As we approach the start of another school year, concerns over students' health and safety are top of mind. Heightened concerns about mental health, in particular, have been further exacerbated by the pandemic and tragic events in Uvalde, Texas and other US schools. Many are left feeling lost as to what can be done and where to begin, not fully aware of what resources are available and how to even approach conversations on this crucial topic. 

Our panel of TEMPO members will share what their local organizations are doing to provide crucial mental health resources and support to ensure that children, students, and families at our schools are safe and supported. 

Our discussion will cover:

• The many facets of mental health, including trauma and various social determinants of health
• What an early intervention approach looks like in supporting teachers, staff and school mental health teams with expert therapists and family coaches 
• How clinical experts attempt to identify what’s really going on when students cause classroom disruptions, truancies, or experience bullying, thoughts of suicide and/or harm to others. 
• Ways TEMPO members, Emerging Women Leaders, and other participants can get involved at their schools, in their communities, and at the state level to promote mental health access and safety for all.

Chandra Cooper is an experienced network affiliate, on-air television reporter & producer, a youth and women's advocate with community engagement experience and has experience working in the area of youth social services. Cooper holds Masters Degree in Counseling, a B.A. in Marketing Communications. She has credentials in Child Care Administration from University of Milwaukee, as well as being a facilitator for First Aids Arts which is a trauma informed care, expressive arts curriculum. 

Mrs. Cooper currently owns several businesses in the Milwaukee area. One of which is Grateful Girls which is a non profit organization dedicated to providing inspirational, motivational and enrichment services for youth and women. In 2015 Grateful Girls opened Milwaukee county’s first specialized group home for young girls affected by human trafficking called “Grateful Girls Safe Haven”. The organization is a social service agency with a community resource center building in the heart of the city of Milwaukee.

Amanda Krzykowski, a 20-year veteran in social services, has worked in roles focused on serving youth and families in the Milwaukee, Houston and Chicago area communities. In her current role as Director of Performance and Quality Improvement at Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan (LSS), Amanda is responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining systems for measuring and reporting client outcomes and impact. Amanda also oversees systems related to risk reduction, quality improvement and business analytics for the nonprofit organization. Building on her knowledge and experience, Amanda works closely with her team to promote and implement quality improvement through a race equity lens; using data to bring attention to inequities and biases within social service systems. Amanda is a results-based leadership strategy and facilitation coach. She is the co-chair of the Midwest Results Network and created the Midwest Results Network- Data visualization Committee. Amanda lives in Cedarburg with her husband, Brett, son, Calvin and dogs – Rollie and Cooper.

Ann Leinfelder Grove has served Wellpoint Care Network for over 30 years in a number of senior leadership roles, including Executive Vice President and COO with oversight of all agency programs. She has championed the program implementation of Wellpoint’s Trauma Informed Care model, as well as Seven Essential Ingredients (7ei), including programs in child welfare, where translational research has demonstrated improved outcomes through the use of 7ei-based, trauma-informed program practice.

As CEO, Ann’s strategic vision has enhanced Wellpoint’s partnerships in the community and has advanced a culture of equity and inclusion at Wellpoint.

Anne Ballentine is vice president Marketing and Communications at Rogers Behavioral Health, where she is responsible for overall system marketing and branding, communication and public relations, and community engagement. She and her team work to heighten awareness of the health system's sites and services with both internal and external audiences. Ballentine is a graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts and sciences and a minor in business administration. In addition to being an active TEMPO member and other community involvement, Ballentine serves on the Milwaukee YMCA and Camp Minikani Boards of Directors. She is also certified in emotional intelligence assessment, serves as a compassion resilience training facilitator, and is a certified yoga instructor.