From Classroom to Clinic: How Stacy Wells Bridges Education, Equity, and Behavioral Health in Minnesota

Over 12,000 Minnesotans rely on direct care and treatment services each year. But what happens when those services reflect the same inequities that brought people into the system in the first place?

That’s the tension Stacy Wells navigates daily—leading equity in one of the most complex public health systems in the Midwest.

🎙️ Meet Stacy Wells: Leading With Purpose in Public Systems

Stacy Wells didn’t start in healthcare. She started with a communications degree and a heart for service. After transitioning from PR to education, she earned a master’s in curriculum, instruction, and policy. She taught in Minneapolis Public Schools, but soon realized that transforming a single classroom wasn’t enough. The disparities she saw in education—especially among Black, Indigenous, and students of color—pushed her toward systems change.

That calling led her to the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), where she worked across sectors—deaf and hard of hearing services, disability, behavioral health—as an equity director. Today, she leads the Health Equity and Learning & Development departments in Minnesota's Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) system.

DCT isn’t just any department. It delivers behavioral health and psychiatric care to people who’ve been civilly committed, turned away from other providers, or involved in the criminal justice system.

Wells leads equity work in a space where the stakes are high, the patients are vulnerable, and the disparities are sharp.

🔍 What Makes This Role So Different?

Stacy leads in a part of DHS that directly serves 12,000 people and employs over 5,500 staff. These are individuals that most systems often avoid or fail.

• Overrepresented Populations: Black and Indigenous men are significantly overrepresented in Minnesota’s psychiatric and behavioral health facilities.
• Staff-Client Disconnect: The workforce doesn’t reflect the demographics of those being served.
• Complex Diagnoses: Many clients have dual behavioral health and legal challenges, including civil commitments and history of trauma.

Stacy's job isn’t just operational. It’s moral. It’s about ensuring that these clients—often overlooked—receive culturally competent, respectful care. And that the staff learns what equity really looks like in action.

🧠 From Educator to Equity Leader: Why It Makes Sense

Stacy’s background in teaching laid the foundation for her current leadership in healthcare equity. In schools, she saw firsthand how disparities start early and how unprepared some educators were to connect with students from different cultural backgrounds—even those who shared their race or ethnicity.

The lessons transferred into public health:

• Schools are often the first system to detect family crises or mental health issues.
• Social workers, teachers, and counselors are part of the health system too.
• Educators influence how families navigate services and how young people show up in society.

Her lens remains interdisciplinary: education, public health, behavioral care, and cultural identity all intersect in her work.

🧭 The DEI Work Doesn’t Stop—Even When the Headlines Say So

We’re in a moment where DEI work is under attack. The terms “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” have been politicized. Some organizations are “complying in advance”—preemptively backing off from equity efforts out of fear of political backlash.

But Stacy pushes back on that narrative.

“Just because someone decided to put the words on a list doesn’t make them illegal,” she said. “All the reasons we need to do this work still exist—and in fact, things are probably getting worse.”

She reminds us that equity work is rooted in civil rights, human rights, and compliance. These are not optional initiatives. They are part of what a just system requires.

Even when organizations like Target retreat from their equity pledges, Wells says the public reaction matters. It shows people are watching—and that they care.

💡 Cultural Competence Isn't Optional—It's Clinical

Cultural awareness is often treated like a soft skill in healthcare. But as Stacy points out, it’s clinical.

When a patient doesn't feel seen or heard, especially in a mental health crisis, outcomes worsen. Trust plummets. Compliance drops. Recovery stalls.

Here’s what Stacy and Corey discussed:

• Patients trust providers who understand them. This isn’t about race-matching alone. It’s about communication, empathy, and curiosity.
• Default assumptions fail people. Just as educators default to white cultural norms, healthcare does the same unless challenged.
• Providers need humility. Even the most experienced professionals must stay curious, especially when they don’t share the cultural background of their patients.

The goal is not perfection. It’s connection. And the more providers commit to cultural humility, the better they serve.

