Cynthia is committed to fighting mental health stigma. She has direct service expertise managing chronic health conditions, disability, and substance use/abuse as well as advocating for addiction recovery. Cynthia advocates for everyone seeking to learn how to live life on life’s terms without the use of mind-altering or mood-changing substances that change their reality into non-reality. Cynthia wants to inform providers and system leadership about the challenges of pain management and chronic illness for consumers with substance use disorder as well as give back to her community in the form of increasing support for individuals living with multiple health challenges. Cynthia was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and has lived in Berkeley, CA since 1970.