Jackie Menjivar is the Manager of Peer and Youth Advocacy at Mental Health America. She oversees the day-to-day operations of MHA’s youth leadership initiatives and develops content to promote youth leaders, reflect youth perspectives, and report on the evolving field of youth mental health.

Before joining MHA, she served as Content and Creative Strategist at youth-powered non-profit DoSomething.org. Throughout her career, Jackie has sought to amplify the voices and needs of young people through education, advocacy, and storytelling.

While her work has spanned across several social justice issues, mental health remains a passion—informed largely by her identity as a survivor and person living with mental illness.

Jackie Zimmermann is the Manager of Public Education Partnerships and E-Learning at Mental Health America (MHA). In her role, she coordinates MHA webinars, assists in the development of materials for various public education campaigns, and updates online content.

Jackie graduated from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse with a B.S. in Public and Community Health Education and a minor in Healthcare Analytics Management. Jackie’s own lived experience has influenced her passion for increased mental health education, awareness, and early intervention.

Jennifer Molina is the Individual Giving Manager at Mental Health America (MHA). She works to manage, cultivate and steward relationships with major donors as part of MHA’s signature major giving program, Clifford Beers Society. As part of the development team, she works with all aspects of online giving—including Giving Tuesday & Annual appeals.

Jennifer has over 13 years of experience in the non-profit sector, specifically working in fundraising & development.  Jennifer has a deep passion for giving back and has contributed many hours in her spare time to volunteer for causes dear to her heart.

Email Jennifer: jmolina@mhanational.org

Jenny is the Senior Director of Grants Management and Affiliate Engagement at Mental Health America (MHA). In this role, she identifies pathways to enhance engagement and grant funding from MHA to the Affiliate Network, prioritizing collaborations and opportunities that advance mental health equity and the mental health of diverse populations. She provides technical assistance and support to the Affiliate Network on all aspects of the grant lifecycle.

Jenny brings eight years of varied mental and behavioral health experience, as well as five years of grant fundraising to her position, including federal grant oversight. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work and a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Dr. Jessica Jackson (she/her) is MHA’s Vice President of Alliance Development. She leads relationship-building and information exchange with external health-related partner. She is a licensed psychologist with over a decade of experience spanning startups, hospitals, nonprofits, and the United Nations. A former assistant professor of psychiatry, Dr. Jackson brings academic rigor to real-world challenges, her research focus has been on dismantling barriers to treatment for underserved populations through inclusive, tech-enabled solutions.

Dr. Jackson holds a B.A. in Psychology from North Carolina A&T State University, an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. With over ten years as a licensed clinician, she frequently speaks on topics related to mental health and equity, reflecting her enduring commitment to improving population health and improving access to quality mental healthcare for all.

Jessica Kennedy is the Chief Strategy and Finance Officer at Mental Health America, where she has worked for over a decade. An expert in nonprofit management, she began her career in operations before expanding her focus to screening, workplace mental health, public education, digital marketing, mental health policy, and program management. Jessica developed and launched Mental Health America’s online screening program in 2014; the program has since collected nearly five million mental health screens and is recognized as the largest database of mental health screens in the world. She later managed the launch of a major expansion to the screening program that drew over five million web hits in its first year. She has authored content on substance use, trauma, bipolar disorder, and anxiety for the launch of the site. She helped develop Mental Health America’s Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health. She led the redesign of the Mental Health America website in 2013, increasing visitors from one million per year to six million per year during her time as webmaster. Jessica has published content on topics addressing caregiver issues, mental health and substance use conditions, and recovery. She speaks at conferences and meetings, often addressing mental health in the workplace or representing Mental Health America on topics ranging from policy to programs. She lives in Alexandria, VA, and loves the Washington Capitals, traveling to new places, and spending time with friends and family.

Email Jessica: jkennedy@mhanational.org

John Marion is the Data Scientist for MHA’s Center for Research and Innovation (CRI) team. In this role, he helps provide quantitative analysis of MHA’s website and screenings, and he helps the CRI team in both research and understanding the needs of the site’s users. Prior to joining MHA, John studied economics at The Ohio State University, served two terms in AmeriCorps NCCC, and graduated from Columbia University’s quantitative methods in the social sciences program.

