Laurel Mildred, MSW — Principal

My early career involved fundraising and political consulting for Democratic candidates in California, and then shifted to focus on public policy. I served for seven years as a policy expert for the California State Senate Office of Research, working on mental health, developmental disability, disability rights, and substance abuse recovery — drafting legislation, organizing hearings, and providing expert testimony. I went on to represent California’s county behavioral health systems in building the initial policies implementing Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, and to lead a mental health advocacy organization.

Some career highlights have included designing $140 million in initiatives for the California Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission; writing and advocating for successful legislation reforming seclusion and restraints; providing key testimony that defeated legislation that would have devastated California’s adult day health centers; and co-founding the California Collaborative for Long Term Services and Supports, a successful cross-sector advocacy coalition.

Since establishing my consulting practice in 2008, I have served more than 85 nonprofit and governmental organizations — producing 22 policy reports on Medicaid, behavioral health, aging, and disability policy, and 123 policy and training events, including 83 speaking engagements. Today I work with clients nationwide; recent projects span California, New York, Arizona, Nevada, and Maine.

I hold a Master of Social Work from California State University, Sacramento, and a B.A. in Political Science from UC Davis. I am dedicated to the principles of social justice and I practice under the Social Work Code of Ethics. In 2010 the California State Senate honored me for Leadership in Advocacy, and I am the founder of the Laurel A. Mildred Resilience Fund for Students in Mental Health Crisis, an endowment at Sacramento State University.