Tess Barragan Banko, MSW/MPA, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in the Engineer field in 2000. She serves as the Project and Community Director for the West Los Angeles Veterans Collective (WLAVC.org) partnership under U.S.VETS, building the largest housing and supportive services community of 3,000-plus estimated residents for formerly homeless and at-risk Veterans, their families and Veteran caretakers at the historic West LA VA. Tess deeply identifies with all those on their paths to recovery, wellness and empowerment due to her own personal struggles with physical injury, MST and PTSD resultant of military service. She has a diverse background that includes organizational management, community organizing and development, human services programming, implementation and leadership, and behavioral health and wellness (including trauma, resilience, post-traumatic growth and suicide prevention and postvention interventions). Also a suicide loss survivor and military family member (her Marine husband died by suicide on active duty in 2004), Tess has a holistic and unique perspective on the needs of Veterans and their families. She has been regularly featured by the DirecTV SAVE Veteran Suicide Prevention campaign and at LA County Department of Mental Health's Suicide Prevention conferences as both a panelist and moderator. Tess is honored to continue to serve the community on behalf of her military and Veteran sisters, brothers and their families. She served as an appointed LA County Mental Health Commissioner for 3rd District County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath, on the Los Angeles Mayor’s Veteran Suicide Prevention Challenge for Military and Veteran Families, the Pacific Palisades American Legion Post 283 board for 5 years (as Chaplain, 3rd and most recently in 2022 as 2nd Vice Chair), and currently Chairs the American Legion Department of California Mental Health Committee that is dedicated to Veteran and family wellbeing including suicide prevention.