Our 2021 speaker line up is coming soon! Stay tuned for more details.
Peter Carson
Board Chair, Mental Health America
Paul Gionfriddo
President and CEO, Mental Health America
Joshua Gordon
Director, The National Institute of Mental Health
Bakari Sellers
Former State Legislator and CNN Contributor
Melissa T. Merrick
President and CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America
Kenneth Cole
American Designer and Activist
Luz Maria Garcini
Assistant Professor, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy
America Paredes
Associate Vice President of Partnerships & Community Outreach, MHA National
Solomon Thomas
Defensive Lineman for the San Francisco 49ers and Mental Health Advocate
Senator Tim Kaine
United States Senator
Senator Bill Cassidy
United States Senator
Maurice Benard
Mental health advocate, television and film actor, and New York Times best-selling author
Jean-Phillipe Regis
Associate director of the All Children - All Families program at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Matt Collins
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Ariel Brown
Board President & Founder, The Emotional PPE Project
Daniel Saddawi-Konefka
Board Director & Founder, The Emotional PPE Project
Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H.
20th Surgeon General of the United States
Tom Starling
Immediate Past Board Chair, Mental Health America
Kelly Davis
Director of Peer Advocacy, Supports and Services, MHA National
Cheyenne Kippenberger
Miss Indian World
Allison Kurtz
National Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network and Patient Advisor for Cincinnati Children’s Transgender Youth Clinic
Elissa Lee
Reporter for the Center for Health Journalism
Michelle Williams
Grammy Award Winning Singer/Songwriter and Activist
Leslie Boggs
President of the National Parent Teacher Association
Neil Leibowitz
Chief Medical Officer, Talkspace
Theresa Nguyen
Chief Program Officer and Vice President of Research and Innovation, MHA National
Chirlane McCray
The First Lady of New York City
Rebecca Cokley
Director of the Disability Justice Initiative at American Progress
Mary Giliberti
Executive Vice President of Policy at Mental Health America
Ricky Watson
Executive Director, National Juvenile Justice Network
Marissa Howdershelt
MHA Collegiate Mental Health Innovation Council Member
Joi Rhodes
MHA Collegiate Mental Health Innovation Council Member
Juan Acosta
MHA Collegiate Mental Health Innovation Council Member
Ananya Cleetus
MHA Collegiate Mental Health Innovation Council Member
Braden Renke
MHA Collegiate Mental Health Innovation Council Member
Kevin Love
Forward-Center for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Mental Health Advocate
Ibram X. Kendi
#1 New York Times bestselling author, professor of history and international studies, and the Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
Additional speakers to be announced soon - bookmark this page to stay informed!
Bell Chime Session Speakers
New this year - ten-minute, first-person stories from the main stage.
Ashley Sides Johnson
MHA of Vanderburgh County
Ben McAfee
Board of Directors, NAMI Broward County
Kelley Kitley
Author and Winner, MHA 2019 Brudney Social Work Award
Kim Sirois Pita
Board Chair, Mental Health Connecticut
Manya Chylinski
Author and Survivor of Boston Marathon Bombing
Samantha Hedden
Outreach Coordinator, Mental Health Minnesota
Shamaila Khan
Assistant Professor & Clinical Director, Center for Multicultural Mental Health, Boston University School of Medicine
Terry McGuire
Digital and Community Outreach Specialist, MHA of Wisconsin
Tom Starling
CEO, MHA of the Mid South
Breakout Session Speakers
Alejandra Posada
Chief Operating Officer, MHA of Greater Houston
Aleksej Wilczek
Cosplayer & Screenwriter, WeDiscoverGeeks
Alexandra Orlandi
Co-developer, National Museum of Mental Health Project
Amber Wavryk
Manager of Educational Programs, WE Schools
America Paredes
Associate Vice President of Partnerships & Community Outreach, MHA
Angel Jones
Ph.D. Student, George Washington University
Anita Burgos
Senior Policy Analyst, The Bipartisan Policy Center
Aubrey Fine
Professor Emeritus, Department of Education, California State Polytechnic University
Brandon Dreiman
Captain, Coordinator of Firefighter Wellness & Support, Indianapolis Fire Department
Brijan M. Fellows
Program Director, University of Marlyand School of Medicine
Brittany Barnes
Director of Program Impact, MHA of Palm Beach County
Brook Griese
Co-Founder, Judi's House and JAG Institute
Brooksi Bottari
Director of Veterans Initiatives, Melwood Veteran Services
Bushra Ul-Haq
Director of Educational Programs, WE Schools
C. Grace Whiting
President and CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving
Candice Sorapuru
Co Founder/Clinical Director, Innovative Approaches Counseling Center
Chance Browning
Senior Director of Programs, Caregiver Action Network
Dana Foglesong
President, The International Association of Peer Supporters
Debbie Plotnick
Vice President for State and Federal Advocacy, Mental Health America
Donna Hardaker
Manager of Workplace Mental Health and Peer Engagement, Sutter Health
Douglas Bates
Assistant Professor, Winston-Salem State University
Ellen Kahn
Senior Director of Programs and Partnerships, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Francesco Paladino
Certified Cognitive Life Coach and Comedian
Glenn Albright
Associate Professor, Baruch College of the City University of New York
Guyton Colantuono
Executive Director, Project Return Peer Support Network
Helga Luest
Director of Marketing and Publications, Abt Associates
Janet Pozmantier
Founding Director, Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston
Janine Francolini
Founder, Flawless Foundation
Jean-Phillipe Regis
Associate Director of All Children - All Families, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Jeanine Hoff
Founder, Where is the Sunshine?
Jenna White
Fairfax County Council PTA, Liaison to the Trauma Informed Community Network
Jennifer Spiegler
Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, Kognito
John Schall
Chief Executive Officer, Caregiver Action Network
Josie Cooper
Director, Movement Disorders Policy Coalition
Joy Burkhard
Founder and Executive Director, 2020 Mom and Mom Congress
Kat Mahoney
Owner/Creative Visionary and Life Skills Speaker, WeDiscoverGeeks
Kevin Lynch
Founder, President, and CEO, The Quell Foundation
Kristina Baker
Director of Recovery and Resilience, MHA of Palm Beach County
Liz Charpentier
Documentary Subject, Lift the Mask
Louise Fleming
Chair of the Board, CARES Foundation
Margaret Hines
Founder and CEO, Kevin and Margaret Hines Foundation
Maria Sperduto
MOMS Partnership Scaling Coordinator (New York City), Elevate: A Policy Lab in Yale School of Medicine
Marianne Burdison
Senior Director of Strategic Alliances & Development, Government Relations, Centene Corporation
Marion Cooper
Executive Director, Canadian Mental Health Association of Manitoba and Winnipeg
Melanie Funchess
Director of Community Engagement, Mental Health Association of Rochester/ Monroe County
Michaeleen Renee Burns
Chief Clinical Officer, Judi's House and JAG Institute
Mike Sodini
President, Walk the Talk America
Nichole Goble
Program Coordinator, Caregiver Action Network
Nova Mahoney
Youth Artist, WeDiscoverGeeks
Pamela Greenberg
President and CEO, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness
Patrick Hendry
Vice President of Peer Advocacy, Supports & Services, Mental Health America
Paul Piwko
Co-developer, National Museum of Mental Health Project
Rachael Steimnitz
Senior Manager of Program Implementation, Thrive in your Workplace
Renee Folzenlogen
Arts in Mental Health Coordinator, the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, Inc.
Sara Pineda
Director of Programs, El Centro De Amistad
Sherwood Randolph Jr.
Behavioral Healthcare Manager, Capital Area Health Network
Sophie Pauze
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Mayor's Office of ThriveNYC
Steve Silvestri
Director of Public Policy, EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases
Steven Feldman
Executive Director, Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI)
Sue Bergeson
VP of Consumer Affairs, Optum
Taylor Adams
Manager of Workplace Mental Health, Mental Health America
Terry Keane
Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Boston University
Thomas Lane
Senior Director of Recovery and Community Supports, Magellan
Tim Neal
Director of Athletic Training, Concordia University Ann Arbor
Tre Gabriel
Flawless Fellow, Flawless Foundation
Victor Armstrong
Vice President Behavioral Health, Atrium Health
Yanina Tsenkina
CEO, CYC Biomedical Consulting
Zenithson Ng
Clinical Associate Professor, The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture College of Veterinary Medicine
