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THE HOPE CIRCLE
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Our Leadership

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Board of Directors

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Kurt A. Talbot

M.B.A.

Chair
Boerne, TX

Kurt is an experienced investor with deep expertise in problem-solving and investment prioritization for companies and private energy projects globally. He is the co-founder of EIG Global Energy Partners and served as the Chief Investment Officer and Chair of the Environmental Social Governance Committee. While at Goldman Sachs, he founded its oil and gas direct investment team in Houston. He has a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University and holds an M.B.A. from Texas A&M University.

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Chad Koyanagi

M.D.

Vice Chair
Honolulu, HI

Chad Koyanagi is Medical Director of the Crisis Continuum and Medicaid Services in the Hawaii Department of Health’s Adult Mental Health Division. In that role, he oversees the division’s crisis continuum of care services; oversees and directs the behavioral health services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries; and serves as a liaison between the AMHD and the Department of Human Services (DHS) Med-QUEST Division. He is a community psychiatrist whose professional mission is to improve the entire mental health system, but especially the care of vulnerable populations such as the chronically homeless.

Dr. Koyanagi earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his medical education at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine.

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Mary Palafox

R.N.

Secretary
Orange County, CA

Mary is a registered nurse of 35 years with experience in nursing administration, supervision, and patient care coordination for inpatient and ambulatory care services. She’s known for her innovative and creative abilities in developing systems of practice that are easily managed by a wide variety of medical personnel. Her journey into the mental health system began when her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Since then, Mary has remained a devoted advocate on the local, state, and national levels for healthcare integration, crisis intervention, and the classification of schizophrenia as a neurological brain disorder.

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Gary Labovich

M.S., Pubic Policy

Treasurer
Washington, DC

Gary Labovich is a retired Executive Vice President and Senior Partner of Booz Allen Hamilton, where he led large-scale management and technology consulting efforts across the federal government. During his tenure, he helped grow the firm’s technology business from $300 million to more than $5 billion and managed organizations of up to 8,000 professionals.
 
He brings deep expertise in financial management, governance, and organizational transformation, with advisory roles spanning government, higher education, and the private sector. Mr. Labovich currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Clark University and continues to advise organizations on strategy and execution.
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Donna Taylor

M.S.N., R.N., C.C.M.

At-Large
New York, NY

Donna Taylor has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry and brings a unique perspective to the S&PAA Board, having worked in community, clinic, hospital and managed care settings. She currently serves as the Clinical Director of Behavioral Health at Healthfirst, a not-for-profit health insurance company. A dedicated clinical leader and passionate advocate, Donna collaborates with hospital and community partners to develop and implement innovative programs and policies to improve quality, integration and accessibility of care for individuals and families living with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

Donna has a strong background in nursing, with a master’s degree in psychiatric/mental health nursing and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. She also volunteers with Team Daniel, a nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable organization that advocates for research, engagement and meaningful recovery from psychosis.

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Angela Babaev

D.N.P., C.N.S., M.S.N.

Board Member
Queens, NY

Angela Babaev is an Advanced Nurse DNP/RN and Clinical Nurse Specialist CNS with more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Dr Babaev spent the last 20 years as an executive nursing leader promoting quality excellence in patient care.

Dr. Babaev has overseen the educational, managerial and financial operations in hospital systems, created an innovative nurse recruitment and retention program, led workshops locally and internationally, served as a Lecturer of Program for International Nurses (PIN) and served as 2021-2023 president of the Greater New York Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders.

In addition to her professional role, Dr. Babaev has dedicated more than 20 years as an active community volunteer, philanthropist and passionate mental health advocate for people with serious mental illness and their families, serving as a board member for NAMI-QN and a Family To Family Instructor (a NAMI program for caregivers).

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Anthony Brown

M.S.N., P.H.N., R.N.

