Past Convenings
2026: From County Practice to State Priorities: A Behavioral Health and Public Safety Roadmap for California’s Next Administration
At Words to Deeds (W2D) 2026, co-hosted with the state Commission for Behavioral Health, leaders from across California’s behavioral health, criminal-legal, and housing systems will convene to elevate county innovations and collectively develop a roadmap to inform the priorities for our incoming Governor. This peer-to-peer, collaborative forum will bring together first-adopter leaders and decisionmakers to develop and implement strategies that can be refined and scaled by other counties and state departments focused on public safety and well-being outcomes.
This year’s sessions focus on four topic areas:
- Prop 36 – Lessons Learned on Drug Offenses & Cross System Partnerships
- Forensic Full Service Partnerships – Best Practices for Accelerating Reentry and Wellness
- Alternative Emergency Response – Scaling What Works to Sustain Mobile Crisis Programs in this Funding Environment
- Supportive Housing – Creating Pathways to Meaningful Employment for Supportive Housing Residents and People Experiencing Homelessness
When: October 8, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: The California Endowment, 2000 Franklin St, Oakland, CA 94612
Have questions about the day? Read the W2D 2026 FAQs.
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Program
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Presentation & Materials
Prop 36 – Lessons Learned on Drug Offenses & Cross System Partnerships
Supportive Housing – Creating Pathways to Meaningful Employment for Supportive Housing Residents and People Experiencing Homelessness
NOTE – There are no slides or handouts for the Alternative Early Response session, the FSP session, or the Lunch plenary.
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Report
Forthcoming.
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Speaker Bios
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Attendee List
Forthcoming.
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2026 Leadership Group
W2D Leadership Group Roster 2026
- Deanna Adams – Senior Analyst, Judicial Council of California, Criminal Justice Services, Operations and Programs Division
- Jenny Bayardo – Executive Officer, California Behavioral Health Council
- Oscar Benitez – Managing Director of Diversion & Reentry, Third Sector
- Ashley Breth – Assistant Deputy Director, Community Forensic Partnerships Division, Department of State Hospitals
- Bill Brown – Sheriff-Coroner, Santa Barbara County
- Michelle Doty Cabrera – Executive Director, County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California
- Cathy Coyne – Government Affairs Liaison (Retired), California State Sheriffs’ Association
- Hallie Fader-Towe – Director of Justice & Health Initiatives, Behavioral Health, Council on State Governments Justice Center
- Grace Ferguson – Executive Associate, Urban Counties of California
- Marcus Galeste – Research Scientist, Commission for Behavioral Health
- Brenda Grealish – Executive Director, Commission for Behavioral Health
- Carmen Green – Executive Director, California State Sheriffs’ Association
- Nicole Green – Chair, Contra Costa County AB109 Community Advisory Board and Chair, Contra Costa County Council on Homelessness
- Kathryn Jett – Senior Policy Consultant, Shatterproof
- Karen Larsen – Chief Executive Officer, The Steinberg Institute
- Stephen V. Manley – Superior Court Judge, Santa Clara County
- Lahela Mattox – Chief Operations Officer, San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless
- Rosie McCool – Deputy Director, Chief Probation Officers of California
- David Meyer – Clinical Professor, Institute of Psychiatry, Law and Behavioral Sciences, USC Keck School of Medicine
- Ryan Morimune – Legislative Advocate, Administration of Justice, California State Association of Counties
- Kevin O’Connell – Research Consultant, O’Connell Research
- Jolie Onodera – Senior Legislative Advocate, Health and Behavioral Health, California State Association of Counties
- Mike Radford – Bureau Chief, Training Program Services Bureau, Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training
- Stephanie Regular – Assistant Public Defender, Office of the Public Defender, Alameda County
- Will Rhett – Managing Director of Behavioral Health, Third Sector
- Tyler Rinde – Director of Government Affairs, California Psychological Association
- Kiran Sahota – President, Concepts Forward Consulting
- Albert M. Senella – President, California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives; President and Chief Executive Officer, Tarzana Treatment Centers, Inc.
- Adrienne Shilton – Director of Public Policy and Strategy, The California Alliance of Child and Family Services
- Jessica Headley Ternes – Behavioral Health Director, Third Sector
- Linda Tomasello – Consultant, Crisis Intervention Training
- Molly Willenbring – Consultant, Leadership Benefiting Nonprofit Organizations
- Helene Zentner – Field Representative, California Board of State and Community Corrections
- Carrie Zoller – Supervising Attorney, Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts
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Paradigm Awards
County Champion
Ky Le, on behalf of Santa Clara County – Deputy County Executive,
Santa Clara County Executive OfficeState Champion
Michelle Doty Cabrera – Executive Director, County Behavioral
Health Directors Association of CaliforniaLifetime Achievement
Tomiquia Moss – Secretary, California Housing
and Homelessness AgencyWords to Deeds recognizes leaders in public safety, mental health, and housing who champion efforts to end the criminalization of individuals with mental illness. Honorees are recognized for their efforts to support proven strategies that promote early intervention, access to effective and responsive treatments, a planned reentry, and/or the preservation of public safety. The Leadership Group nominates and votes for all honorees.
The 2026 Paradigm Awards will be presented by Bill Brown, Sheriff-Coroner, Santa Barbara County.