Valerie brings nearly 30 years of experience across federal, state, county, and community systems to her role as Executive Director of The Collaborative. Most recently, she served as Regional Administrator for Region 9 of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), where she worked as a trusted connector among federal agencies, state and county governments, nonprofits, and community-based organizations, and brought together Tribal Nations and philanthropic partners to advance shared priorities in public health and behavioral health systems. Earlier in her career, Val held roles at Hartford Hospital and the American Cancer Society, gaining experience across clinical, hospital, and nonprofit settings. Across all of it, she has held onto a simple belief: everyone deserves access to quality care, regardless of zip code, income, or background. She holds a Master of Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University. As Executive Director, Val is committed to centering equity and community voice in behavioral health, and to ensuring Alameda County's provider network has a strong, unified advocate at the table.

Narges Zohoury Dillon is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Executive Director of Crisis Support Services of Alameda County (CSS). Her career started as a case manager in 2006 and has been focused on reducing barriers to access for communities that have been historically underserved or inappropriately served by the mental health system. Narges gravitated to suicide prevention as a clinician because of personal losses she has experienced and believes strongly in the stigma reduction power of openly talking about the topic. Since joining CSS, Narges has worked to expand non-English services at the agency and is also dedicated to using data to advocate for a stronger crisis continuum that is not reliant on law enforcement.

David Channer was named President & CEO of Fred Finch Youth & Family Services in 2026. Prior to this, he spent over 20 years at A Better Way, Inc., serving in multiple organizational leadership roles including President & CEO, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Program Officer, Clinical Director, and Mental Health Program Director. David began his career working with homeless youth in upstate New York in 1993. In 1997 he earned a Master's in Clinical Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work. David has focused his professional efforts on the development and improvement of programs and systems occurring at the intersection of Social Services and Mental Health Treatment. He is committed to building systemic partnerships that honor families and centralize the wisdom of lived-experience in the delivery of measurably effective supports.

Dr. Stacey Katz has worked with youth in the child welfare system for 30 years as a direct service provider, organizational leader, and advocate. As CEO of WestCoast Children's Clinic, Katz leads the development of clinical practice, research, and policy to improve the well-being of children with histories of trauma and system involvement. WestCoast is recognized as an expert in delivering mental health services to children and youth, including short term stabilization, therapeutic collaborative assessment, outpatient therapy, and care coordination. In 2018, WestCoast published a clinical treatment guide for mental health professionals working with commercially sexually exploited youth. Dr. Katz serves on several local, state, and national bodies to address the mental health needs of youth who experience child sex trafficking, including the National Advisory Committee on Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States.

Jaime Campos is the Executive Director of Horizon Services. He has 10 years of experience in the non-profit Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment field. His motivation to work in this field comes from a deep sense of commitment and personal responsibility to make a meaningful impact in the community, having personally witnessed many examples of one’s ability to resiliently overcome SUD-related adversity. As an experienced drug and alcohol counselor, he uses his clinical experience in combination with his passion for best business practices to help non-profit organizations thrive in an ever-changing, dynamic healthcare environment. Jaime is deeply passionate about bringing world-class business techniques and disciplines to the non-profit, SUD treatment world. He earned his MBA in Healthcare Administration through the University of Colorado in Denver, his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Colorado State University, and holds a certification as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor (SUDCC). Jaime also served as the Board Treasurer for the California Association of DUI Treatment Programs (CADTP) for 7 years. Jaime is also trained in project management, green belt-level Lean Six Sigma process and quality improvement, and CIBHS change leadership approaches using NIATx methodologies, which incorporate practices from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. He is an avid runner, an audio enthusiast, and a newly minted father now living in the East Bay with his wife and young daughter.

Donald Frazier serves as Chief Executive Officer for Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) and as Executive Director with the Reentry Providers Association of California (REPAC). For more than thirty years, Mr. Frazier has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the nonprofit sector developing solutions to mass incarceration, mass homelessness and community violence intervention with organizations in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and currently in Alameda County. Donald is a dynamic, outgoing, and effective communicator with the ability to motivate staff and develop collaborative working relationships. He operates effectively outside the boundaries of formal organizational structures with creativity, resourcefulness and innovative thinking. He has the ability to provide strategic direction, offer insight, define value propositions, and develop integrated systems as important components in the delivery of services and the management of human and financial capital.

Adriana Furuzawa is the Director of Felton Institute’s Early Psychosis Division and Executive Director of the (re)MIND Early Psychosis Network. Ms. Furuzawa’s career in behavioral health includes adult and adolescent inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services, residential treatment services, and psychosocial rehabilitation treatment in California. She has over fifteen years of leadership experience in not-for-profit community-based organizations, promoting integration of recovery-oriented practices and fidelity implementation of evidence-based practices in behavioral health settings.

Tricca Hodges, LCSW, serves as the Regional Director at Alternative Family Services (AFS), marking a distinguished 25-year tenure with the organization. She was formerly the Program Director for the East Bay Foster Care division of AFS, a position through which she significantly contributed to the enhancement of foster care services. In 2012, Tricca transitioned to the agency's Mental Health department, broadening her impact by leveraging her deep expertise in social service programming alongside Specialty Mental Health Services tailored for children and families engaged with the Child Welfare System. She ran The Gathering Place, a visitation program that significantly improved reunification rates in Alameda County. Tricca is a fervent advocate for Resource Parents, recognizing and honoring their dedication and commitment. In her capacity as Regional Director, Tricca has been instrumental in pioneering the integration of Foster Care and Mental Health Services. Her strategic vision fosters a collaborative and team-based methodology, ensuring that support for clients and families is both comprehensive and effective. Under her leadership, the synthesis of these crucial services has led to more cohesive and supportive frameworks for those under the agency's care.

Katherine Schwartz is the Chief Executive Officer of Alameda Family Services (AFS), a nonprofit that has served children, youth, and families across Alameda County for more than 55 years. A licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years in community behavioral health, she leads an agency whose programs span behavioral health care, crisis intervention, early childhood education, school-based health services, and family support. Katherine brings a clinician's understanding and an executive's discipline to her leadership. Over her career she has built and strengthened programs across several Bay Area organizations, with deep expertise in program development, crisis response, clinical supervision, and the integration of mental health with primary care. Under her leadership, AFS was named the 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year for Assembly District 18, recognizing its impact on the Alameda community. She holds a Master of Social Work from the Simmons College School of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Grounded in AFS's core value of fostering wellbeing, Katherine is committed to equity-centered care, staff development, and building the organizational infrastructure that lets good clinical work thrive.

Jovan Yglecias is an LMFT and the Chief Operating Officer of La Familia. Jovan was provided executive operational and strategic leadership in Alameda County, where he has been an executive leader of operations and strategy for over a decade. He earned his undergraduate degree from UCLA and completed his master’s degree at the University of San Francisco. With 20 years of experience working in Alameda County, Jovan has developed extensive expertise across youth, family, and adult SMI populations. Jovan’s career has focused on supporting individuals affected by the criminal justice system, crisis response, and housing services. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable populations through innovative service delivery and system navigation.