Celebrate Progress. Elevate Voices. Honor Comunidad.
3rd Annual LMHANJ Celebrate & Elevate Gala | Thursday, October 8, 2026 | The Brownstone, Paterson, NJ
Join us for an unforgettable evening of celebration, connection, and empowerment. As we gather for our third annual gala, we honor the fuerza, excelencia, and resilience of our comunidad, and the dedicated professionals working every day to advance mental health equity for Latino families across New Jersey.
This is more than a gala. It is a movement. Every ticket purchased, every seat filled, and every sponsorship secured goes directly toward expanding access to mental health care and funding the LMHANJ Futuro Fund- our scholarship program investing in the next generation of culturally competent mental health leaders.
Last year our gala sold out. We expect 2026 to be no different. Secure your seat early.
Come celebrate, elevate, and be inspired. We cannot wait to welcome you for a night that uplifts our voices, honors our comunidad, and fuels lasting change.
We are honored to welcome
Camelia M. Valdes, Esq.
Passaic County Prosecutor, trailblazer, and community champion, as the keynote speaker for the 3rd Annual LMHA-NJ Celebrate & Elevate Gala.
Camelia M. Valdes is the Passaic County Prosecutor. When Ms. Valdes was nominated in 2009 by Governor Jon S. Corzine and confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, she became the first Latina County prosecutor in the State of New Jersey, the first woman prosecutor in Passaic County, and the first lead prosecutor of Dominican ancestry in the United States. Currently, Prosecutor Valdes is the most senior County Prosecutor in the State of New Jersey. As the chief law enforcement official in Passaic County, she is responsible for the management of approximately 185 assistant prosecutors, detectives, victim advocates and support staff, a $20 million office budget and the oversight of 16 municipal police departments, the police departments of William Paterson and Montclair State Universities and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department. Prosecutor Valdes is a career prosecutor. She served as a Municipal Prosecutor in the City of Newark, a Deputy Attorney General in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, an Assistant Governor’s Counsel to Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark. Her experience has ranged from investigating and prosecuting municipal offenses to complex federal crimes that included human trafficking, health care fraud, financial offenses, and violent crimes. Born to Dominican parents in the Bronx and raised in Newark, New Jersey. Prosecutor Valdes is a graduate of Barringer High School. She received her undergraduate degree in sociology from Seton Hall University in 1993, her law degree from Rutgers Law School-Newark in 1996 and her LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University School of Law in May 2001. As the proud mother of two daughters with autism, Isabela and Elsa, she endeavors to raise awareness about autism and the special needs community. Prosecutor Valdes is an active life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She was initiated into Gamma Zeta Chapter and is currently a member of Beta Alpha Omega Chapter (Newark, Irvington and Hillside).
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