Katy Armendariz

Katy Armendariz, MSW, LICSW, is the founder and Executive Director of Roots Wellness Center, an award-winning, immigrant-owned behavioral health organization she launched in 2013 to transform how communities access healing and recovery services. A Korean adoptee, social worker, and nationally recognized systems-change advocate, she combines lived experience with clinical expertise to advance culturally rooted, trauma-informed approaches that bridge behavioral health, community healing, and social justice. Her work is recognized for challenging traditional models of care while creating innovative solutions that improve access, strengthen communities, and advance health equity.