🛠️ Community-Led Solutions Require Real Power Sharing

Both Stacy and Corey agree: the community knows what it needs. But most organizations are still uncomfortable handing over the mic.

Too often, agencies run community needs assessments, collect the data, and still default to pre-planned solutions. They check the box but ignore the nuance.

“Ask people what they need, how they want it delivered,” Stacy says. “And don’t just do it once. Go back. Ask again. Adjust.”

She gave an example: a university offered child care to Latina students to increase enrollment. But few used it. Why? Because those mothers didn’t want to leave their kids with strangers. They preferred family or community care. A simple tweak—supporting family caregivers—made all the difference.

The lesson? Don't just assume the barrier. Ask about the form the solution should take.

📢 Speak Up, Even When It’s Uncomfortable

Both Stacy and Corey shared moments of being the only Black voice in a room full of agreement. When everyone else nods in unison, pushing back can feel isolating.

But silence equals consent.

Stacy encouraged professionals—especially those doing DEI or community work—to interrupt the groupthink. Speak up. Raise questions. Model courage.

Sometimes, your counterpoint will shift the whole room. Sometimes, it won’t. But either way, it plants a seed.

“Even if the decision doesn’t change, someone may walk away thinking differently,” Stacy said.

🛡️ Protecting Yourself While Doing the Work

Equity work is personal. Especially for Black women like Stacy, who must lead with professionalism in systems that often reflect the very injustices she’s fighting.

So how does she take care of herself?

• She keeps her daughter front of mind. Her daughter, 21, is in college. “Everything I do is to make her world better,” Stacy says.
• She chooses joy. From family to friendships to laughter, Stacy finds restoration in Black joy.
• She steps away when needed. Rest is non-negotiable. She aspires to a “soft life,” one filled with care, quiet, and community.
• She doesn't carry ignorance alone. When people say wild things, she listens—but doesn’t take it personally. “I ask them to be sincere, so I have to be open too,” she says.

🧩 The Work Ahead: Equity Isn’t a Moment. It’s a Mindset.

At the end of the conversation, Stacy makes one thing clear: this isn’t a trend or a job title. This is generational work.

Black women are being fired at higher rates. DEI offices are shrinking. The wins feel small, and the setbacks are loud. But quitting is not an option.

Every time a young person sees a culturally aware therapist…
Every time a Black man receives quality care in a state-run facility…
Every time a provider listens instead of assuming…
That’s change.

Not flashy. Not fast. But real.

✅ Key Takeaways

1. Cultural competence saves lives.
Healthcare equity isn't only about outcomes. It’s about relationships. Listening to the lived experience of the patient is clinical.

2. Representation matters—but humility is essential.
We need a diverse workforce. Until then, everyone must commit to cultural humility, continuous learning, and discomfort.

3. Real equity means real power sharing.
Bring communities into decision-making—not just as a checkbox, but as architects of the solution.

4. DEI isn’t dead.
It’s under attack, but the need is growing. Leaders must double down on doing the work even when the language becomes politicized.

5. Protect your joy.
You can’t dismantle oppressive systems if you're burnt out. Take breaks. Find joy. Build community.

✊🏾 Closing Message from The Healthy Project

If you took something from this conversation, don’t just close the tab. Share it. Forward it to a colleague. Play it at your next team huddle. Talk about it at dinner.

This is the kind of work that doesn't just live in boardrooms and policy memos. It lives in the barbershop. It lives in the staff lounge. It lives in our communities.

You can listen to the full interview with Stacy Wells on The Healthy Project Podcast.

📣 Call to Action

• 🎧 Subscribe to the podcast
  Stay in tune with public health leaders making change where it matters.
• ✉️ Subscribe to The Healthy Project newsletter
  Get stories like this delivered to your inbox each week.
• 📲 Share this post on LinkedIn or Instagram
  Tag a health equity advocate you respect.
• 💬 Join the conversation
  What stuck with you from this conversation with Stacy Wells? Drop a comment or DM on our social channels. Let’s build better systems—together.

If you’re still reading, that means this conversation hit home. Let it live beyond the screen.

‍