Leora Ya’Acova Wolf-Prusan
Projects I Support:
Get to know me
I’m in my happiest place when I am in a gathering of people dedicated to understanding themselves, each other, and those they serve with humility and humanity. I love to convene and connect and create spaces to talk about things that no one else is, wants to, or thinks they can.
An impassioned and accomplished community cultivator, culture facilitator, program leader, and project director, I have years of experience blending program design, implementation experience, and expertise across diverse systems (school systems, departments of education and behavioral health, public welfare) & sectors (government, nonprofit, private and social change). With a doctorate in education leadership from UCLA, a teaching credential from Mills College, and a BA in Spanish and International Relations from UC Davis, I’m a proud Californian.
When I’m not working, I’m running after my beautiful two-year-old in Berkeley, California, by the water or in the redwoods.
I am
Managing Director, Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS)
Managing Director & Technical Assistance Specialist, Behavioral Health Student Services Act Statewide Technical Assistance Coordinator (STAC)
Managing Director & Technical Assistance Specialist, California Community Colleges Health & Wellness Program (CCC H&W)
Managing Director & Project Director, School Crisis Recovery & Renewal Project (SCRR)
Managing Director & Program Lead, The Parents’ Network (TPS)
Work Showcase
School Crisis Recovery & Renewal Project
I'm so proud to have created and directed the School Crisis Recovery & Renewal project, 2020-2025.
Project Advancing Wellness & Resilience in Education (AWARE); Resilience in Communities After Stress & Trauma (ReCAST)
The projects closest to my heart? Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness & Resilience in Education) and ReCAST (Resilience in Communities After Stress & Trauma). I've been coaching Project AWARE grantees since 2014 (10+ years!) and care deeply about their work. ReCAST grantees and their work are so special and essential; I'm grateful to have been the field director for their now-closed TA Center from 2016-2018 and to provide customized coaching to grantees thereafter (2019-now), specifically focusing on the coalition and community engagement work:
Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC)
As the school mental health director for the Pacific Southwest MHTTC from 2018-2024, I had the honor of creating supportive resources and learning spaces for the school mental health workforce and beyond. Some special gems we created? The Grief Sensitive Virtual Learning Institutes (GSVLI), the Fostering Grief Ready Workplaces Starter Kit (https://cars-rp.org/_MHTTC/docs/Fostering-Grief-Ready-Workplaces-Schools-Starter-Kit.pdf), and the School Mental Health Crisis Leadership Lessons: Voices of Experience from Leaders in the Pacific Southwest Region (2020) https://cars-rp.org/_MHTTC/docs/SMH-Crisis-Leadership-Lessons-Guide.pdf.
Testimonial
Dr. Wolf-Prusan and the CARS team have been accessible and responsive, tailored their support to meet the unique needs and contextual realities of our state, and provided invaluable resources, ideas, guidance, and support. Kentucky presents a complex landscape for integrating school-based behavioral health services, trying to connect more than 170 school districts operating under local control and fourteen regional behavioral health centers into some type of consistent model of effective service delivery. Dr. Wolf-Prusan and the CARS team have offered us evidence-informed approaches that allow for adaptation to meet individual needs, but also enable the state agencies to monitor consistency and fidelity. The knowledge, skills, and supports around crisis response and recovery were invaluable across the state following devastating tornadoes in December 2021 and massive flooding in July 2022, as well as for schools coping with losses related to suicide, car accidents, drownings, and even homicide. The current technical assistance through the CSMH-PA has presented numerous challenges around time, capacity, and adaptability of existing models; Dr. Wolf-Prusan has patiently guided us along the path to adjusting our goals, recognizing and seizing opportunities for collaboration, and adapting processes to fit our context.