Contact Donielle

Donielle is passionate about increasing equitable access to mental health education that is culturally relevant and community-centered. With a background in both education and mental health, much of her work has focused on educating individuals, organizations and communities about mental health, with the knowledge that people are their own best healers, as long as they have the support they need and deserve.

Professionally, Donielle has worked as a family and children’s therapist, as an education researcher focused on school reform, and as a mental health educator with a focus on trauma, healing and resilience. In the community, Donielle has mentored both foster and adjudicated youth; and has volunteered with local community organizing efforts, especially those related to equity, education and mental health.

Along with her mental education work, Donielle has participated in several California statewide efforts to advance mental health policy, including the California Essentials for Childhood Initiative, the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA), the Health Equity Working Group for the California ACEs Learning and Quality Improvement Collaborative, and the Equity Working Group of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative.

At CAN, Donielle is focused on existing and emerging opportunities to expand school and after school based mental health support for children.

A women’s college graduate in psychology from Wellesley College, Donielle also holds an M.S.Ed. in counseling practice from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in education policy from Stanford University.