Holly Gursslin Beseda, M.Ed., NCC, LPC is a Senior Program Coordinator and Co-Director of Early Childhood Grants at the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health (TIEMH), housed within the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. A Licensed Professional Counselor since 2011, she brings more than 18 years of leadership and practice experience across public, nonprofit, and academic settings. Beseda earned her Master of Education in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. To intentionally strengthen and formalize the leadership, project management, and strategic planning work she has led for many years, she completed a UT Austin Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Project Management. This graduate-level, non-licensure program provided a certificate of completion which was pursued to deepen and refine existing professional practice. Beseda also holds a Certificate in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation from Georgetown University. Her work focuses on advancing early childhood and family mental and behavioral health through systems building, technical assistance, and cross-sector collaboration at local, state, and national levels. She is known for building lasting relationships, supporting policy to practice, supporting large-scale initiatives, and always striving for sustainable mental health systems. In August 2025, Beseda was recognized in the Austin American-Statesman’s Extraordinary Women series for her leadership in co-piloting a new infant and early childhood mental health care system in Texas. She is currently expanding her work into research and evaluation of early childhood mental health systems at the state and local levels.
Projects:
- Co-Director: Texas LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) – SAMHSA 2023 – 2028
- Co-Director: Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five – HHS/TWC 2022 – 2026
- Child Training and TA Coordinator: South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (ending in 2023)
- Early Childhood State Development Coordinator: Thrive (ending in 2023)
- Early Childhood State Development Coordinator: Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) (ending in 2019)