The Pathways Learning Network convened on Wednesday, July 19 to learn about how counties in California and Ohio are developing and sustaining trauma-responsive Networks of Care to prevent and address the impacts of adversity and trauma in their communities.

Pathways to Resilience defines trauma-responsive Networks of Care as cross-sector collaborations that provide services and supports to help children and families prevent, address, and heal from trauma and toxic stress. They may include government agencies, community organizations, schools, health care providers, community members, and others. The core element is that these organizations have a formal, established working relationship in place with the shared goal of helping families navigate systems of care, mitigate the negative effects of trauma and adversity, and forge positive connections.

During this session, participants heard from Artie Padilla, Central Valley Community Foundation; Susan Holt, Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health; and Tristyn Ball, Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services about the key components and lessons learned from their work to build trauma-responsive Networks of Care in their communities.

Meet the Speakers

Susan Holt, LMFT

Director & Public Guardian, County of Fresno Department of Behavioral Health

Susan Holt is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and currently serves as the Director of Behavioral Health and Public Guardian for the County of Fresno Department of Behavioral Health. Susan and her team collaborate with numerous partners to serve the community and to improve the public behavioral health system. Susan’s clinical experience includes providing treatment in residential programs, schools, outpatient clinics, mobile crisis response, and inpatient psychiatric care settings. As her career progressed, she was inspired by the people whom she served to shift her focus toward system of care development and improvements, particularly for the most vulnerable populations and in partnership with community; this ultimately led her into management of behavioral health. Her passion in behavioral health leadership is to cultivate strengths within teams and across sectors to create and enhance environments that promote well-being, resilience, and recovery.

Susan is a graduate of California State University, Fresno, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science and her Master of Science degree in Counseling. In 2013 she returned to CSU, Fresno, as a part-time faculty member teaching courses in counseling; she views this additional role as an opportunity to give back to the profession and to inspire the next generation of helping professionals to embrace concepts of recovery, person-centered care, cultural humility, cross-sector collaboration, and community-based service models.

Tristyn Ball

Director, Division of Prevention and Early Intervention, Montgomery County ADAMHS Board

Tristyn Ball is the Director of the Division of Prevention and Early Intervention at the Montgomery County ADAMHS Board. Tristyn is a licensed social worker and an Ohio Certified Prevention Consultant. She serves as the Director of the Montgomery County Prevention Coalition, Zero Suicide in Health Systems Program, and Demonstrating Effective Policies to Promote Black Youth Mental Health federal grants. Her experience is focused on the impact of systems, policies, and environments on behavioral health disparities.  She has over 10 years of experience working across public, private, and social sectors, focusing on a holistic approach to care. She serves as the chair of the Montgomery County Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Prevention Advisory Council with a mission to eradicate intergenerational trauma. With a focus on population-level behavioral health outcomes, Tristyn has facilitated numerous trainings across the nation. She serves on several coalitions and boards focused on various matters impacting population-level health. She was named one of the Dayton Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty in 2021. She received her Master of Public Administration at Ohio University and is a Doctor of Public Health candidate at Indiana University.

Artie Padilla

Director, DRIVE Initiative, Central Valley Community Foundation 

Artie was born and raised in Fresno California. After earning a degree in Business Administration from CSU Northridge, he returned home where he has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 30 years. The last 20 years, Artie has focused on deeper rooted place-based community development. Recently, Artie was named the Director of the DRIVE Initiative, a 10-year collective impact initiative that is focused on elevating economic upward mobility for our families living in Fresno’s concentrated poverty neighborhoods.

As part of his community-wide work, Artie helped to create the Fresno County Trauma & Resilience Network in 2017. This growing collective of 150+ individuals and organizations has been learning and strategizing on how to develop a more “trauma informed” Fresno County. Through his work with the Fresno County Health Improvement Partnership and the Cradle to Career Initiatives he’s leveraging his networks to build an overall collective impact approach to addressing both the individual and community traumas by building resilience in our youth, families, and neighborhoods. Artie feels human development should be a focus in all work done in a community.

Event Info

  • Location: Virtual
  • Date: July 19, 2023
  • Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET
  • Phone: