Board of Directors

Fran Silvestri, MBA, recently left the role as founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Leadership Exchange (GLE), which he helped organize in 2003. IIMHL is jointly funded by ten countries, to build partnerships between mental health leaders in order to rapidly exchange knowledge of best and promising practices internationally.

Before his work with GLE, Fran was CEO of Monadnock Family Services (MFS) in Keene, NH. In this role he looked internationally to identify, and then replicate, innovative services that promote recovery and social inclusion for consumers of mental health services. Such services have included the Wyman Way Cooperative, an independent, non-profit corporation managed and operated by consumers of mental health services (based on the Trieste model). He was a founder of a state wide Integrated MH network in New Hampshire owned by six hospitals, 10 MH centers and the largest physician practice in the state.

Through his work with IIMHL, he has assisted in building international collaborations resulting in the rapid transfer of innovations and creative practices from one country to another.

The unique week long IIMHL Leadership Exchange is held every two years and is a unique global experience for key MH leaders to meet international colleagues, share knowledge and build partnerships. IIMHL also has facilitated a series of ongoing collaborations on specific topics and has partnered with the WHO on their Special Initiative working with 10 low and middle income countries to link key national mental health leaders to support developments.

Jodi Nerell, LCSW is the Director of Local Mental Health Engagement for Sutter Health. In her role, Jodi facilitates cross-sector (hospital, managed-care plans, CBO, NPOs, counties) and interdisciplinary partnerships (peers supports, CHWs, RNs, MDs, clinicians) to better serve the behavioral health needs of our community. This includes addressing opportunities for innovation in the community setting specific to mental health and addiction- addressing ongoing systematic, programmatic and operational issues for populations with complex health/social needs who are often faced with seeking care in acute settings due to lack of availability to or access to, outpatient behavioral health care.

Dr. Richard Dougherty is President of the non-profit organization BasicNeeds US and recently retired, after 35 years of leading DMA Health Strategies, a national behavioral health policy and research organization. Dick is particularly pleased that DMA now has reorganized into a worker and woman owned cooperative.

As President of BasicNeeds US, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Dick volunteers all his time and provides support for effective and recovery-driven, global mental health policy, with a particular focus on low-income countries. He leads fundraising, grant-making, advocacy and technical assistance with a network of BasicNeeds programs and with global advocates. He advises numerous national organizations, has published extensively, sits on several boards and received the 2011 Walter Barton Distinguished Fellow Award from The College of Behavioral Health Leadership.

Dr. Dougherty went to Colgate University, the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and received his Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from Boston University.

Marcy Melvin is a pivotal executive with over 25 years of experience in behavioral health policy, training, and clinical practice. As a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas her experience includes providing direct clinical and supervisory services to children, youth, parents, and young adults in various clinical settings including residential, in-home, outpatient, private practice, primary, secondary, and post-secondary locations. Marcy is extremely passionate about advancing health equity and reducing disparities and disproportionality; this has been a culmination of her life’s work in various clinical, organizational and systems settings.

Marcy has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Fisk University.

Victor Armstrong serves as Vice President for Health Equity and Engagement with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In addition, he is the National Director of Soul Shop for Black Churches, a workshop that teaches faith leaders how to minister to congregants that may be dealing with suicidal desperation. Victor previously served as Chief Health Equity Officer for North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, with responsibility for leading the overarching strategy and operational goals to promote health equity, diversity, and inclusion across all the agency’s health and human services. Victor has also served as ‪Director of the NC Division of Mental Health, with responsibility and oversight of the public community-based mental health, intellectual and other developmental disabilities, substance use, and traumatic brain injury system in North Carolina. Prior to his NC state government roles, Victor spent six years as Vice President of Behavioral Health with Atrium Health. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Victor has over 30 years of experience in human services, primarily dedicated to building and strengthening community resources to serve individuals who have been historically marginalized. ‬‬‬‬He is a nationally recognized speaker on issues regarding health equity and access to healthcare, particularly as it relates to individuals living with mental health challenges.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Victor currently serves on the steering committee of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. He also serves on the Board of Directors for RI International as well as the Board of Directors for I2I Center for integrative health. He is a member of the Board of Advisors for East Carolina University School of Social Work and is the host of the “Strong Talk” podcast.