Board Member
Anaheim, CA

Anthony is the founder and director of Coordinating & Assisting Recovery Environments located in Anaheim, CA. Since 1999, Anthony’s passion has been focused on providing specialized treatment for individuals who suffer with a mental illness combined with a substance use disorder. After graduation in 2004, Anthony launched his career in Southern California where he began to specialize in co-occurring disorders. This eventually led him into a four-year partnership with a prominent treatment center where he developed and directed a long-term residential treatment model for this specialized population. In 2013, Anthony introduced Coordinating & Assisting Recovery Environments (C.A.R.E.) as a community-based recovery program. He is the author of the life changing book “From Park Bench to Park Avenue.” Anthony is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, where he received his B.S. in Nursing. Anthony has received numerous awards and certificates in the field of Addiction Counseling, Anger Management, and Dual Diagnoses.

Marina Dorotheo

Marina Dorotheo, M.S.​

M.Ed.

Board Member
Arlington, VA

Marina has extensive experience in bringing novel digital solutions to the market, specific to brain health and cardiometabolic conditions. Marina currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Welldoc, a digital health company, focused on integrating AI driven digital chronic care into health care models.   Previously Marina served in commercial leadership roles at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Inc., where she ran several innovation programs focused on schizophrenia and other brain disorders.  There, she led the commercialization of the first digital medicine approved by the FDA, as well as a digital health care coordination program in collaboration with IBM Watson, Judge Steve Leifman, and the Miami-Dade County Behavioral Health ecosystem.   She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University

Matcheri Keshavan

Matcheri Keshavan

M.D.

Board Member
Boston, MA

Dr. Keshavan is the Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, where he is the Academic Head of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He joined the faculty of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Psychiatry and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center in 2008. His work focuses on neurobiological models of schizophrenia and on the development and implementation of early interventions with biopsychosocial treatment strategies. He is the editor of Schizophrenia Research, the official journal of the Schizophrenia International Research Society.

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Robert Laitman

M.D.

Board Member
Bedford, NY

Dr. Laitman is a private practice physician in Bronx, New York. He specializes in internal medicine, nephrology, geriatrics, and the optimal management of clozapine. He loves being a physician and involves himself in the total care of his patients. When his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2006, Robert expanded his practice and became an expert on the treatment of psychosis spectrum disorders and began to specialize in the optimal management of clozapine.

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Patrick McElyea

J.D.

Board Member
Davenport, IA

Patrick McElyea serves as district court judge in the Seventh Judicial District in Iowa and is the presiding judge for the Seventh Judicial Mental Health Court. He received his law degree from Drake University Law School and his undergraduate degree from Central College. He formerly served as a special assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Iowa and was an assistant attorney in Scott County. Judge McElyea has been committed to volunteering with several civic and service organizations to promote mental wellness, education and civic engagement.

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Raquelle I. Mesholam-Gately

M.D.

Board Member
Cambridge, MA
Raquelle Mesholam-Gately, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist with more than 25 years of experience in psychosis-focused research, clinical care, and training. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of Psychological Services for the ASPIRE Early Psychosis Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
 
Her work has advanced understanding of cognitive and functional impairments in schizophrenia-spectrum conditions, with leadership roles in numerous federally funded studies and contributions to widely used assessment tools. Dr. Mesholam-Gately serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance and is committed to integrating lived experience into research and care.
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Tim Murphy

Ph.D.

Board Member
Pittsburgh, PA

Dr. Murphy’s professional work includes over 40 years in healthcare, government service, military, education, and media. He was the only mental health professional in the U.S. House of Representatives with this unique background. Recognized as the national leader in mental health reform, his multi-year investigation into federal problems with mental health policy culminated with a comprehensive bill, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, praised as the most substantial mental health reform in over half a century. The bill passed the House of Representatives 422-2 and was amended into the 21st Century Cures Act signed into law by President Obama in December 2016.

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Eric Smith

M.S.W.

Board Member
San Antonio, TX

Eric Smith is a nationally recognized mental health advocate, public speaker and consultant. He is the founder and owner of Eric W. T. Smith Consulting, LLC. Through lived experience, Eric offers consultation to families and individuals who are impacted by serious mental illness. Eric serves as commissioner with the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health, appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He has given multiple educational presentations to Stanford law students, and has been featured widely in major media, including People magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Oprah Daily, National Public Radio, Dr. Drew’s podcast and live show, The New York Daily News and Yahoo! News.

