Rowan Willis-Powell
Subject Matter Expert & Manager, Center for Youth Well-Being
Rowan Willis-Powell (she/they) is an experienced systems transformation advocate with 10 years of experience using their living expertise to uplift the voices of youth peers, guide development of youth peer programs, educate the behavioral health community about supporting LGBTQIA individuals, and advocate for appropriate and
equitable suicide prevention and intervention for youth. Rowan has 10 years of experience connecting and mentoring young adults with lived experience in behavioral health service settings to peer support career pathways and leadership opportunities on community, state, and national levels. Rowan has supported numerous organizations and groups with the process of developing or strengthening their youth serving programs and always strives to ensure that youth voice and youth engagement are at the focus of the work.
Rowan is a member of the Center for Youth Well-Being team at C4 Innovations. They work to ensure that voices of lived experience are at the forefront of the work being done. She supports the training and continued education of Project Amp mentors. She also supports the work of the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention and Intervention YEORS study as a subject matter expert in youth suicidality and co-led the work to create the youth advisory board for the project.
Before joining C4, Rowan worked at On Our Own of Maryland where she ran three statewide grants, directed the What Helps What Harms youth-driven system quality feedback project, and helped run the legislative arm of the organization. She has worked with state legislators and advocates to help write and pass legislation that would protect vulnerable populations and ensure that youth can access behavioral health services when they need them. Rowan is a founding member of Maryland’s first Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, a governor appointed member on the Disability Commission, is facilitator and creator of numerous workshops, and has presented three keynotes about mentorship, leadership, and suicidality. They were the President of the Board of Directors for Youth Move National.
Rowan has been invited as an expert speaker to numerous SAMHSA convenings to share her experiences and knowledge about suicidal ideation, crisis services, and youth voice. Rowan approaches every project with a creative solutions focus and aims to ensure that the lived experience voice is at the forefront of their work.
Contact Rowan at rwillispowell@c4innovates.com.
Learn More about Rowan's Work
- Disclosure of Youth Suicidality: Views from Lived Experience
- Reducing Harm in our Response to Suicidal Ideation in Youth, from the perspective of Someone with Lived Experience
- Choice and Voice: How Youth Voice, Autonomy and Persistence Created a Leader (29:25 minute video)
- Why is it important for youth voice to be involved in developing crisis response systems?