Kara Rowland is Vice President of Communications for Mental Health America, where she leverages her strategic communications chops and insider’s knowledge of how newsrooms work to craft and execute media strategy in support of MHA’s mission and vision.

Kara’s nearly 19 years of experience includes time as a member of both the White House and Capitol Hill press corps, reporting on everything from the economy, health care and foreign policy to politics. With a background in print as well as television, Kara helps organizations take advantage of press opportunities across all media platforms. She has successfully applied her expertise on behalf of commercial, government and nonprofit clients to secure positive coverage and op-eds in national outlets such as CNN, the New York Times, USA Today and ABC News, as well as key trade and community media.

Kara received her bachelor’s degree in American Government from the University of Virginia and holds a master’s degree in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics.

Kelly Davis is the Vice President of Peer and Youth Advocacy at Mental Health America, where she works on the expansion of peer support and young adult leadership. She is passionate about lived experience-driven programs, policies, organizations, and research. Kelly has been awarded the Disruptive Innovator Award by the National Association of Peer Supporters and the National Peer Leader of the Year Award by Peerpocalypse. She is a certified yoga teacher and holds a certificate in Applied Positive Psychology from The Flourishing Center.

Kelly and her work have appeared in the New York Times, Teen Vogue, NBC Nightly News, NPR, and the White House. She recently earned her master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania where she served as a research assistant in the Perelman School of Medicine studying lived experience perspectives of inpatient psychiatric units. She is currently pursuing a certificate of specialization in mental health leadership from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Email Kelly: kdavis@mhanational.org

Kevin Rushton designs online experiences and platforms to help people understand and take charge of their own mental health. He manages the MHA Screening website, which includes screening tools, interactive self-help tools, and psychoeducational articles. His goal is to reach people early in their mental health journey, creating tools that fit into their lives and empower them to make positive changes in their lives.

Previously, Kevin has worked in a variety of mental health-related settings. Most prominently, he worked as a case manager at House of Hope, a women’s substance abuse treatment facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to working with clients individually to address behavioral issues, he directed the facility’s psychoeducation program, developing and implementing curriculum on a wide variety of topics related to mental health and substance abuse.

As a Project Coordinator, Khendra Lucas (she/her) serves as the “glue” to the MHA research team, helping to organize documentation, engage stakeholders & manage data from the MHA screening program.

Prior to joining MHA in 2022, Khendra obtained a bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences and Psychology. From there, she amassed a wealth of experience in education, research and nonprofit management. One of her proudest accomplishments is being an Outreach Specialist for the Shelby County Tax Impact project, where she was able to engage over 10,000 people in free income tax preparation and perform a quasi-experimental study on the Earned Income Credit’s effect on child development and family well-being. Experiences like these plus her own lived experience with ADHD, trauma, and anxiety have fueled Khendra’s passion for mental health advocacy. Khendra takes special interest in enhancing the accessibility and awareness of essential services that improve mental well being for historically marginalized communities.

Kristen Abell (she/her) is the Director of Website and Digital Projects at Mental Health America, where she provides oversight, strategy, and updates for the website, as well as managing digital tools/projects for the organization.

Prior to joining MHA in 2022, Kristen worked in higher education as everything from a communications director to a director of residential life, as well as working in women’s centers and academic advising along the way. The majority of her communications experience has been as a web developer and content strategist providing oversight for a university websites.

Kristen has a master’s in social work from the University of Kansas, and has been a long-time advocate for individuals experiencing mental health conditions. She has been writing and speaking about her own experiences with depression and anxiety for the past ten years, specifically addressing the needs of staff and faculty in higher education when it comes to mental health. Kristen lives in Utah with her partner and teenage son, as well as their dogs Margot “Tenney” Tenenbark and Alice “Ali” Cullen and her son’s cat Eliza.