Email: ruben_at_preventioninstitute_dot_org

Ruben Cantu is a Director at Prevention Institute, where he supports policy, narrative, and partnership strategies. As part of a cross-functional leadership team, he helps drive systems and policy change, build momentum for prevention-centered approaches, and strengthen organizational capacity across communications, development, and ecosystem-building initiatives. A key focus of his work is fostering connections across emerging and funded initiatives while helping staff build and sustain collaborative networks. His expertise encompasses designing and leading communities of practice and learning communities, narrative strategy, and health equity- and racial justice-centered program planning and implementation.

Since joining the organization in 2016, Ruben has co-led projects spanning community safety, mental health and well-being, and community trauma and resilience. His key accomplishments include advancing efforts to address community trauma through PI's Adverse Community Experiences and Resilience framework; launching and leading the inaugural year of SYNC Safety, a CDC-funded network of over 20 Black- and Brown-led organizations across the U.S. applying public health approaches to violence prevention; and co-leading Making Connections for Mental Health and Well-Being Among Men and Boys, a national community of practice of 13 coalitions implementing upstream resilience strategies.

He has led initiatives with diverse multisectoral partners, including the Annie E Casey Foundation, California Commission for Behavioral Health, Ideastream Public Media (Ohio), Houston Health Department, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center, Oakland Department of Human Services, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Santa Clara County (CA) Department of Public Health.

His extensive publications include Building Safe, Active, and Connected Communities for Youth and Young Adults, Centering Equity & Justice in Rebuilding the Nation’s Public Health Infrastructure, Framing Community Safety, How California’s Community-Based Organizations Filled the Gaps for Underserved Communities, Situating for Success: Lessons Learned from the Evaluation of the Making Connections Place-based Mental Health Initiatives Involving Boys and Men of Colour Across the United States (in Health Promotion with Adolescent Boys and Young Men of Colour), Socially Connected Communities, Uplifting Contextual and Experiential Evidence: Promising Practices and Recommendations, and numerous additional policy briefs, reports, and blog posts.

Ruben serves on several state and national advisory bodies, including the International Transformational Resilience Coalition, California State of Equity, and for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Recognized for his leadership in health equity, racial justice, community safety, and violence prevention, he is a frequent speaker at national convenings, such as the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, PolicyLink Equity Summit, Cities United, and the Safe States Annual Conference, among many others.

With nearly 30 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Ruben previously spent a decade at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN). There, he served in multiple leadership roles and authored California’s strategic plan for reducing mental health disparities alongside several other influential equity publications.

A native of the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, Ruben remains closely connected to his roots. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking and traveling with his husband of more than 20 years.