Eric’s speaking engagements include the 2022 Judicial Summit on Mental Health in Texas and the first-ever Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health Summit in 2023. Part of his journey is featured in the book You Are Not Alone, written by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Duckworth. Eric wrote a chapter about being incarcerated without treatment for mental illness in Navigating Bipolar Country, a book that reached #1 in Amazon’s New Releases in five categories. Eric also authored a section in Awakenings: Stories of Recovery and Emergence from Schizophrenia, a #1 New Release book on Amazon. Eric is a member of the NAMI Texas Public Policy Committee.

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Ariel W. Snowden

Ph.D. Neuroscience

Board Member
Pittsburg, PA

Ariel Snowden, PhD, is a neuroscientist whose work spans translational neuroscience, cognitive neurophysiology, and postmortem brain research. Her research focuses on the neurobiology of psychosis, including oxytocin receptor binding in schizophrenia, EEG studies of social cognition, and transcriptomic analysis of psychotic disorders. She is currently a T32 Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.
 
Dr. Snowden brings both scientific and clinical perspective to her work, informed by early experience supporting individuals with severe mental illness in inpatient settings. She serves on the Family Advisory and Housing Committees of the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance, contributing to national efforts to advance recovery-oriented systems of care.
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Tanya Trevett

M.Ed.

Board Member
Boston, MA

Tanya Trevett is an educator, family partner and mental health advocate with a background in special education. She supports families navigating the complexities of mental illness, particularly focused on young adults and adolescents facing serious mental illness during their college or high school years. Her dedication to mental health advocacy is demonstrated through her former roles at organizations such as OPLM, MPATH and NAMI, where she supported caregivers and helped improve mental health policies and practice.

Tanya is involved in two family advisory councils in Massachusetts. She also leads a monthly support group for the National Shattering Silence Coalition for caregivers of those living with schizophrenia or psychotic disorders. She continues to advocate for mental health awareness and better support systems, leveraging her vast experience to influence policy and create impactful educational content. Tanya is the author of the book Help, I’m Failing as a Mom: The Survival Guide to Raising a Child with a Mood Disorder, a compassionate and insightful resource for parents grappling with similar challenges.

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Lauren Kennedy West

she/they, B.A. Social Development Studies, B.S.W

Board Member
Edmonton, AB, Canada

Lauren Kennedy West is a mental health advocate, speaker, and content creator who brings both lived and professional experience to her work. She was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, and has a background in social work, offering a dual perspective on recovery and mental health system.

She is the creator and host of a widely viewed educational YouTube channel, formerly called Living Well with Schizophrenia, focused on serious mental illness, recovery, and hope. In 2024, she publicly shared and documented her experience of trying metabolic therapies, particularly medical ketogenic therapy, to treat her schizoaffective disorder. It completely changed her experience of her illness and her life. Her channel is now called Living Well After Schizophrenia and she is dedicating her advocacy to bringing this therapeutic intervention to as many others as possible, and challenging limitations of our current understanding of treatment and recovery.

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Joel White

B.S.

Board Member
McLean, VA

Joel founded Horizon Government Affairs in 2007 and is a veteran of Capitol Hill who served as staff director for the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. He also is president of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, whose mission is to lower health costs for all Americans. He founded a service organization called Arlington Bridge Builders, which serves 20,000 low income food- and housing-insecure people in his community. He is on the board of directors of the Samaritan Inns, one of the largest homeless treatment and housing shelters in Washington, D.C. Joel spent 12 years on Capitol Hill as professional staff, where he helped enact nine laws, including the 2002 Trade Act, the 2003 law that established the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Health Savings Accounts, the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act and the 2006 Tax Reform and Health Care Act. Joel is co-author of the book Facts and Figures on Government Finance and holds a B.S. in Economics from the American University.

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Michael Wolfe

B.B.A.

Board Member
Doylestown, PA

Mike spent nearly 37 years at Johnson & Johnson in executive management positions with a strong focus on patient advocacy leadership responsibilities across brain health and neuroscience.  He held leadership roles in sales, sales management, marketing, payer, policy and advocacy (advocacy group types: patient, professional and trade organizations), and built and led several innovative and successful internal and external coalitions.  He also held commercial, Medicaid and state mental healthcare system responsibilities across New York and New England. Mike obtained his BBA in Marketing from East Tennessee State University.

