Marlene Matarese, MSW

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Marlene Matarese is the Training and Technical Assistance Director with the Innovations Institute. In her role, she is developing and coordinating the technical assistance components of Innovations. In addition, she is developing the curricula for training on the Wraparound process and working on the development of the Wraparound certificate program in partnership with Pat Mosby, family partner. Ms. Matarese provides training and coaching in Wraparound to local jurisdictions in Maryland and is engaged in the Wraparound Fidelity research project. She is also engaged in the development of a trauma-informed curriculum for providers working with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender and questioning youth, as well as participating in the Casey Leadership in Action Program: Ready by 21 in Maryland, which is focused on enhancing positive outcomes for transition-age youth in Maryland.

Prior to this position, Ms. Matarese was the Youth Involvement Resource Specialist with the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health, where she provided technical assistance to federally funded system of care communities. In this position, she coordinated Youth Leadership Training tracks at national and regional conferences for youth with SED and provided training and technical assistance around youth development and youth involvement nationally. In the course of her position, she provided leadership training to nearly 800 youth consumers and assisted in the development of over 75 youth coordinators nationally.  She also developed Youth Motivating Others through Voices of Experience (Youth MOVE) in partnership with young people. Youth MOVE is a national advocacy and consulting organization comprised of youth consumers. Ms. Matarese published Youth Involvement in Systems of Care: A Guide to Empowerment with two youth consumers and has published articles on youth involvement and youth development for youth involved in systems of care.

Ms. Matarese has extensive experience presenting nationally and locally on Wraparound, youth involvement, youth leadership, youth development and GLBT/Q related youth issues. She has developed the research design, conducted the research and facilitated the analysis in areas of youth development and social-emotional learning in the Chicago Public Schools; social marketing around alcohol consumption on college campuses; and service enhancement for GLBT youth with mental illness.

She previously worked in New Jersey in a local system of care, where she assisted families with multi-system involvement and complex emotional and behavioral needs in building teams, identifying resources and system navigation, and provided supervision and training on the Wraparound process. Ms. Matarese has experience as a clinician where she provided clinical counseling to children, individuals and families and facilitated therapeutic groups. She also has front line social work experience within school systems and in both community-based and residential therapeutic settings. Ms. Matarese received her Masters of Social Work degree at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.