Community Advisory Board
Explore Advisory Board Members' Bios Below
Clayton Chau, MD, PhD
Clayton Chau is currently the Chief Clinical and Strategy Officer for MindOC, the non-profit entity which he co-founded to support BeWell OC, a private/public/faith based/academic coalition aims to transform the mental health system. He was previously with Providence St Joseph Health System as the Regional Executive Medical Director of the Institute of Mental Health and Wellness Southern California Region. He has recently been appointed by the 23rd US Secretary of Health and Human Services to the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee. His past positions include Senior Medical Director for Health Services at L.A. Care Health Plan responsible for behavioral health, care management, utilization management, disease management, etc., and Director of the Center of Excellence in Education, Training, Research and Advocacy for Reducing Health Disparities, Orange County Health Care Agency Behavioral Health Services where he developed the first Bidirectional Primary Care and Behavioral Health Integration Model in the State. At L.A. Care he was also the Co-Principal Investigator for a multi-year Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Innovation grant in Transforming Clinical Practice. He is also a Lecturer for the UCLA School of Public Health, an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and the Director for the Transcultural Psychiatry Curriculum at UC Irvine School of Medicine.
Dr. Chau obtained his MD degree from the University of Minnesota and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Chelsea University. He completed his psychiatry residency at UCLA/San Fernando Valley followed by a fellowship with the National Institute of Mental Health in psychoneuroimmunology focusing on substance abuse and HIV. During his residency he was also selected for the American Psychiatric Association Mead Johnson Fellowship in Community Leadership.
Dr. Chau has conducted international trainings in the areas of health care integration, health care system reform, cultural competency, veteran’s health, trauma, homelessness and mental health policy. He is featured in the 2013 documentary “A New State of Mind: Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness” narrated by Glenn Close, produced by PBS, the 2013 Emmy Awards winner 60 Seconds PSA and the 2012 Emmy Awards winner Informational/Public Affairs Series “Profiles of Hope” produced by the LA Department of Mental Health. Dr Chau was named the 2012 Visionary Leader by the National Council for Behavioral Health. In that same year he was also awarded the prestigious Warren Williams, MD Award from the American Psychiatric Association “for his extraordinary contributions to the profession of psychiatry and the care of those with mental illness.”
Mindy Hohman, PhD
Melinda (Mindy) Hohman is Professor Emeritus from San Diego State University (SDSU) School of Social work. She has her BASW and MSW from the University of Pittsburgh and her PhD from Arizona State University. Prior to joining the faculty at SDSU in 1995, she worked as a juvenile probation officer and as a substance use therapist. She has taught courses on substance use disorders, cultural competency, and social work practice, including Motivational Interviewing (MI). Dr. Hohman has been an MI trainer since the late 1990s, becoming a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) in 1999. Since then she has trained thousands of social workers, probation officers, and substance abuse counselors among others, in MI, both across California and nationally. Dr. Hohman has served as a MINT Trainer of Trainers. She is also the author of the book Motivational Interviewing in Social Work Practice which she is currently updating for a second edition.
Gary Taylor, MS
Gary Taylor has over 40-years working with vulnerable children and families. He firmly believes that through early intervention and prevention, the life circumstances of children and families can be positively impacted. His most rewarding experience was ensuring safety and stability for children during 30-years in child welfare. This was accomplished by forging strong relationships and collaboration with universities, faith partners, Consulates and underserved communities. Highlights include establishing sibling placement homes, Faith in Motion project with 50 congregations, spearheading the CSEC steering Committee and the Eliminating Racial Disparity and Disproportionality workgroup. His passion for this work stems from growing up in a family of seven, in the rural and segregated southeast.
Gary has vast experience in drafting policy, developing contracts, hiring, recruitment and managing budgets. He early in his career recognized the workforce as the organization’s most valuable resource. He created the opportunity for skills-based training, technical training, mentoring and coaching to develop a flexible, creative informed and sustainable workforce. Since retiring, he has provided consulting services on Domestic Violence, Post Adoption Contact Mediation, developing a California Child Welfare Core Practice Model for use by 58 counties and taught Graduate level Child Welfare Policy and Grants courses at California State University Fullerton. One of Gary’s most recent and proud accomplishments is on becoming a Senior Fellow with the Child Welfare League of America. Gary has been married for 34 years, and is the father of 4. He is involved in music ministry at a local Orange County church. Gary holds a certificate in Early Childhood Development from Fullerton J.C., a B.S. Degree in Hospital Administration from Western Kentucky University and a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Murray State University.
Casey Crosbie, PhD
Casey Crosbie is the founding Executive Director of Family Promise of Orange County, a shelter program that partners with the faith community to find stable housing for homeless families with minor children. He has also worked with a number of advocacy organizations focusing on community organizing and anti-gentrification efforts both here in Southern California and in Washington D.C. In 2019, he received his Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University in Ethics, Politics & Society, with research interests focusing on community assessment and the relationship between philanthropy, the state, and the public good. He also teaches occasionally in the MSW department at Cal State Fullerton.
Young Nguyen, MSHCA, LCSW
Young Nguyen is currently a Clinical Program Manager in the Department of Psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente, Baldwin Park Service Area. He manages the clinical operation and oversees the behavioral health quality management initiative. Prior to his current role, Young worked as a Psychiatric Social Worker with Kaiser Permanente Orange County. Young received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine and his Master of Social Work with the emphasis in Community Mental Health from the California State University, Fullerton. Young was part of the first graduating class from the Department of Social Work at CSUF. He went on to further his education and earned his Master of Science in Health Care Administration from the California State University, East Bay. Young is looking forward to being part of the Community Advisory Board.
Denise Cunningham, LMFT
Denise Cunningham is the Senior Vice President of Crittenton Services for Children & Families. She’s a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and earned a Masters in Counseling and a Bachelors in Human Services from California State University, Fullerton. She has served Crittenton Services in various capacities since 1991 and has more than 25-years experience in clinical and program management within the Social Services field. In her current role, she leads the management team of the various programs including Short Term Residential Treatment Program, Shelter Care, Family Preservation, Foster Care, Wraparound, Community Based-School Linked Services, and Outpatient Mental Health Services. She coordinated the agency's Practicum Student Program and continues to be a strong advocate for its success. In addition to serving on the CSUF Department of Social Work Community Advisory Board, she serves on the Human Services Advisory Board.
Mark Odom, LCSW
Mark Odom, LCSW, has more than 35 years of experience in the field of social work, aging and behavioral health. Mark currently serves as Vice President, Programs and Education, at Alzheimer’s Orange County, a community based non-profit organization headquartered in Irvine. Mark’s responsibilities include overseeing the hiring, development and performance management of Programs staff and volunteers as well as program development, implementation and evaluation. Mark started his career by earning dual major in Psychology and Religion from Azusa Pacific University in 1977 and a Master of Social Work from San Diego State University with an emphasis in gerontology in 1982. Mark’s social work career includes working as a county child protective services social worker; coordinating the initial implantation of dependent adult and elder abuse law through work with the Orange County Area Agency on Aging; mental health clinician specializing in serious & persistent mentally ill older adults; Service Chief for Orange County Health Care Agency supervising mental health clinicians serving older adults; founder and chairperson of the Orange County Task Force on Hoarding; founding member of the Orange County Elder Abuse Forensic Center; member of the California Mental Health Directors Association Older Adult Services Committee; and adjunct professor in the Graduate Social Work Program at California State University Fullerton, where he taught community mental health policy. His team at Alzheimer’s Orange County currently includes 6 clinical social workers and 14 MSW graduate students from seven universities.
