Veneilya Harden received her doctorate of education and executive leadership in August 2020 from St. John Fisher University and her master’s in counseling and community psychology with a Forensic Mental Health Certificate from The Sage Colleges in 2015. Through former Governor Cuomo’s Excelsior Fellowship Initiative, Harden was appointed to the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), where she has maintained her employment for the past seven years. She served as the civil reintegration liaison for six of the seven psychiatric facilities overseen by OMH. Harden works in the Bureau of Housing’s Homeless Support Unit and as the statewide domestic violence liaison for OMH. Harden serves actively in the Capital Region community on the Albany Community Police Review Board as vice chair and police liaison, as a peer reviewer for multiple American Counseling Association journals, and as project associate with the Mclean Group, focusing on education, leadership, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Harden’s work is centered around advocacy, changing the historical narrative, and creating space, equity, education, and eliminating policing disparities.