Keris Jän Myrick is a co-director of the Mental Health Strategic Impact Initiative (S2i) and the developer and host of the mental health and equity-focused podcast Unapologetically Black Unicorns. She was formerly the Chief of Peer and Allied Health Professions for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and has served as the Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs for the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the United States Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and was the Board President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). In 2021, she was awarded MHA’s highest honor, the Clifford W. Beers Award, for reflecting the example set by MHA founder Clifford W. Beers in efforts to improve conditions for, and attitudes toward, people living with mental health conditions.
Ms. Myrick has over 15 years of experience in mental health services innovations, transformation, and peer workforce development. She also serves on the board of the National Association of Peer Supporters and is a Co-Editor of the Journal of Psychiatric Services “Lived Experience and Leadership” column. Ms. Myrick has an M.S. in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology of Alliant International University and an MBA from Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management.