California’s Mental Health Commission Welcomes New Commissioner

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SACRAMENTO – The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission is pleased to welcome Rayshell Chambers of Los Angeles as its newest Commissioner after her appointment on May 19, 2022. Chambers will represent clients and consumers on the Commission.

“The Commission supports increasing the peer perspective in policy work and looks forward to the valuable insight that Commissioner Chambers’ leadership role in a successful peer-run organization will bring to our work,” said Mara Madrigal-Weiss, Commission Chair and Executive Director of Student Wellness and School Culture, Student Services and Programs Division, San Diego County Office of Education.  “The Commission is focused on ensuring that the perspective of peers guides the Commission’s decisions, and that the perspective of lived experience informs all decisions impacting our mental health system.”

Chambers has been Co-Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer at Painted Brain since 2016. She was Program Analyst III at Special Service for Groups from 2011 to 2018. Chambers held several positions at the City of Los Angeles Human Services Department and Commission on the Status of Women from 2006 to 2010, including Legislative Coordinator and Community Outreach Coordinator. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree in public policy and administration from California State University, Long Beach.

Governor Newsom also reappointed Commissioner David Gordon of Sacramento and Commissioner Keyondria Bunch of Los Angeles on May 19, 2022.

About the Commission
In enacting Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, California voters in 2014 created and charged the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission with the responsibility of driving transformational change in public and private mental health systems to achieve the vision that everyone who needs mental health care has access to and receives effective and culturally competent care. The Commission was design to empower stakeholders, with members representing consumers and their families, service providers, law enforcement, educators, and employers. The Commission puts consumers and families at the center of decision-making. The Commission promotes community collaboration, cultural competency, and integrated service delivery. The Commission is committed to wellness and recovery, using its authorities, resources, and passion to reduce the negative outcomes of mental illness and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Californians.