The Center's Advisory Board consists of mental health consumer/survivors, researchers, educators, family members, consultants, trainers, and advocates with extensive experience in the area of psychiatric disability, health, and wellness. The board meets annually with Center staff to review progress on projects, provide feedback and advice, and assist with dissemination activities. The board's involvement is invaluable in furthering the Center's mission and widening our audience to include a variety of constituencies.
T. Arthur, M.Ed., M.A.
T. E. Arthur, currently the Manager of Consumer, Family and Public Affairs at Maryland Health Partners, has extensive experience in the mental health field. He has directed several Psychiatric Rehabilitation Programs in Maryland and Out Patient/Partial Hospitalization Programs in Washington D.C. He has held office on various Boards including the Maryland Association of Psychiatric Support Services (MAPSS), USPRA (formerly IAPSRS), Mental Health Association of Maryland, Maryland Works and other advocacy organizations. He has been a long time Associate Professor at several colleges in Maryland as well as conducted many mental health workshops on such topics as employment, expressive arts, stigma, cultural diversity, managed care and other related issues. He was a contributing author to the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health on the topic of cultural diversity. |
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Mary Ann Beall
Mary Ann Beall, a person who has had severe psychiatric disabilities since early childhood, has been an outspoken advocate for effective services and humane treatment for people with psychiatric disabilities. In her home state of Virginia, she served on the Grants Review Panel for the Virginia Mental Health Planning Council which awarded Block Grant Funds to seven consumer-run programs, she was the first person with major mental illness to serve on the State Mental Health Board and is the founding president of the Virginia Mental Health Consumers Association. Nationally, she sits on the Task Force on Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Psychiatric Disabilities for RSA and NIDRR, and she is a member of the Women, Violence and Mental Health Technical Expert Group for CSAT, CMHS and NWRC. She is the NAMI National Policy Chair, and was the second consumer elected to the NAMI National Board. She is also an artist and artisan, a potter, a glass worker, and designs and makes her own jewelry. |
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Joe Bevilacqua, Ph.D.
Dr. Bevilacqua, currently a private consultant, has over 30 years of experience working in the mental health field. He has served as a state commissioner of mental health in three states during his long, distinguished career. He serves on a number of Advisory Boards in addition to the NRTC NAB, including the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), Green Door Psychosocial Program, and NAMI Rhode Island. Recent project collaborations have been with The Commission on Mental Health Services in Washington, DC, Mississippi Families as Allies, the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, and the Erna Yaffe Foundation in Providence, RI. Dr. Bevilacqua is a long time advocate for the rights of individuals with mental illness. |
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Caroline L. Kaufmann, Ph.D.
Dr. Kaufmann is a researcher and consumer advocate in mental health and disabilities. She has served on the faculties of the University of Pittsburgh and the University of South Florida before returning to private practice as a consultant. She serves on the advisory boards of the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) and the Public Health Advocate Steering Committee for the American Public Health Association. She has numerous publications relevant to consumer-run mental health services, informed consent to psychiatric treatment, and employment of people with disabilities. Dr. Kaufmann is a person with disabilities and a consumer of mental health services. |
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Harriet P. Lefley, Ph.D.
Dr. Lefley, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Miami School of Medicine, has over 30 years experience in mental health research, training, and services. She serves on a number of national advisory and editorial boards, has refereed for nineteen scientific journals, and is author or co-editor of seven books and over 100 articles or book chapters on community mental health, cross-cultural issues, and services for persons with severe mental illness and their families. Dr. Lefley was formerly chair of the NAMI Curriculum and Training Committee and a founder of her local and state NAMI groups.She has a family member with long-term schizophrenia and continues to be involved in consumer advocacy, family education, and training psychiatric residents in models of psychiatric rehabilitation. |
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Rev. Laura L. Mancuso, MS, CRC
Rev. Mancuso serves the mental health community in California as an interfaith chaplain. She has worked in leadership roles in public mental health at the local, state, and national level for 20 years. She traveled to twenty states to train 8,000 mental health consumers, family members, business people, legal advocates, and mental health & rehabilitation practitioners on the application the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to workers with psychiatric disabilities. She published "Case Studies on Reasonable Accommodations for Workers with Psychiatric Disabilities" in 1993; authored a federal government report entitled, "People with Psychiatric Disabilities, Employment, and the ADA" in 1996; wrote "Successful Employment of Consumers in the Mental Health Workforce" in 1997; co-edited NASMHPD's "Technical Assistance ToolKit on Employment for People with Psychiatric Disabilities" in 1999; and served as Project Manager with the Santa Barbara County Department of Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health Services from 1994 to 2007. She is a member of the Statewide Steering Committee of the California Mental Health & Spirituality Initiative, and served as the Initiative's Founding Director from 2008 to 2010. She is a trained Spiritual Director, a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and ordained minister who strives to honor all faith traditions, as well as the spiritual paths and life philosophies of those who do not adhere to any religion. |
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Joan Nobiling, M.A.
Joan L. Nobiling, MSEd. is currently employed as a Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner/Educator at Family Service of Rochester, Inc.'s Main Street Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation Treatment Program (IPRT). Joan has over 30 years of experience in the Mental Health Field as a consumer, volunteer, advocate, and provider of services. Currently, Joan is field-testing Taking Charge, a self-help coping skills program in the Rochester area in conjunction with the NYAPSRS Recovery and Rehabilitation Training Collective. In addition to the UIC NRTC NAB, Joan also participates on several other Boards and Committees, including Matrix Research and Training Institute Community Review Group and Advisory Committee, NMHA Prevention Committee, and DePaul, Inc. Honorary Board. She serves as the Treasurer of the National C/S/X Coalition. For the past 25 years, Joan has been leading a weekly Recovery, Inc. group meeting. Joan received the 1994 IAPSRS Consumer Advocate of the Year award, as well as being honored for her work by the Mental Health Coalition of Rochester, New York, which presents an annual Joan Nobiling Consumer Empowerment Award. |
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Alberto Santos, M.D.
Dr. Santos earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and a masters degree in experimental psychology from USC in Columbia, and subsequently received his medical education and psychiatry residency training at MUSC in Charleston. After a fellowship at the NIMH Psychiatry Education Branch, he returned to Charleston to join the faculty at MUSC where he is currently Professor and Director of Residency Training in psychiatry. Dr Santos is a member of the American College of Psychiatrists, a fellow of the APA, and an examiner for the American Boards of Psychiatry and Neurology. His current research activities focus on innovative community-based services and are supported by several NIMH Services Research grants. He is arguably best known as founder and drummer for "The Psychodynamics - The World's Only All-Psychiatrist Rock and Roll Band." |
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Andrea Schmook
Andrea Schmook, who self-identifies as a recovered mental patient, is a private consultant working in Anchorage, Alaska. Formerly she was Chief of Consumer Affairs of the Illinois DHS-Office of Mental Health. She serves on several advisory boards and is a member and board secretary of the National Consumer/Survivor Mental Health Administrators. An example of initiatives that she headed up were hiring Consumer Specialists within 9 state hospitals, providing TA to community agencies on hiring consumers/ survivors, and developing "The Recovery Vision" for Illinois. In addition, she provides consulting, technical assistance, and workshop and training, and keynote speaking around the country. |