10th Annual Wellness Together Conference: Full Schedule

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10:30am PDT

Lighthouse Talk: Self-Care Accountability Buddies: A Collaboration Across the Pacific Ocean

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT

Join us for a dynamic 12-minute Lighthouse Talk, designed to showcase bold ideas, innovative practices, and inspiring stories shaping the future of student mental health and wellness. This presentation is one of four featured during this one-hour block. Due to the fast-paced format, there will be no formal Q&A, but we encourage you to connect with the speaker directly after the block to continue the conversation.

Speakers

Wendy J Lum

Workforce Development Hub Director, University of Hawai'i at Manoa - Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
30 C

Breakout

Audience Community Partners & Nonprofits, Corporate Leaders, District Administrators, Education Leaders, Higher Ed Faculty, HR Staff, Human Resources Professionals, Mental Health Professionals, Parents & Caregivers, Policy & Advocacy Professionals, School Site Admin, Teacher

10:30am PDT

Lighthouse Talk: The Invisible Self: Taking a Look Inside The Classroom

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT

30 C

Speakers

Kara Hamblin

NJUHSD

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
30 C

Breakout

Audience Community Partners & Nonprofits, Corporate Leaders, District Administrators, Education Leaders, HR Staff, Teachers & Instructional Leaders, Mental Health Professionals, Parents & Caregivers, Policy & Advocacy Professionals, School Site Admin, Teacher

2:30pm PDT

From System to Student: A Collaborative, Countywide Approach to Building an Integrated System of Care

Thursday September 10, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT

30 D

We are grateful to be part of a countywide effort, led by the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE), in partnership with CalOptima, Rady Children’s Health (formerly CHOC Behavioral Health), and Anaheim Elementary School District (AESD). Together, we are working to better support the behavioral health, social-emotional, and mental health needs of students and families across Orange County.
OCDE has played a key role in bringing partners together and helping us stay aligned. By connecting education with healthcare, managed care, and community-based organizations, they’ve created space for meaningful collaboration and shared problem-solving. This has allowed us to move beyond working in silos and toward a more coordinated approach.
In this session, we will share how this partnership has helped connect the bigger picture, policy, funding, and system coordination with what happens every day in schools. We’ll talk about how AESD has strengthened its Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and CYBHI Fee Schedule implementation through this collaborative work, and what we’ve learned along the way.
Together, we are building a more connected system that supports students across the full continuum from prevention and early intervention to crisis response, hospitalization, and returning to school. This work is ongoing, and it continues to grow through strong relationships, shared responsibility, and a commitment to doing better for students and families.
Participants will leave with practical insights into how partnerships across systems can come together in a more thoughtful and sustainable way to support schools and communities.

Speakers

Shirley Diaz

Program Specialist, Anaheim Elementary School District

Mayu Iwatani

Senior Administrator, Mental Health and Wellness, Orange County Department of Education

Mayu Iwatani has 25 years combined experience in School Social Work, School Counseling, Student Services, Foster Care and Mental Health and Wellness in the educational field. She started her career as a School Social Worker in a district in Orange County, California, and since has... Read More →

Gabriela Hernandez

Psychosocial Supervisor, Radys Childrens Health - Orange County

Gabriela “Gaby” Hernandez, LCSW is the Mental Health Inpatient Center Psychosocial Supervisor who joined CHOC Children’s in 2018 as one of the first therapists to open the Mental Health Inpatient Center. She oversees a team of 25 staff members including mental health therapists... Read More →

Carmen Katsarov

CalOptima Health

Thursday September 10, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
30 D

Breakout

Audience Education Leaders, School Site Admin, Teacher, Mental Health Professionals, Teachers & Instructional Leaders, Community Partners & Nonprofits

10th Annual Wellness Together Conference

10:30am PDT

Wendy J Lum

10:30am PDT

Kara Hamblin

2:30pm PDT

Shirley Diaz

Mayu Iwatani

Gabriela Hernandez

Carmen Katsarov

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