Alexandria, VA (July 12, 2022) – Mental Health America (MHA) held its Annual Delegate Assembly last month and voted in six new national board members. MHA is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of mental health and business professionals, affiliate leaders, people with lived experience, and advocates for its mission. Meeting quarterly, the Board directs the strategic objectives and policies of the organization.
Below are brief biographies of the six new members.
John Boyd, PsyD, FACHE
John Boyd, PsyD, FACHE, is the CEO of Rogers Behavioral Health’s Hospital Division. He oversees Rogers’ three inpatient hospitals and 15 residential treatment centers in Southeast Wisconsin, as well as outpatient clinics in 20 communities across the country and Supportive Living services in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
He has an extensive background in healthcare administration, previously serving as CEO for Sutter Health’s Mental Health & Addiction Care Services. He earned a Master of Health Administration degree at University of Southern California and a doctorate in psychology at California School of Professional Psychology. An active mental health advocate, he is also on the national board of the Steinberg Institute and is a commissioner for the State of California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. He previously served on MHA’s board from 2016-2021.
Robert Davison, M.A., LPC
Robert N. Davison, MA, LPC, is the chief executive officer of the North Jersey-based Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, Inc, an MHA affiliate. Davison manages the overall operations of a comprehensive community mental health facility that serves the needs of more than 1,800 individuals each day.
In addition to his professional service, he maintains his interest in community issues in a variety of other ways. He was a founding board member of the Newark-based Partnership for Children of Essex County Inc., a child-welfare agency and was a founding member and past president of Advance Housing Inc., a community-based organization whose mission is to provide independent, normalized living arrangements for individuals with mental illnesses. A former three-term councilman in Caldwell, he also served as a legislative aide to Assemblyman John F. McKeon. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of The Bridge, Inc., a non-profit family service agency based in West Caldwell. A 1984 graduate of Seton Hall University, he received his master’s degree in counseling from Montclair State University in 1990.
Ben Harrington, M.A. Ed
Ben Harrington is the CEO of the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, an MHA affiliate, and has held the position since 1994. He is actively involved in advocacy matters at the local, state, and national policy levels as well, having served on or chaired numerous boards, including the Tennessee Mental Health Planning and Policy Council and Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. He has also served on MHA’s Affiliate Relations Committee for several years and has been a Regional Policy Council representative.
He has been honored by the United Way of Greater Knoxville with the Wayne Murdoch CEO of the Year Award and in August 2010 he received the Health Care Heroes Award for Community Service presented by the Greater Knoxville Business Journal in recognition of the Mental Health 101 and Mental Health Matters in the Workplace programs. He earned a BA in History in 1982 from Heidelberg University and his M.A. Ed in Education Counseling in 1984 from Bowling Green State University. He is married to Norma Harrington and together they have two sons, Donovan and Jackson, and two dogs, Baxter Bugtussel and Lady Violet.
Jenifer LG Holland
Jenifer LG Holland is the founder and principal of JLG Consulting. She is an independent consultant based in the greater Washington, DC area and has served as an on-staff consultant for BoardSource for nearly a decade. Prior to starting JLG Consulting, she was Associate Vice President, Consulting for BoardSource.
Her work is grounded in personal experience, having been a nonprofit founder and executive director herself for the Alliance for Community Enhancement (ACE), a place-based collaborative and mentorship organization in New York City. She has guest lectured at Georgetown University on nonprofit governance and is a contributing author to the BoardSource publication Putting Purpose First: Nonprofit Board Leadership Today. She also serves as Vice Chair of the board for The Restoration Center, Inc. – a Prince George’s County, Maryland-based nonprofit that provides services to promote the mental, physical, and spiritual well-being of individuals, couples, and families.
Keris Jän Myrick, MBA, M.S.
Keris Jän Myrick is a co-director of the Mental Health Strategic Impact Initiative (S2i). She is also 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. She 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.
Jason Z. Qu, J.D.
Jason Z. Qu, J.D. is a Managing Attorney for the Nonprofit & Small Business Legal Assistance Programs at the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center. In this role, he trains and counsels nonprofit leaders on a range of issues including entity formation, corporate governance, tax/IRS compliance, employment law, and risk management—with a focus on both established and start-up organizations—and matches local organizations with pro bono counsel to provide ongoing legal support.
Prior to joining the Pro Bono Center, he worked as an associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP in Washington, D.C. representing clients in government regulatory proceedings before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). He also worked for the University of Toronto as the coordinator of a sustainable food and urban agriculture incubator and as the Executive Director of the University of Toronto Sexual Education and Peer Counseling Center. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Equity Studies and Anthropology from the University of Toronto and Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the D.C. and New York bars. He also teaches legal practice as an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
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About Mental Health America
Mental Health America (MHA) is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of all. MHA’s work is driven by its commitment to promote mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including prevention services for all; early identification and intervention for those at risk; integrated care, services, and supports for those who need them; with recovery as the goal. Learn more at MHAnational.org.