Grace Cepe (she/her) serves as the Communications Officer for MAPS. Broadly, her responsibilities include supporting public education strategies about psychedelic-assisted therapies, health equity, and drug policy reform. She earned her B.A. in psychology cum laude from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). At UCSC, Grace was a research assistant for the social psychology department’s Sexual and Gender Diversity Laboratory, an instructor’s assistant for an introductory psychology course, and a residential counselor intern for at-risk foster youth. Before joining MAPS as Communications Officer, Grace volunteered with MAPS, San Francisco Psychedelic Society, and the Chacruna Institute, and she was an activist with Decriminalize Santa Cruz.
As of 2023, Grace is pursuing an M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management at UC Berkeley. She seeks to integrate critical consciousness theories, social justice praxis, cultural competency, and mental health equity in her professional career. Since attending MAPS’ Psychedelic Science Conference in 2017, she has deepened her interests in culturally-informed psychedelic-assisted therapy, Indigenous ceremonial uses, and inclusivity and diversity within psychedelic storytelling. Outside of MAPS, Grace loves reading books in cafés, hiking in woodsy petrichor, and grooving to R&B, hip-hop, and Latin music.