Spreading the adoption of system of care throughout Texas is a team effort. In addition to the team members listed below, Texas System of Care is grateful for the knowledge, contributions and sheer hard work provided by numerous partner organizations and individuals.
Kisha Ledlow, MA
Project DirectorKisha Ledlow is the Texas System of Care Project Director in the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Office of Mental Health Coordination. In this role, she utilizes her extensive knowledge of systems of care to ensure that children, youth, young adults, and families are engaged in their communities in order to collaboratively create relevant, effective services for themselves and others. She provides leadership for and oversight of all aspects of the implementation of this initiative, including strategic development, implementation, and evaluation. Prior to her current position, Kisha held a number of diverse roles in systems of care in Tennessee. Through these experiences, she has developed an understanding of systems of care from multiple perspectives. She earned a Master’s Degree in Sociology from Middle Tennessee State University. Contact Kisha at kisha.ledlow@hhsc.state.tx.us.
Molly Lopez, PhD
Lead EvaluatorA Research Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin and the director of the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, Molly provides project management and staff oversight at the University of Texas at Austin. Molly also serves as the lead evaluator on the Texas System of Care initiative and provides leadership for expansion strategies aimed at increasing the use of data to make informed decisions. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience in conducting services research and large-scale implementation of innovations in mental health. Formerly a Children’s Mental Health Lead at DSHS, Dr. Lopez provided policy and programmatic oversight to children’s mental health services and guided several initiatives to implement evidence-based and promising practices within the state mental health system. Contact Molly at mlopez@austin.utexas.edu.
Ari Acosta, MSc, WGS
Behavioral Health Equity SpecialistAri Acosta is the Behavioral Health Equity Specialist for the Texas System of Care. She holds master’s degrees in women and gender studies, sexology, and women’s human rights. She brings extensive experience in cultural responsiveness and diversity to the team. In the past, she has worked with human rights groups, mental health-related organizations, graduate programs, and communities. Above all, she is passionate about listening to and understanding others. Outside of work, Ari likes to read, watch movies, and salsa dance. “I’m a human rights’ activist and every activity that involves equality, justice, and peace will have my attention, compromise, and enthusiasm.” Contact Ari at ari.acosta@austin.utexas.edu.
Arnold Amador
Evaluation SpecialistArnoldo Amador graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2016 with a Master’s in Experimental Psychology. His career and research interests have intertwined over the years in the evaluation of Education (STEM & Bilingual), Cognition, Neuropsychology, and Mental Health. He’s had the opportunity to partner with individuals across the lifespan to study and evaluate different formal and informal assessments.
Jameson Cardenas
Communications and Social Marketing LeadJameson Cardenas graduated with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Marketing from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Since his first appointment with the federal government where he led the Corpus Christi Army Depot’s video news broadcast, his career path has been exclusively in the public and nonprofit sector where he lends his skills in graphic design, video production, web development and digital channels management. Prior to working at TIEMH, Jameson was the Community Relations Coordinator for The Rape Crisis Center in San Antonio, where he supervised all multimedia needs and led public presentations to raise awareness about sexual assault and mental health.
Glenn Dembowski
Project Services CoordinatorGlenn specializes in solutions. An alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin, he has worked for UT since 1996. He currently serves as the Project Services Coordinator for the Texas System of Care, operating largely behind the scenes to support the team as they work to ensure that Texas children have access to excellent mental health care. Drawing on his experience in academic, service, and research departments at the University, Glenn facilitates purchasing, travel, event coordination, contracts, web-conferencing, data compilation, and occasionally rescues small animals in distress. He is a writer, musician, and poet; his preferred color is green, and his favorite video game is MS Excel.
