Pacific Southwest MHTTC Advisory Board Members

Arizona

Denise Beagley, M.Sc.

Denise Beagley works at Banner Health as the Associate Director of Crisis and Justice Systems and at Arizona State University as a Faculty Associate for the School of Social Work. Since 2015, Denise has worked part-time as a Crisis Intervention Specialist for City of Chandler Fire Department. She has worked within the behavioral health system since 2002. Prior to working in Arizona, she completed her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Over the past 20 years her work has predominately intersected at Public Safety and Psychology, and she serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to internal and external ASU departments and provider companies.

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Jacelyn Salabye, MSW

Jacelyn Salabye, Dine’, is Kiyaa’aanii-Towering House Clan born for Naashgezii Tabaaha-Zuni People of the Red-Running-Into-the-Water Clan. Jacelyn currently resides in Flagstaff, Arizona and works at Native Americans for Community Action, Inc. as the Community Development Director. Jacelyn has been a social worker for 15 years, working in various roles. She has dedicated herself to advocacy for children and families, systemic change and community cohesion. In this time and service, her roles have spanned as a mentor, instructor, motivator, and helper for individual healing and family wellness.

California

Nicole Centeno

Nicole Centeno currently holds the title of Youth Prevention Specialist at Pacific Clinics, located in City of Industry. Growing up in Pomona, CA, in a low-income community where poverty is no stranger to its residents, she defied the odds and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development and Psychology with a minor in Biblical Studies from Life Pacific University. Nicole has four years of experience working with diverse populations, including low-income communities, at-risk youth, undocumented youth, and parents. Nicole has received recognition for providing workshops in both English and Spanish at conferences educating others on preventive factors, substance use, and mental health. She is one of the leads for a youth leadership development program called IMPACT, facilitated at Pacific Clinics. She understands the importance of empowering young leaders who will be the world-changers of tomorrow by discussing topics such as breaking stereotypes, supporting mental health, fostering emotional intelligence, etc. She is eager to see this generation of young leaders create quality change in their immediate communities and on a national level.

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Peter Dy

Peter Dy is the Associate Director of Care Transformation at the California Primary Care Association (CPCA). Peter is responsible for managing CPCA’s Patient-Centered Health Home program, supporting the integration of behavioral health in primary care, and helping health centers to adopt and spread practice transformation strategies as part of readiness for payment reform. Peter is also the behavioral health lead for training and technical assistance, hosts quarterly Behavioral Health Peer Network meetings, and works closely with behavioral health directors and providers in community health centers. Peter graduated from the California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelors of Science in Health Science and a concentration in Health Care Administration.

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Umeka Franklin, Ed.D., LCSW, PPSC

Umeka Franklin currently is a Clinical Associate Professor at USC Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work. She is an alumna of the USC MSW program and earned her Doctorate degree in Education at USC Rossier School of Education – Educational Psychology. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she has worked across the lifespan providing services to various populations. She served in a leadership role as a Social Work Coordinator at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs providing services to military veterans. In addition, she was a Psychiatric Social Worker for the Los Angeles Unified School District providing direct clinical services to individuals, families, and groups. Umeka also possesses expertise in providing Community Based Mental Health Services, In and Outpatient Medical Social Work services as well as working with children and families who have experienced traumatic events.   

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Stephanie Zapata, M.S., LMFT

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who is new to the motherhood journey with two little ones, Stephanie Zapata is passionate about sharing ways children, youth, adults, and families can ignite joy, honor feelings, celebrate culture, and weave their own paths to resilience. She has almost two decades of professional experience in the mental health and substance use healthcare industries, navigating critical roadblocks in social services and the juvenile justice system, youth leadership development, and advocacy. She envisions a future where everyone has timely, uninterrupted access to quality, culturally responsive mental and substance use disorder treatment and recovery services and a future in which the best prevention strategies are dreamed of, developed by, and implemented collaboratively in our communities. She looks honestly at the mega industries that invest resources into advertising substances and the overcriminalization of addiction in marginalized communities. Using strengths-based, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, adaptive leadership, and value-driven strategies, she helps engage and prepare people for honest conversations and bridge-building to increase our capacity in the field toward systems transformation, justice, equity, and collective healing.

Hawaii

Christopher M. Knightsbridge 

Christopher Knightsbridge is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology and currently serves as 1st Vice Chair on the Hawaii State Council for Mental Health. He has previously lived in South-East Asia spending over a decade advocating for victims of human rights abuse and using online platforms to provide support groups for families of victims dealing with trauma, loss and seeking justice. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is interested in exploring ways to integrate technology into mental healthcare interventions to better treat vulnerable, underserved, and marginalized populations living in Hawaii and abroad.

Nevada

Karen Taycher

Karen Taycher has served as the Executive Director for PEP since 1995 and was the cofounder of Nevada PEP. Nevada PEP’s mission is, “to increase the opportunities for home, community and school success for children with disabilities, including those who are at risk or who have serious emotional disturbances, their families and their service providers, through education, encouragement and empowerment activities.” Mrs. Taycher has been a strong advocate for family driven support and community collaboration from the time her eldest son was born. She has served in numerous capacities in local, state, and national policy and advocacy groups to improve education and service systems for children, youth and families.

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Pat Sanborn, M.A. 

Pat Sanborn serves the Nevada Department of Education’s Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment as a Health and Wellness Coordinator and is currently leading several federal grant projects focused on school mental health and wellness. She has worked for over 20 years managing prevention and promotion projects for community, county, state, and federal initiatives. She holds a Master’s degree in Psychology/Organization Development from Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, CA. She currently resides in Carson City, Nevada.

Pacific Territories 

James Arriola

James Arriola is owner of Brabu Behavioral Health Services based in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This small Indigenous run company has focused on providing culturally responsive and faith centered behavioral health services since 2012 throughout Oceania, but primarily within the U.S Affiliated Pacific Islands. Prior to establishing this business, James focused his education in Pacific Islands Studies, with research focused on Indigenous Pacific mental health. Mr. Arriola has served as state evaluator to several Single State Agency prevention programs, is a regional trainer for behavioral health initiatives, and provides health planning and data services linking state and community partners in collaboration. One of his current roles is to serve as Executive Director for the Pacific Behavioral Health Collaborating Council.

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Everlynn Temengil
Bio/Photo Coming Soon!

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