Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Anne Vall.
Hi Emily Anne, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I look back at my career to date, I realize a common theme is that I love to connect with people and connect them to each other. When I think of myself as a person, the phrase “people person” doesn’t really jump out at me. However, when I look at my career path and the different areas that I have thrived in, I suppose that phrase does fit. I started my career in education, specifically a Title 1 middle school in Tampa Florida. I loved working with the students but saw that so many were not getting the attention they needed. After pursuing my graduate education, I started focusing on children’s health. For many years it was physical health, and now my work centers on children’s mental and behavioral health. After working on both sides for years, I have realized how intertwined mental and physical health are and that so many people don’t recognize that.
Growing up is hard for everyone, my goal is to reach those who are the most under-resourced, or those who have coming of age tales that aren’t told because they are too raw, shocking or even disturbing. My role at Resilient Georgia has allowed me to produce work that impacts children and young adults who need these protective resources most. Much of our work focuses on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma prevention efforts. Our goal is to educate the masses about these issues and also arm them with resources that promote resiliency and positively impact children that may experience childhood trauma.
We want adults across Georgia to take Oprah’s advice and first change the conversation from, “What is Wrong with You?” to “What Happened to You?” Then take it a step further and identify, “How Can I Support You?”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Everyone has struggles and challenges in life, and I am no different. However, I consider myself very lucky to have had several mentors help me navigate both my career and life in general. I did not always like their advice, but thankfully I usually took it (and still take it). That has really served me well.
When I first started large-scale coalition-based work I was the new kid at the table, and I felt it. It takes a while to earn people’s trust and build relationships. You aren’t immediately invited to, well, anything. It took me a long time to not take that personally. Now I can look at things more objectively and try to see things through different lenses. I am a people pleaser and when I feel someone isn’t 110% thrilled with me, I really take it personally. That has taken me a long time to realize and accept. Talking about mental health and childhood trauma 24/7 in my current role has helped. I can better see why I react so strongly to some things and can be much more objective than I was earlier in my career!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the Executive Director of Resilient Georgia. Resilient Georgia is a non-profit devoted to leading a large state-wide public/private coalition to develop a trauma-informed birth through 26-year-old integrated behavioral healthcare system for our state. My role is to ensure all the players are at the table, talking, connecting and aligning their work. Far too often, no matter what the sector, organizations get so deep into their work they don’t get the chance to share what they are doing. That often results in groups working in silos, resources not being shared, and innovation can wane.
Education is at the heart of what we do, so a lot of my time is spent working with partners across the state to get trauma informed and behavioral health-related information, training and educational opportunities out to the masses. I also spend a lot of time meeting with various organizations to learn about what they are doing so I can effectively connect them to others, help celebrate their work, and align efforts.
If I had to identify one thing that we are known for I would say it is convening and connecting. We have a very talented working executive board. When we first got started in 2019, they identified that we needed to really study the work that was going on in Georgia, and then start to connect the dots and identify gaps. That is exactly what we have done. After countless hours of interviews and research, we have built hundreds of relationships across the state and continue to build new relationships and align work.
The thing that I believe sets us apart from others is that we are intent on celebrating other organizations’ work, which is one of my favorite parts of my job. Most people who do this work do it because they are passionate about helping children and under-resourced populations. They certainly aren’t in it for the money or notoriety. It is nice to be able to promote their work across the state and constantly tell people that they are doing a good job. It always feels good to be the recipient of a compliment, but it feels just as good to be the one giving it. I am lucky enough to have that as part of my job description.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The diversity! I love the fact that I can walk outside my door and within a couple miles I can be in a park, downtown, on wooded trails, or in a quaint neighborhood window shopping. I love running around the city and seeing so many different people from all walks of life. I have found I notice it the most when I travel to other cities everyone looks the same. It always makes me appreciate my life in Atlanta.
My least favorite thing is the traffic, but I am not complaining because I really don’t have to drive too much now in zoom land. Well, maybe I will complain a bit, I would love for drivers to pay more attention to pedestrians. Too many crosswalks feel like death traps!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@resilientga.org
- Website: resilientga.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientgeorgia/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resilientga
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ResilientGA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ugkYnop88QSB3MaQs9oog/featured
