Katherine Ortega Courtney, PhD. is a changemaker, psychologist, author, and life coach. Her work in child welfare advocacy has instilled change in data-driven trauma prevention in states across the country. She has worked in policy and research and has led community initiatives through her work at the Santa Fe Community Foundation and the New Mexico Early Childhood Development Partnership. As a psychologist and life coach, she coaches individuals and organizations on interrupting the cycles of trauma, addressing the burnout rate in government jobs and child welfare, and providing the tools and skills to achieve the work-life balance that will trickle down to better outcomes in prevention. Her doctorate work at Texas Christian University was in experimental psychology focused on substance abuse treatment and prevention. She is also the co-author, with Dominic Cappello, of Anna, Age Eight: The data-driven prevention of childhood trauma and maltreatment, which served as a catalyst for the development of the Anna, Age Eight Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she serves as co-director. Dr. Ortega Courtney and Dominic Cappello wrote the follow-up book 100% Community to guide local leadership in every county in their work designing trauma-free and truly family-friendly cities and towns.

Cappello is a New York Times bestselling author with decades of experience advocating for public health, safety and systems of care in times both calm and chaotic. An advocate for continuous quality improvement in the public sectors, he promotes a data-driven, cross-sector and technology-empowered capacity-building process in the nation's 3000+ counties. Cappello is also the co-author, with Dr. Ortega Courtney, of 100% Community: Ensuring 10 Vital Services for Surviving and Thriving to guide local leadership in every state and county in their work designing fully-resourced cities and towns where vital services like health care, among ten surviving and thriving services, meet the needs of all families and community members. He and Dr. Courtney are also co-authors of Anna, Age Eight: The data-driven prevention of childhood trauma and maltreatment, which serves as an urgently needed call-to-action for each state to end adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma, social adversity and health disparities. Cappello worked for the New Mexico Department of Health Epidemiology and Response Division and the New Mexico Child Protective Services Research, Assessment and Data Bureau, where he co-developed the Data Leaders for Child Welfare program, which he implemented in New York City, Connecticut, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. Cappello has a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Language and Communication from Regis University. He is the creator of the Ten Talks book series on family health and safety that gained a national audience when he discussed his work on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Cappello also curated Santa Fe’s first public TEDx conference to showcase technology and socially-engaged solutions to all our public health and safety challenges.