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Mindy Greiling

M.Ed.

Board Member
Roseville, MN

Mindy Greiling served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 20 years, where she initiated the first state bipartisan mental health caucus after her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She served on state and national NAMI boards and is the immediate past president of NAMI Ramsey County. She co-chairs NAMI Ramsey County’s advocacy for Clubhouse International and is leading advocacy for more affordable housing that fits people with serious mental illnesses. Greiling’s memoir, Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker’s Fight for Her Son, was published in 2020, and she co-hosts the podcast Schizophrenia: Three Moms in the Trenches.

Staff

Gordon Lavigne

M.Ed.

CEO
Alexandria, VA

Gordon joined Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance as CEO in November 2020. He previously served as Executive Vice President of Operations since September 2018.

Before joining the organization, Gordon held executive management positions with leading nonprofits including the Alzheimer’s Association, the ALS Association, and Autism Society of America coordinating and executing strategies to accelerate organizational growth. 

Gordon earned a B.S. in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College and a Master of Education degree from the University of Vermont.

Marissa Shepherd

Director of Operations
Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Marissa joined the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance in March 2023. Previously, she was the founding Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Medical University Health Care clinic and Center for Integrated Primary and Mental Health Care. She has a LEAN/Six-Sigma Green Belt and more than a decade of experience in management, operations, finance and grant accountancy for nonprofit organizations. Her career and interests are focused on reducing healthcare disparities and advancement of marginalized individuals and groups.

Marissa is a Certified Public Accountant, and earned a Master’s degree in Professional Accountancy and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas.   

Anne Pappas

Anne DeGeorge

Development Director

Anne joined the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance in June 2025 as Director of Development. She leads the organization’s fundraising strategy in support of its mission and long-term growth. Her background in healthcare development includes roles at the American Heart Association and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, where she focused on building meaningful relationships that connect donors with causes that improve the health of our communities. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from Indiana University and is deeply committed to mental health advocacy, volunteering with both local and national organizations to expand access to care and reduce stigma.

Arundati (Arun) Nagendra

Ph.D.

Director of Research and Scientific Affairs
Chicago, IL

Arun joined the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance in May 2023. She is spearheading the development and execution of a scientific strategic plan that will leverage research projects and science communication to better serve the needs of those with lived experience of schizophrenia and related disorders.

Arun earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed her clinical fellowship at Yale University’s School of Medicine, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Erica Tingler

Erica Tingler

Director of Communications

Erica joined Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance in May 2025 as a marketing and communications strategist with 20 years of experience in leading integrated campaigns that drive both business growth and public health impact. With expertise in digital marketing, internal and external communications, and content creation, she’s supported enterprise-level initiatives across sectors including Mayo Clinic, the D.C. Department of Health, and United States Pharmacopeia. She is deeply experienced in mental health and pharmaceutical journalism. Erica holds B.S. degrees in communications, English and education from Kent State University and is pursuing an MPH from the University of Maryland, Global Campus.

Krissa Rouse

Krissa Rouse

M.A., L.C.P.C.

Support & Resource Coordinator

Krissa is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) who joined Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance in March 2025 to bring clinical expertise to the oversight of support groups and resource line. Krissa has nearly a decade of experience supporting individuals and families after an initial episode of psychosis as a clinician, community educator, and family supporter. Krissa earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology at Towson University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology at University of Baltimore. Krissa has a private practice and volunteers for local nonprofit organizations to support individuals and families living with schizophrenia and other serious mental health conditions with psychosis.

Priya Chirayil

Priya Chirayil

Research Assistant

Priya is a health scientist supporting the research goals of S&PAA. They have nearly two decades of experience in health research, with training in both the molecular biology and social determinants of health conditions. Priya earned master’s degrees in epidemiology and social work from Columbia University, and also holds a master’s degree in virology from the University of Texas. They are passionate about health equity, and about incorporating the micro-, meso-, and macro- environments of mental health conditions into outcomes research.

