• Formerly the State Children’s Behavioral Health Director in New Mexico, he served as immediate past Chair of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), Children, Youth and Families Division, Ken represented the children’s mental health directors of the 50 states and territories.
• He was on the 2004 Planning Committee for the Rosalynn Carter Annual Symposium on Mental Health and is a member of the Outcomes Roundtable for Children and Families.
• He is on the Advisory Board of the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health at the University of South Florida.
• Ken is also on the Advisory Board of the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.
• Ken is working on the advisory committee under the leadership of Jane Knitzer and Mareasa Isaacs on Unclaimed Children Revisited, a strategic policy initiative on the 25 th anniversary of the original publication.
• He and his family have done extensive volunteer work in El Salvador since the 1992 Peace Accords were signed, working with children, families and communities in their efforts to re-build their lives and improve their communities.

System of care core values include the use of effective, evidence-based practices in mental health treatment and providing culturally competent care. Part of the role of the Mental Health Resource Specialist is to provide training and technical assistance around the use of evidence-based practices. In addition, the Mental Health Resource Specialist is tasked with providing information about culturally competent care for minority youth.

Ken is highly qualified for his role. In addition to his mental health experience and expertise (listed above), Ken is member of the National Latino Behavioral Health Association and co-founding member of the New Mexico Latino Behavioral Health Association. Ken has also authored and presented papers and articles in several areas, including cultural applications in child and family psychotherapy, cultural competence, evidence-based practices/practice-based evidence and financing strategies.