My name is Aleczis Padilla, I graduated from the University of West Florida with Masters degree in Public Health and a concentration in Global Health. I am currently employed with the City of El Paso- Department of Public Health. As a Public Health Accreditation Manager, I developed an accreditation progress framework and oversee the progress towards PHAB accreditation.

In my previous role as a Project Coordinator, I would oversee DSHS grant-funded health measurements and supervised staff for health projects in; cancer screenings, immunizations, mental health, and STDs. These initiatives targeted populations considered to be low-income, uninsured, or underinsured.

I obtained my Health Promotion undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and graduated with departmental honors, and was honored with an Outstanding Community Service Award in Health Promotion. I have worked within the public health field since 2018 in the US-Mexico border region between Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and El Paso, Texas. My experience includes; ZIKA-Emergency Preparedness, Epidemiology, Mental Health Education, Disease Intervention, and COVID-19.

As a mental health advocate, I coordinated a community event called Minds Over Matter Walk in collaboration with a behavioral health non-profit, which took place in May 2022. The purpose of the event was to increase mental health awareness for the 400+ attendees, and inform them about the resources available in the community. The 35 mental health organizations that attended provided education and/or mental health screenings. The event was donation-based and was able to fundraise over $22,000, which was used to provide mental health services.