Counselors (CASC) in 2022. Currently, she oversees programs supporting mental health services, student services, MTSS and Continuous Improvement at the OC Department of Education.

Jahmal Miller

A Chief Administrative Officer, Mercy Medical Group, a service of Dignity Health Medical foundation

Jahmal Miller, as Chief Administrative Officer, strategically leads Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group’s organizational development, health system relationships, talent management and business operations. Miller, who most recently served Dignity Health’s parent company, CommonSpirit Health, as System Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, was previously Director of Corporate Reputation and Thought Leadership for Blue Shield of California. In addition to leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health systems, Miller served as the Deputy Director of the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Heath Equity, serving as the state’s lead advisor on issues related to reducing health and mental health disparities and to achieving health equity for all Californians.

Dr. Sonia Llamas

Assistant Superintendent of K-12 School Performance and Culture, Santa Ana Unified School District

Dr. Dr. Sonia Llamas is the Assistant Superintendent of K-12 School Performance and Culture for the Santa Ana Unified School District since 2017. She oversees various departments/initiatives including Research and Evaluation, College and Career Readiness, Counseling, Community Schools, Expanded Learning/ Afterschool Programs, Support Services, Charter Schools, LCAP, and Grants.

With a Bachelor’s in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, a Master of Social Work from California State University at Long Beach, and a Doctor of Education from the University of Southern California, Dr. Llamas brings over 25 years of experience in K-12 public education. She is an active Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Connect with colleagues from around the world during this in-person & online experience to unify and lead the global student mental health movement.

Attendees will receive access to all breakout session recordings for ten months of continued professional development following the event.

Event schedule for September 7-8, 2023, including conference sessions and a Thursday evening comedy show titled "Laughing Together" hosted by Chris Gethard, with a description of the event and a call-to-action button for more details.

Who Should Attend

K-12 Teachers & Site/District Administrators
School Counselors & Psychologists
School Social Workers
School Nurses
School-Based Mental Health Clinicians
Campus Health Center Staff
Education Specialists
Discipline Technicians
Classified & Support Staff
School Resource Officers
University & Community College Counselors National Departments of Education
State Departments of Education
Policymakers
County Offices of Education

Attendees Will Learn To:

Attendees Will Learn To: Use practical skills from the world’s leading voices in student mental health
Promote mental wellness for students & educators
Create a positive school climate -
Address social-emotional barriers to increase student success

2023 Conference Tracks: