Draft Agenda (Subject to Change)

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM US EST

Registration

9:00 AM - 9:50 AM US EST

Coffee in Exhibit Hall

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM US EST

Meet Them Where They Are: How Youth Can Turn Personal Interests into Mental Health Change

Speaker: Deb Coffy – Mental Health America's Young Leaders Council

Speaker: Travis Haughton – Mental Health America's Young Leaders Council

Speaker: Asia Horne – Mental Health America's Young Leaders Council

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM US EST

Turning Data Into Action: How MHA’s National Prevention and Screening Program Drives Change

Speaker: America Paredes – Mental Health America

Speaker: Shannah Mulvihill, MA, CFRE – Mental Health Minnesota

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM US EST

Workplace Wellness Strategies That Work for Leaders, Managers, and Employees

Moderator: Suzi Craig – Mental Health America

Speaker: Dr. Tracye Weeks – Mental Health America

Speaker: Shane Silver – Mental Health Commission of Canada

Speaker: Jean Edwards – Siemens USA

Speaker: Lizzie Brennan – EAB

11:30 AM - 12:15 PM US EST

Welcome Luncheon

11:45 AM - 1:15 PM US EST

Welcome Lunch and Opening Session

Speaker: Mary Giliberti – Mental Health America

Awardee: Scott Strode – 2025 Clifford W. Beers Award Winner

Speaker: Andrea Martinez Frey – Citizens

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM US EST

Empowering Youth Expression: A Youth-Led, Creative Arts Program for Mental Health

Author: Josephina Lin, MS – Harvard Medical School

Author: Jennifer McKenzie – The Family Van, a program of Harvard Medical School

Author: Patrick Elvariste – The Family Van, a program of Harvard Medical School

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM US EST

Open Access to Mental Health Medication: Impact to State Medicaid Budgets

Speaker: Leigh Morrissey – Otsuka

Speaker: Mike Schlossberg – Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Speaker: Dr. Le Ondra Clark Harvey – California Access Coalition

Speaker: Heather Bagnall – Maryland - District 33C

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM US EST

Pause to Heal: A Public Education Program on Firearm Restraining Orders

Author: Allison Baum, MBA – The Ad Council

Author: Heather Whetsell, MBA, MSHI – Illinois Department of Public Health

Author: Colleen Creighton, MA – Brady

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM US EST

The Rise of Pop Psychology: Navigating Misinformation in the Digital Mental Health Era

Speaker: Israa Nasir, MHC-LP – Israa Nasir

2:30 PM - 3:15 PM US EST

Exhibit Hall Networking Break

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM US EST

Beyond Participation: Co-Creation as a Path to Meaningful Youth Mental Health Solutions

Speaker: Sidrah Durrani, MA – SecondMuse

Speaker: Aliza Lopez – Headstream

Speaker: Mlumbeni Nkhoma – Headstream

Speaker: Devin Moore – Headstream

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM US EST

Enhancing Community Well-being and Crisis Management for Neurodivergent Individuals: The Role of Neuroaffirming Language in Healthcare

Author: Carina E. Mendoza, MA – UCSD Health Promotion Services

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM US EST

Partnering with School Nurses to Support Student Mental Health

Author: Lisa Hunter Romanelli, PhD – The REACH Institute

Author: Joanna Pitts, BSN, RN, NCSN, CNOR – Virginia Department of Health

Author: Leah Rowland, MD, FAAP – Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Virginia Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM US EST

Rural Mental Health: Unmet Needs and Opportunities for Prescription Digital Therapeutics

Author: Lisa Palko, PharmD – Society for Digital Mental Health

Author: Chuck Strand – Rural Minds

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM US EST

Fireside Chat with Aly Raisman, Gold Medal Gymnast and Advocate

Speaker: Aly Raisman – Gold Medal Gymnast and Advocate

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM US EST

Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall

7:30 AM - 5:00 PM US EST

Registration

8:45 AM - 9:50 AM US EST

Continental Breakfast in Exhibit Hall

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM US EST

Escucha Tus Emociones: A Community Driven Approach to Increasing Access for Emotional Healing In Latinx Communities

Speaker: Cecilia E. Tenorio, MBE – Instituto de Políticas Públicas de Defensores Comunitarios - Escucha Tus Emociones

Speaker: Patricia Luevano Mayorga – Escucha tus Emociones

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM US EST

Moms Are Dying: Confronting the Maternal Mental Health Crisis Through Policy & Advocacy

Speaker: Sogand Ghassemi, MD – PrairieCare

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM US EST

Putting Teens in the Driver’s Seat: Empowering Young People for Sustainable Change at the Micro, Meso, and Macro Levels

Speaker: G Wei Ng, PhD – Our Minds Matter

Speaker: Laura Beth Levitt, Nonprofit Management – Our Minds Matter

Speaker: Jasmin I. Goodwin, School Without Walls HS Graduate – Our Minds Matter

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM US EST

Strengthening Mental Health Systems Through Prevention and Community Support

Speaker: Cara McNulty, DPA – Vibrant Emotional Health

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM US EST

Keynote + Awards Luncheon

Presenter: Courtney Lang, JD – Mental Health America Board of Directors

Awardee: Carmen Thatcher – 2025 George Goodman Brudney and Ruth P. Brudney Social Work Award Winner

Awardee: Casa De Salud – 2025 Betty Humphrey Equity Champion Award Winner

Awardee: Liza Ramrayka for KALW Public Radio – 2025 Media Award Winner

Awardee: "ANXIETY CLUB" – 2025 Media Award Winner

Awardee: "Extra Credit" by Michigan Learning Channel – 2025 Media Award Winner

Awardee: "CAREGIVING " – 2025 Media Award Winner

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM US EST

Aligning for Action: A Strategic Path to Collective Progress

Speaker: Nancy R. Euteneuer, RN – Sourcewell

Speaker: Charitie Herbst, MBA – Sourcewell

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM US EST

Empowering Aging: Older Adult Peer-Based Mental Health Models to Enhance Care and Quality of Life

Speaker: Kim Williams, n/a – Health Management Associates

Speaker: Bill Meehan, MA – Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Geriatric Psychiatry

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM US EST

The Selfie Generation - Exploring Self Diagnosis and Social Media Among Gen Z

Speaker: Esther Fernandez – Made of Millions Foundation

Speaker: Courtney M. Tracy, LCSW PSYD C-PD CCTP C-DBT – Exist Centers | HighTide Mental Health | Truth Doctor Media

Speaker: Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS – President-OCD Wisconsin | Lived Experience Council-One Mind

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM US EST

Trust in 988: A Look at American Adults' Trust in Crisis Systems of Care

Speaker: Madhuri Jha, LCSW, MPH – Thriving For All

Speaker: Christopher W. Drapeau, PhD – Vibrant Emotional Health

Speaker: Johnell Lawrence – Vibrant Emotional Health

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM US EST

Exhibit Hall Networking Break

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM US EST

Bridging the Gap: Community-Based Mental Health Models for Crisis Intervention and Access

Speaker: Riquelmy N. Lamour, LCSW – SOMOS Community Care

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM US EST

Connected Care: How AI and Digital Innovations Are Transforming Mental Health Support for Families and Communities

Speaker: Kibby McMahon, PhD – KulaMind

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM US EST

Turning overdose fatality review (OFR) recommendations into action: Preventing overdoses with non-traditional partners.

Speaker: Emily A. Godfrey, MPH – CDC Foundation

Speaker: Nava Bastola, MPH – CDC foundation

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM US EST

Youth-Driven Mental Health Policymaking for System Transformation

Speaker: Abhinav Anne – World Health Organization

Speaker: Sai Ganbote – Aurora Youth Council & Chicago Youth 4 Neuro

Speaker: Michael J. Stiehl, MS – Chapin Hall

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM US EST

Closing Keynote

Awardee: Aria Rani Sindledecker – 2025 mPower Award Winner

Speaker: Maximiliano Delgado – Mental Health America's Young Leaders Council

Speaker: Margaret Garcia – Mental Health America's Young Leaders Council

Speaker: Cadon Sagendorf – Mental Health America's Young Leaders Council

Speaker: Oleksandr “Alex” Sharlai – Mental Health America's Young Leaders Council