Victor’s awards and recognitions include:

• Living Waters Annual Mental Health Summit 2022 “Lifetime Mental Health Champion” Award
• National Association of Social Workers North Carolina (NASW-NC) 2022 Social Worker of the Year
• Addiction Professionals of NC (APNC) 2021 DEI Leadership & Impact Award
• Mental Health America’s 2021 H. Keith Brunnemer, Jr. Award for “Outstanding Mental Health Leadership”
• Black Mental Health Symposium 2019 Mental Health Advocate of the Year
• East Carolina University School of Social Work 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NC, 2012 Mental Health Professional of the Year

Victor graduated, Magna Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s degree in business management and received his MSW from East Carolina University. He is the husband of Dr. Charletta Armstrong and the father of three sons, Carter, Alonzo, and Victor Jr.

Gary M. Blau, PhD, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who serves as the Founder of “Gary M. Blau, Ph.D. & Associates.” He is also Executive Director Emeritus of The Hackett Center for Mental Health and a Senior Fellow for Children’s Mental Health for the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. With over 30 years of experience as a leader in the field of child, youth, and family mental health, Dr. Blau most recently served as the Senior Advisor for Children, Youth and Families in the Office of the Assistant Secretary at the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). He had previously served as Chief of the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch for SAMHSA where he provided national leadership for child, adolescent, and young adult mental health, and created “systems of care” across the United States.

Prior to his return to SAMHSA, Dr. Blau was the Executive Director of The Hackett Center for Mental Health, the first regional center of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. After two highly successful years of growing The Hackett Center, Dr. Blau was ‘detailed’ to SAMHSA as the Senior Advisor. Dr. Blau also served as the Bureau Chief for Quality Management and Director of Mental Health at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the Director of Clinical Services for the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern, Connecticut. He has been acknowledged as the “father” of Youth M.O.V.E. (Youth Motivating Others through Voices of Experience), which now has over 70 chapters nationwide, and as the “founder” of the “National Building Bridges Initiative (BBI),” which is focused on improving outcomes for youth who receive residential interventions.

Dr. Blau is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Connecticut Governor’s Service Award, the Phoebe Bennet Award for outstanding contribution to children’s mental health in Connecticut, and the Making a Difference Award presented by Connecticut’s Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. He was also proud that upon the occasion of his leaving Connecticut, the Governor proclaimed December 12, 2003, as ‘Dr. Gary Blau Day.” For his national work, Dr. Blau received the HHS Secretary’s Award for Meritorious Service for his national leadership in children’s mental health, and he was the first recipient of the Rock Star Award, presented by Youth M.O.V.E. National, for “being a true champion for the youth movement and advocate for youth voice.” This award has now been named the “Dr. Gary Blau Award” and is given yearly to a mental health professional who has distinguished themselves as a voice for youth.

Dr. Blau has over 70 professional publications and is the editor of nine books. He previously held a clinical faculty appointment at the Yale Child Study Center, and more recently he was appointed as an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Baylor College of Medicine, and as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Louis A. Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health.

Dr. Blau received his B.A. degree in psychology from the University of South Florida (USF), and he was a recipient of the 2021 USF Distinguished Undergraduate Psychology Alumni Award, “In Recognition of Contributions to the Field of Psychology.” He received his doctorate from Auburn University. He is proud to be married to his wife for over 40 years and they have two adult children and six grandchildren.

Jonah C. Cunningham currently serves as President and CEO of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD). In this role he proactively advocates for national policies that recognize and support the critical role counties play in caring for people affected by mental illness, addiction, and developmental disabilities. In this capacity he also serves as Executive Director of the National Association for Rural Mental Health.

Prior to joining NACBHDD, Jonah worked at Trust for America’s Health, a public health think tank, where he focused extensively on ways to reduce mortality from substance misuse and suicide. Additionally, he worked as a congressional staffer for several years in the office of Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (CA) where he helped to reestablish the Congressional Mental Health Caucus and created a Suicide Prevention Task Force within the Caucus.

Jonah C. Cunningham has received numerous awards and recognition for his commitment to the field of behavioral health and those served by the nation’s behavioral health system. Jonah has a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Utah and a Master of Public Policy from The George Washington University. In his free time, he enjoys learning how to cook and is an avid Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.

