We think everyone who’s joined ACEsConnection has a story to tell. So, we’ll be contacting many of you to ask you a few questions about what inspired you to work on ACEs. We ACEs Connection Network team members will go first, partly because if we want you to participate, we should, too.
When my Kentucky childhood friend, Jane Stevens, told me about the ACE Study, I was riveted and felt a shift in how I saw the world and how I understood my own life experiences. This conversation took place in 2006 while I was considering a career move that was inspired by a family member’s mental illness diagnosis. I was able to stay in my career-long field of government relations but change the issues I concentrated on from health to mental health policy. I soon found that I went from one lobbying silo to another, reflecting the separation that existed in the fields of health care and mental health. Only now with the ACE Study as the anchor do I feel I am working to promote collaboration among the many fields that impact people’s health and well being.
As Community Manager/Policy Analyst for ACEsConnection, I will focus on how states are implementing trauma-informed policies and practices as well as on changes in health care. At a time when Washington is mired in political gridlock, states seem more adept at solving practical problems and working across agencies. This bodes well for implementation of trauma-informed practices at the state level. As I bring news to you about the achievements and challenges at the state level, I hope that you will let me know what you are seeing on the ground and sharing how ACEsConnection can support your work.
As a recovering lobbyist who has lived in Washington my entire adult life, I will also be bringing news and perspective on ACEs-related developments at the national level.
The strength of ACEsConnection is its solutions orientation. As I heard on a webinar recently about trauma-informed peer support, let’s look for what is strong, not just what is wrong. This may be the essence of resiliency.
My work with ACEs is especially meaningful to me as I look forward to being a grandmother for the first time. Because of what I’ve learned from many of you who work in early childhood, this new role is anticipated with a deeper understanding of how important each person is in the lives of our children.
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