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Printable Bio

Printable Resume

Mailing Address:
16715 Leaper Road
Vancouver, WA 98686 u.s.a.

Office:
360.571.3203

Fax:
360.571.3183

E-mail to:
echohawk@pacifier.com

BIO:

Holly Echo-Hawk has 30 years of experience in the development and administration of children's mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice services. A former executive director of four child and family service organizations, Holly has held overall responsibility for clinical services, youth driven services, administrative and fiscal management, long-term financial sustainability, continuous quality improvement mechanisms, risk management, staff development, and personal response to any family concerns about the service they received. She is experienced in the field of cultural competence, and is most focused on the development and implementation of cultural competence standards for mainstream service providers. As a former community mental health center director, she is also experienced in meeting licensing and accreditation standards, establishing functional partnerships between provider agencies, and facilitating successful negotiations with county, state and federal officials.

She has extensive experience in systems of care transformation at both the local and national levels. A member of the national technical assistance team under the SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services leadership, and as the senior mental health consultant to the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), she has a unique window of knowledge of the strengths and challenges of developing and sustaining systems of care within American Indian and Alaska Native communities across the country. She is the tribal lead for the development of the SAMHSA funded, national summit on tribal suicide prevention scheduled for 2007 and is a senior research associate for a financial sustainability study of the tribal system of care communities. She also staffs the tribal-state workgroup for the child and family arm of the national state mental health commissioner organization, and in this capacity works with state mental health commissioners in key tribal states.

Other parts of Holly's life include a decade of service as a college trustee through gubernatorial appointments by three Washington State governors; a founding member of the National Alliance of Multi-Ethnic Behavioral Health Associations (NAMBHA), a founding member of the First Nations Behavioral Health Association; an advisory board member to the University of South Florida Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health, and the University of Texas Hogg Foundation for Mental Health National Scientific and Policy Advisory Council. Holly is a member of the Pawnee Nation, holds a master's of science degree in organizational behavior from the California School of Professional Psychology, and is the proud mother of Morgan Echo-Hawk Harmon, her 24-year old son. Holly lives in the country outside of Vancouver, Washington.

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RESUME:

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Twenty-eight years of experience in applying critical thinking and organizational skills to complex management and social development arenas. Strong facilitation and people management skills with an emphasis on cross-cultural appreciation and asset building. Specialized knowledge of the fields of children's mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice and related long-term impact on local community sustainability. Expert knowledge in the administration and financing of children's services, licensing and accreditation standards, cultural competence implementation at the policy and practice levels, and system of care transformation. National recognition for effective leadership in the children's mental health field.

EDUCATION

1986 California School of Professional Psychology
Berkeley, California
Masters of Science,
Organizational Behavior

1981 University of Texas
Austin, Texas
Bachelor of Arts,
American Studies

1974 Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona

1972 University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1998 - Present:. Echo-Hawk & Associates
Vancouver, Washington
Owner
Founder and principle of a management and policy consultation firm specializing in system change in the fields of children's mental health and child welfare. Contract projects include topic areas of cultural competence assessment and implementation, national system of care transformation for child and family services at federal, state, local and tribal levels, outcome evaluation and continuous quality improvement, and specific technical assistance to American Indian and Alaska Native mental health sites in the area of long-term financial sustainability.

1989 - 1998:. Children's Home Society of WA
Vancouver, Washington
Vice President
Senior management for a statewide, non-profit child welfare organization headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Responsible for administrative and management oversight of a licensed community mental health center, related licensing and accreditation standards and requirements, active partnership with local community governing board, public and private fund acquisition of $2 million annually; and maintaining highest levels of clinical and non-clinical services to emotionally challenged children and their families. Services included children's mental health outpatient, medication management, therapeutic foster care, child and adolescent sex offender treatment, and youth leadership. Staff supervision of 55.

1988-1989:. Volunteer Center of Sonoma Co.
Sonoma, California
Director
Department administrator and supervisory leadership for a county-wide affiliate of the national Volunteer Center network.

1986-1988:. Directions, Inc,
San Francisco, California
Executive Director
Administrative and supervisory leadership for a youth workforce readiness and career mentorship organization.

1983-1986:. California Rural Indian Health Board
Sacramento, California
Department Coordinator
Department leadership for technical assistance to rural Indian health clinics throughout Northern California in the area of adolescent pregnancy prevention.

1978-1983:. Urban Indian Child Resource Center
Oakland, California
Interim Executive Director, Juvenile Justice Coordinator
Leadership and supervisor responsibility for a children's mental health, juvenile justice and foster care licensing and service organization.

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

1991-2001:. Clark College
Vancouver, Washington
Trustee
Three-time governor appointed trustee of Clark College. Washington State Senate Confirmation. Responsible for stewardship of a higher education institution with a $25 million annual operating budget, a $45 million college foundation and 15,000 students. Responsible for ensuring fidelity to college mission, budget oversight and alignment with mission, hire-fire responsibility of college president, and faculty tenure approval. Leadership as Board of Trustees chair 1997-1998; National Presidential Search Committee chair, 1997-1998.

PAST PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

        NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science

        American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children

        Portland Area United Way Agency Executive Association

        Washington State Department of Mental Health Ethnic Minority Advisory Council

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

National Scientific and Policy Advisory Council for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health,
University of Texas

National Advisory Board, Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health,
University of South Florida

National Advisory Committee, National Center for Cultural Competence for Children's Mental Health,
Georgetown University, Child Development Center

National Alliance of Multi-Ethnic Behavioral Health Associations (NAMBHA),
Founding Member, Executive Board Member

First Nations Behavioral Health Association,
Founding Member, Executive Board Member

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services,
Child Adolescent and Family Branch, Executive Committee Member

HONORS AND AWARDS

Commendation for Decade of Service as Trustee of Clark College, 2002

CARE Award, Clark County Board of Commissioner, 2002

Woman of Achievement, Southwest Washington, 1995

Award of Executive Excellence, United Way of Columbia Willamette, 1993

Outstanding Children's Advocate, Congresswoman Jolene Unsoeld, 1991

California Rural Indian Health Board, Employee of the Year, 1985

Commendation for Concern and Contributions to the Welfare of San Francisco Native American Community, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, 1984

PUBLICATIONS

The Road to Evidence: The Intersection of Evidence-Based Practices and Cultural Competence in Children's Mental Health; Isaacs, Huang, Hernandez & Echo-Hawk, 2005

American Indian/Alaska Native Sustainability Self-Assessment Strategic Planning Tool Kit, 2004

The Role of Traditional Practices in American Indian/'Alaska Native Mental Health Systems of Care, 2004

Cultural Strengths and Challenges in Implementing a System of Care Model in American Indian Communities, 2000

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