Influential Woman · Nonprofit
Kalea D. Elliott
Co-Owner / Director of Peer Support Services, Family Community Case Management
Bedford, TX 76022
Her Story
About Kalea
Dr. Kalea Elliott, BS, CHW, QMHP-CS, MHPS, CFP-S, CPMC, PSS, is a behavioral and mental health professional, nonprofit leader, entrepreneur, and creative technology specialist based in Fort Worth, Texas. She serves as Co-Owner and Director of Peer Support Services at Family Community Case Management, a nonprofit organization she co-founded with her husband to support youth, families, and individuals through behavioral and mental health services, community support, case management, therapy, maternal mental health resources, and coping-skills development. Her professional background also includes leadership in peer support, quality supervision, customer support, photography, marketing, web development, and business operations.
Throughout her career, Dr. Kalea Elliott has developed expertise in behavioral and mental health services, peer support, community-based services, training, and program development. She holds multiple professional credentials, including Mental Health Peer Specialist, Certified Peer Specialist Supervisor, Certified Family Partner Supervisor, and Community Health Worker, and has served as a Certified Peer Specialist Instructor. Her leadership responsibilities have also involved developing organizational websites and marketing materials, supporting technology initiatives, and creating educational and peer-support resources. In addition to her work in mental health, Dr. Elliott is the owner of Kalea Daion Portraiture, where she applies her creative skills in photography and visual storytelling.
Dr. Kalea Elliott holds a Bachelor of Science in General Studies with a minor in mental health care from East Texas A&M University, along with an Associate of Arts in General Studies from Tyler Junior College. She also has training in media communications and web design and development, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of her career. Beyond her professional responsibilities, she contributes to community and faith-based initiatives through volunteer work in quality assurance, technical support, and church media operations. Dr. Elliott's career reflects a commitment to combining education, lived experience, technology, creativity, and compassionate leadership to strengthen support systems for individuals, families, and communities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kalea
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my willingness to continue to breathe and strive forward. I have a very beautiful family, and I have three wonderful children and two grandbabies and one on the way. And I could not do it without the support of them. I also have a very deep life experience as a woman growing up with autism, as a child of a woman who was affected by drug use who has been clean for 40 years, and as a person with traumatic grief, and as a woman who has survived and thrived outside of two domestic violence relationships. I attribute my success to my willingness to never settle and never give up and keep striving forward.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I could have ever received is, it's not an attack, it's information. And we're here to gather the facts. I was a quality assurance specialist, and you get tutored as being the bad guy for pointing out all the issues. But it's just information, and you're here to help. And so, if they think you're the bad guy, you probably are, and it's okay.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
No is an entire sentence, and we are not built to bend and kiss butt. Your ideas and views matter, and if it's not valued in this space, there are billions of other spaces you can be, ideas can be valued in, and if you don't have a space, create it. Be willing to be your own wheelhouse when it comes to the growth of your ideas.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I face is finding people who are willing to support our cause through volunteering and funding. Although we operate a business, the resources we generate are reinvested into our programs to help more people. Volunteers are especially important because they make it possible for us to provide meaningful support, even through simple acts of compassion. Securing consistent funding and building a strong volunteer network remain key opportunities for us to expand our impact.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are integrity, respect, maturity, and accountability. I carry these values in both my professional and personal life because they define who I am and how I treat others. I believe in knowing my worth, standing confidently in my abilities, and never compromising my principles or making myself smaller for anyone. I strive to bring authenticity, strength, and purpose to everything I do.
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