Taina Martinez, MSW, NYCPS, has been employed at Baltic Street Wellness Solutions (formerly Baltic Street AEH, Inc.) since 2002 and was appointed as the new CEO as of September 2020. Taina brings over 20 years of peer supervision, advocacy, and vocational services to individuals with mental health and substance use/misuse diagnoses. Taina is passionate about advocacy that addresses equality and service disparities in low socioeconomic communities. She believes in the power of peer specialists and the integration of peer advocates in all areas of recovery and support. Taina often states, “Peer advocacy supports are integral to all social determinants of health! We cannot allow social or health policies to be written without the inclusion of the peer perspective and insight.”

Taina participates on several committees and boards across New York State; she is the Treasurer of the Alliance for Rights and Recovery (formerly New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS)), is President of the New York State Peer Certification Board, is a member of the Institute for the Development of Human Arts (IDHA) board, a member of WCNY-IPA, and is a professional participant in developing and overviewing the exam of the MHA National Certified Peer Specialist. Taina graduated from Stony Brook University with her MSW, is a New York State Certified Peer Specialist and is looking forward to pursuing her Ph.D. in researching transgenerational trauma and the links of systematic oppression within the mental health and justice system.

Rachel Rhodes is a dedicated healthcare professional with deep experience working in substance use prevention and outpatient therapy. Leveraging her social work background, she is an empathetic leader, a skilled relationship builder and an adaptable administrator.

Rachel has worked with children, youth, families, in the behavioral health, criminal justice and adult foster care systems.

Before joining Health Management Associates, Rachel was Oakland Community Health Network’s regional substance use disorder prevention coordinator. In this role, she was responsible for needs assessment, program management, grant proposal monitoring, and budget development and administration. She helped reduce the county’s retailer violation rate for selling tobacco products to minors to below 20 percent and received the 2023 Preventionist of the Year Award from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Rachel is a licensed master social worker with direct and supervisory clinical experience. She has managed assessment and placement at a community mental health agency and has overseen the community and treatment care team for people with serious mental illnesses who have been found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity.
Rachel has worked as a substance use prevention specialist, outpatient therapist and direct care counselor. She is also an at large board member for The College for Behavioral Health Leadership, where she is collaborating on the emerging leaders project.

Rachel earned a Master of Public Administration, a Master of Social Work, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Grand Valley State University. In addition to her social worker licensure, she is a certified prevention consultant.

Outside of work, she dedicates her time to her rambunctious son and acting in local plays.

Dr. Christopher Zubiate is an esteemed leader in health policy, administration, and practice. He possesses over two decades of experience, dedicating his professional career to serve some of California’s most disenfranchised and unhealthy populations—those suffering from persistent mental illness. His personal experiences as a member of the Native American community, paired with his expertise in healthcare administration and clinical social work, underpin his unique ability to effect changes that result in more inclusive, innovative, and cost-effective systems.

Dr. Zubiate’s passion for enhancing healthcare services extends beyond his role as a healthcare administrator; he is also an entrepreneur, opening and funding a variety of community education, social, and healthcare agencies. Throughout his career, he has managed treatment centers, specialty hospital programs, and multiple mental health clinics, even administering a clinical services department with over 400 professional staff and a budget exceeding $30 million annually.

At present, Dr. Zubiate holds the position of President and CEO of Ever Well Health Systems, an organization committed to advancing and integrating behavioral healthcare across the country. He also offers his expertise as a Charter Member of Legatus, an organization for top-ranking Catholic business leaders.

Previously, Dr. Zubiate founded and served as the President and CEO of Psynergy Programs, Inc., where he provided leadership in developing licensed adult residential facilities. He was also the Acting Director at the Center for Multicultural Development at the California Institute for Mental Health, where he researched, developed, and implemented culturally appropriate mental health services.

Dr. Zubiate holds a doctorate degree in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and a master’s in social work from San Jose State. His specialties encompass government, finance, healthcare, workforce issues, and mental health services. He continues to make strides in creating lasting change and delivering quality care in healthcare systems. He lives with his wife and children in California’s Greater Bay Area.