Dr. America Paredes (she/her/ella) is MHA’s Chief Social Impact Officer. America leads the implementation of MHA’s forward-thinking equity-focused approach to change by creating innovative partnership strategies using a social impact and systems transformation framework – with a goal to to advance MHA’s work through measurable change, collective action, and community engagement. As an experienced change-maker, Dr. Paredes uses her more than 20 years of experience within the mental health field to support MHA's programmatic, public engagement, and community awareness efforts. Her experience as a bilingual mental health professional has varied, including federal grant program oversight and technical assistance, organizational capacity building, cultural humility training, community development, community engagement and outreach strategies, digital marketing strategies, and direct-service and community-based support with adolescents and families. Dr. Paredes earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from George Mason University, a Master of Counseling, and a Doctor of Philosophy in human services from Capella University.