Barbara Granger
Family Involvement SpecialistBarbara Granger is responsible for assisting communities in identifying and cultivating strong partnerships between families and systems, as well as strengthening family leadership skills. As Texas’ lead family contact for mental health, Barbara brings her passion to ensure family voice is heard throughout the state of Texas. She is always advocating for, teaching, leading and guiding family leaders. For over 15 years, Barbara has had the privilege of working with multiple states in their efforts to transform children’s mental health to be more family-driven and youth-guided. She serves with and on behalf of families who face similar challenges as herself, parenting a child with serious emotional and behavioral challenges. Contact Barbara at barbara.granger@austin.utexas.edu.
Andrés Guariguata, LCSW
Clinical Services LeadAndrés Guariguata oversees the quality of clinical services provided through the System of Care efforts. He collaborates with local administrative and clinical staff engaged in the System of Care initiatives with a focus on implementation of best practices in screening, assessment, mental health and substance abuse/misuse services. Key to this partnership are family and youth voice to ensure that services are meeting family, youth and community needs. Andrés has worked in the field of mental health care and integrated behavioral health services for over 35 years. He has worked in direct services, community mental health services, integrated behavioral health services and at state administrative/policy levels. Andrés served as the Director for Children’s Mental Health Services for the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and was a Senior Policy Advisor for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Contact Andres at aguariguata@austin.utexas.edu.
Tracy Levins, PhD
State Development SpecialistTracy Levins coordinates with state agencies, local communities and community members to shape the policies that will help sustain and support the system of care framework across Texas. Previously, Tracy managed the prevention and early intervention services for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. With over 25 years of experience in the juvenile justice and mental health systems, Tracy has worked with communities, organizations, policymakers, and professionals throughout Texas to help youth access the services and resources they need to become productive, literate, lawful, and responsible citizens. She was a 2010 nominee for Outstanding Woman in Texas Government for her work in family engagement in juvenile justice and has served as one of a select group of collaborators for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change, a project of the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice at Policy Research Associates. Contact Tracy at t.levins@austin.utexas.edu.
Zatara Lumen
Administrative CoordinatorZatara Lumen provides administrative coordination support for Texas System of Care. Zatara facilitates grant activities such as travel, event coordination, contracts, data compilation, and Children and Youth Behavioral Health Subcommittee support. Zatara received her Bachelors in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University. While she’s never worked in her field, Zatara has used her skills and experience to be the best administrator she can be. She’s happy to call Austin home and she enjoys exploring the city with its wide variety of art, music, great food, and fun events. Zatara enjoys reading, meeting new people as well as spending time with her dog and her friends.
David McClung, MSW, MDiv
Youth Engagement SpecialistDavid McClung helps to lead ACCEPT, a movement of youth and young adults ages 13-25 from across Texas who work together for system transformation by supporting partnerships between youth, young adults, and organizations. David graduated from Wayland Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Baylor University with a Master’s in Social Work and Master of Divinity. He is now pursuing a PhD in Social Work at Baylor University. His research interests include natural support systems, the role of congregations in mental health, and youth participatory action research. In his free time, David enjoys spending time with his family and spouse, keeping up with current events, reading, and watching movies. Contact David at david.mcclung@austin.utexas.edu.
Cory Morris, MSW
Community Development and Training LeadCory Morris is responsible for coordinating support for local implementation of the system of care framework for communities throughout the state, helping to identify areas for strategic consultation, training, and technical assistance for communities at different stages of system of care readiness. Cory earned her MSW from Columbia University in New York, where she focused her studies on participatory research, organizational culture and evaluation, and community organizing. She has a professional history of working for child-serving state agencies in programming and policy, and also as a therapist in community mental health agencies. Contact Cory at cory.morris@austin.utexas.edu.
Cara Santucci
Communications StrategistCara Santucci is the communications strategist at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work’s Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies with concentrations in history and political science. Prior to working at TIEMH, Cara worked at the Capitol as a Deputy Legislative Director for a state representative. She has experience in political campaigning, journalism, and nonprofit development. In her free time, Cara enjoys volunteering in the community and staying active on competitive political campaigns. She also loves spending time with her kitten, Boo. Contact Cara at cara.santucci@austin.utexas.edu.