Dr. Gillece has forty years of experience working in the health field with twenty-five dedicated to addressing the impact of trauma and social justice. Working across agencies, Dr. Gillece promotes the use of trauma informed care in multiple settings including mental health, substance abuse, adult and juvenile justice, social services and homeless services.
Prior to joining the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) seventeen years ago, Dr. Gillece served as Director of Special Populations for Maryland’s Mental Hygiene Administration where her responsibilities included all aspects of state mental health planning and delivery of services as well as development of collaboration across agencies serving individuals with psychiatric diagnosis. As project director for SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC), Dr. Gillece championed the cause of full consumer integration and development of culturally competent programs. Utilizing survivors in all aspects of trauma work, Dr. Gillece has coordinated and provided technical assistance, conference presentations, and consultations to multiple systems across the country. . Commitment to strength-based support by implementing trauma informed values with the overreaching theme of healing has been her focus.