Kheya Ganguly is the Director of Trauma Prevention and Resilience Development for the state of Vermont. She leads an office of one, supporting agencies throughout the state respond to traumatic incidents and develop trauma-responsive policies and practices. Her position was created by the Vermont General Assembly in 2018, with the purpose of “directing and coordinating systemic approaches across state government that build childhood resiliency and mitigate toxic stress by implementing a public health approach” (S.261, Act 204).Recently Pathways to Resilience interviewed Kheya and asked her to share insights about her work and thoughts about replicating this model in other states.

How would you describe your role?

My work is rooted in influence; I sit in a lot of places, so it’s about making connections and collaborating. I have to work across the barriers and siloes that exist within any state system, or any larger system. I position myself to be a resource, but there are always things I don’t know about, or I learn about after the fact, so that’s tough.

I often take a 2,000-foot or 20,000-foot view of my work. You push, talk, consult, testify, and convince, and you think about what levers and buttons you can engage to make change happen. And being in a small state, I get to see that change happen.

What insights about trauma and resilience have emerged in your role?

In taking this position, I’ve sought to think about trauma and resilience across the lifespan. It’s a universal concern, affected by the context in which people live along with things like systemic discrimination and generational patterns. We must look at our adults because if our adults aren’t okay, then our kids aren’t going to be okay.

How do you work to support Vermont communities?

I do a lot of training about the origins of community care, and why it is so important when talking about resilience and trauma. I collaborate with our Agency of Human Services Director of Workforce Development to do trainings at our district offices, and we address trauma-responsive supervision, care of self, community care, resilience, and managing a hybrid workplace. It all fits together — if we’re not taking care of our employees, the Vermonters we serve can suffer or fall through the cracks.

So much of our social connectivity got torn apart during COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen the damage of isolation and the trauma that it caused. Engaging communities is an easy way to reconnect and begin to create connections.

What advice or guidance would you give to states that want to create a position dedicated to trauma and resilience?

The position must be created high enough in the power structure to be effective. The position should be front-facing, and the person should be visible and active. I have a big advantage because I work closely with the secretary’s office, so I have access to commissioners, secretaries, deputies, etc. This is necessary for me to propose and put forth systemic changes, and it gives me the ability to both enter and open doors.