Scientific Advisory Committee

The Scientific Advisory Committee provides strategic guidance and direction for S&PAA’s global programming on:

  • Research projects, specifically our research strategic plan development and execution.
  • Scientific education, specifically our education strategic plan development and execution.
  • Scientific communication, including contributing to the dissemination of scientific findings relevant to S&PAA’s mission and providing expertise on involvement in media or legal affairs.
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Holly Krasa

M.Sc.

CEO and Managing Director, Blue Persimmon Group

Committee Chair

Matcheri Keshavan

Matcheri Keshavan

M.D.

Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School Head of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Committee Co-Chair

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Kristen R. Choi

Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, FAAN

Assistant Professor, School of Nursing University of California, Los Angeles

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Lynn DeLisi

M.D.

Attending Psychiatrist and Professor, Cambridge Health Alliance Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School Editor-in-Chief, Psychiatry Research

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Chad Koyanagi

M.D.

Medical Director, Crisis Continuum and Medicaid Services Hawaii Department of Health, Adult Mental Health Division

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Diane Gooding

Ph.D.

Full Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Medicine University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Phil Harvey

Ph.D.

Leonard M. Miller Professor of Psychiatry, Vice Chair for Research and Director of the Division of Psychology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Senior Health Research Scientist, Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center 

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Dolores Malaspina

M.D.

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Raquelle Mesholam-Gately

Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

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Jason Shafrin

Ph.D.

Senior Managing Director, Center for Healthcare Economics and Policy, FTI Consulting Adjunct Professor, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California

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Michael Townsend

M.A., L.C.S.W.

Internship Coordinator, Gateway Counseling Center

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Peter Weiden

M.D.

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University

Peer Advisory Committee:

Peer Advisory Committee (PAC) Description Overview

S&PAA has a Peer Advisory Committee to support individuals with schizophrenia and is composed of people with direct lived experience, including those managing schizophrenia and their caregivers. This group provides invaluable insights into the challenges and needs faced by the community, ensuring that our programs, resources, and advocacy efforts are both relevant and effective. By integrating their lived experiences, the committee helps design better services, offer feedback on programs, and suggest innovative approaches that resonate with those they aim to support.

The committee also strengthens S&PAA’s mission by advocating for greater awareness and breaking down stigmas surrounding schizophrenia. Through active participation in program evaluation, strategic guidance, and resource development, they ensure the organization’s work is compassionate, inclusive, and impactful. Their contributions foster trust, promote community engagement, and help align services with real-world challenges, ensuring the organization remains a trusted leader in supporting individuals with schizophrenia and their families.

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Lisa Guardiola

M.H.P., R.S.S.

Illinois

Headshot

Amanda Kaye

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Zuharalove Namibia

South Carolina

Rob Ramos

Rob Ramos

Texas

Freelance Artist

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Angela Smith

California

Paulie

Paulie VonEdWærd-Benjamin

Michigan

Holistic Healing

Family Advisory Committee

Family Advisory Committee (FAC) Overview

The Family Advisory Committee for S&PAA is composed of family members and caregivers of individuals living with schizophrenia and related serious mental illnesses. This committee plays a vital role in shaping our programs and services, offering perspectives grounded in their caregiving experiences. By voicing the needs, challenges, and advances experienced by families, the Family Advisory Committee aims to ensure that the organization’s initiatives remain relevant, practical, and deeply impactful. Their insight helps S&PAA prioritize family-focused resources, refine support group offerings, and tailor education programs to better equip caregivers.

The Family Advisory Committee also fosters a bridge between S&PAA and the broader caregiver community, building trust and encouraging greater participation in advocacy efforts. By engaging in program development and providing feedback on current strategies, the committee strengthens our ability to address systemic barriers and promote family resilience. Their contributions ensure that families feel seen, supported, and empowered in their caregiving roles, making them an essential part of S&PAA’s mission to improve the lives of those impacted by schizophrenia.

Tracy Ganser

Tracy Ganser

Minnesota

Gus Granger

Gus Granger

Texas

Marjorie Greenberg

Marjorie Greenberg

Virginia

Matt Petersen

Matt Peterson

Minnesota

Randy Rodriguez

Randy Rodriguez

Florida

Ariel Snowden

Ariel Snowden

Utah

Karen Steingart

Karen Steingart

M.D., M.P.H.

Oregon

Christen White

Christen White

Arizona

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