C4 Innovations is thrilled to welcome Cherene Caraco to our team as a subject matter expert. She has spent the last 33 years driving innovation in mental health system and practice transformation, peer-run alternatives, and social justice and policy reform. Cherene is recognized for her ability to foster services and systems that promote wellness, recovery, healing, and a high quality of life.
Her ability to cause radical change by means of innovation is informed by her experience as a psychiatric, trauma, and suicide attempt survivor. Cherene uses her personal and professional experience to support service providers, states, managed care organizations, hospitals, and systems to operationalize mental health recovery and trauma-informed organizational, practice, and systems change.
“We are excited to work more closely with Cherene and are grateful to her for sharing her immense expertise and supporting people experiencing mental health and other challenges,” said Kristen Paquette, CEO of C4 Innovations. “Cherene’s leadership and experiences are very much needed to build pathways to wellness, recovery, and housing stability for all.”
Cherene founded Promise Resource Network (PRN) in 2005, a survivor-led organization operated and staffed by people who have experienced suicide attempts, mental health and substance use diagnosis, long-term homelessness, incarceration, gang involvement, trauma, and domestic violence. PRN was ranked the 2021 2nd Best Non-Profit in the Country to Work For and was featured on NBC for its work with peer-run hospital diversion, recovery-oriented policy, and trauma-informed crisis prevention and response.
“I am honored to join C4 Innovations as a subject matter expert in our mutual commitment to advancing healing and recovery, elevating peer leadership, and driving innovative change,” said Cherene Caraco.
In 2019, Cherene started Peer Voice NC, a statewide movement of people directly impacted by mental health issues to organize and mobilize around legislative and practice change. Cherene is a Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS), Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP), and Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP). She received the 2021 Bazelon Center Recipient Innovator of the Year award.