MEET THE TEAM
Our Founders
Dr. Melissa L. Morgan
Professor in Counseling Psychology, UCSB/Wellness Core Group Member
"The project was created after a spike in Latino teen suicides several ago in our county. We saw a need in our community for general prevention and wellness skills. We also felt quite strongly that the community itself has resources that can be tapped into for crisis prevention. We wanted to help facilitate these skills to prevent future crises and help promote general well-being among Latino/as in SB county. I have always been interested in how people overcome difficult life situations, or resilience. To me, the SB Wellness project is a natural continuation of my research and training to give back to my community and help prevent future hardships. I also understand the importance of cultural beliefs and values in approaches to coping, so we really try to emphasize those."
Gustavo A. Prado, M.S.W.
Department Business Specialist
Adult and Children Services, Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services/Wellness Core Group Member
'I have worked as a social worker and have worked closely with children, adults and families receiving intensive services through Child Welfare Services, Hospice and Juvenile Justice Mental Health Services for over 20 years. I have a Masters in Social Work and am currently completing a Doctorate in Special Education with an emphasis on Development and Risk at UC Santa Barbara. I have also been a member of the Wellness Project since the inception of the project in November 2009, and have actively participated in the evolution of the Wellness Project. My professional and academic background have provided me with a broad range of experiences that I am able to draw upon, in order to contribute to the Wellness Project's effort to support resilience and well being in the community. My academic interest is in investigating foster parent resilience and willingness to care for children with emotional or behavioral disturbance.'
Dr. J. Manny Casas
Professor Emeritus, UCSB/Wellness Core Group Member
"After close to forty years of working in the Latino community of Santa Barbara, I am well aware of the many challenges that children and families who live in this community face. I'm also aware of the lack of culturally appropriate and effective programs and services that are needed to help community members address and overcome such challenges. Responding to the lack of such programs, my colleagues and I decided to develop the prevention-focused Santa Barbara Wellness Project to help community members develop skills that could be used to prevent and/or deal with these challenges."
Current Members
Emily Cruz
Wellness Member and Volunteer
Emily is a volunteer for the Santa Barbara Wellness Project. She has received her BA in Sociology with minors in Educational Studies and Applied Psychology from UCSB. Her future plans include taking a gap year before applying to graduate school.
She is excited to be on the SBWP team and is looking forward to learning from her peers while having a chance to give back to the community.
Ramiro Detrinidad
Wellness Member and Volunteer
Ramiro is an undergraduate research assistant for the Santa Barbara Wellness Project at UCSB. He is currently majoring in Chicanx Studies with a minor in Applied Psychology.
Before pursuing his education, he served 5 years in the United States Navy and has worked in both the public and non-profit sectors, serving underprivileged communities
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His current goals are to apply to graduate school at UCSB for the Counseling Psychology program and focus his graduate research on the Central American community wellness, resiliency, and family dynamics.
Veronica Franco, M.S
Doctoral Student and Wellness Member
Veronica was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and received her B.A. in Sociology and Educational Sciences from the UC Irvine and received her M.S in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Under the guidance of Dr. Melissa Morgan Consoli, Franco’s professional and research interests involve exploring marginalized communities resilience, validation, well-being, and coping strategies; protective factors prompting mental health of communities; and Latinx persistence patterns and experiences in higher education. During her time as a student she has served as a coach, mental health clinician, and as a facilitator, engaging in discussions about diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice topics.
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“I am honored to be part of the SBWP and to have the opportunity to engage with the Latinx Community in the County of Santa Barbara. I look forward to engaging in conversations about how to promote well being among the Latinx community to learn from one another.”
Elana Hubert
Doctoral Student and Wellness Member
Elana grew up in California and received her B.A. in Anthropology from Barnard College and her M.A. in Psychology in New York, where she spent time working in community mural arts and public health. Elana is a part of Dr. Melissa Morgan's research team, and is interested in intergenerational storytelling, immigration and identity, and bringing culture into wellness practices.
“I am excited to join the creative and dedicated SBWP team, and to learn from and work together with communities in Santa Barbara. I look forward to exchanging insights and tools, and engaging in supportive conversations that help us develop our own meaningful and personal definitions of wellness.”
Nicole Ramirez
Undergraduate Student and Wellness Member
"I am excited to be a part of this dynamic program that brings wellness tools to the SB community, particularly the Latinx youth. I believe it is so needed and something that is lacking in our traditional education system. As a mindfulness teacher, I am passionate about expanding our community's understanding of what wellness means, how to practice it, and why it's such an important preventative tool for our mental health and all around well-being. This is particularly important for the parts of our community that lack access to these important tools."
Esther Svetov
Undergraduate Student and Wellness Member
Esther is an undergraduate student studying Psychological and Brain Sciences, minoring in Applied Psychology.
Her future plans include graduating from UCSB to pursue a PhD in Psychology and conduct research on therapies for creating a healthy mind and body connection and overall wellness, and eventually complete my education to become a professor.
Past Coordinators
Over the past decade we have trained over 500 participants through numerous Wellness Workshops to Santa Barbara County community members. This has been possible through community partnerships, volunteer work of members in the community, and the leadership and dedication of our SBWP coordinators. We would like to thank all Wellness coordinators for their hard work and dedication.
Pati Cabrera
Kevin Delucio
Erika Noriega
Emily Unzueta
Danny Meza
Maria Vazquez
Veronica Franco
2010-2012
2012-2013
2012-2013
2013-2015
2015-2016
2015-2019
2018-2021