C. Patrick Babcock

Mr. Babcock also serves as a program director of Comprehensive Community Health Models of Michigan, a WKKF initiative to become partners with three Michigan communities that want to reform their health care systems.

Mr. Babcock has a long career of service with the state of Michigan, and has held several leadership positions with human service agencies. Before joining the foundation, he directed the Michigan Department of Social Services. Prior to that he headed the Michigan Department of Mental Health and the Michigan Department of Labor. His governmental career spanned 20 years and several Democratic and Republican administrations. His other roles with the state included adviser and administrator of programs related to aging services, substance abuse, and legislative affairs.

Mr. Babcock, who also was a research professor for public policy at Wayne State University, Detroit, serves on various committees and boards related to human services.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Western Michigan University and a master’s in social work from Wayne State University.

Waltraud Prechter

For a quarter century, Mrs. Prechter served as the closest business advisor and confidant to her late husband and entrepreneurial visionary Heinz C. Prechter.

In the spirit of giving back to the community, the Prechter family established the World Heritage Foundation, a philanthropic entity dedicated to helping make a difference in the areas of health, education, welfare, arts and culture, and the community. Mrs. Prechter has served as president of the World Heritage Foundation since its inception in 1985.

A positive force in her community, state, and country, Mrs. Prechter serves in leadership positions in numerous civic and charitable organizations, including the University of Michigan Health Care Advisory Board, President’s Advisory Group, Georgetown University’s Board of Regents, Leukemia Society, Kresge Eye Institute, the Robert and Gerry Ligon Research Center of Vision, Wayne State University’s Detroit Medical Center Women’s Clinical Services Board, Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Downriver Council for the Arts.

Mrs. Prechter established the nonprofit Heinz C. Prechter Fund for Manic Depression in memory of her late husband to advance breakthrough medical research to help develop cures for bipolar disorder. Heinz Prechter, who introduced the sunroof to America and built his one-man enterprise into a global group of companies, suffered from intermittent bouts of manic depression for most of his adult life and fell victim to suicide at the age of 59 in July 2001.

Mrs. Prechter has emerged as one of the most outspoken and effective mental health advocates in the United States. She was instrumental in establishing the Depression Center at the University of Michigan, the first of its kind in the nation. In addition, she provided testimony before Congress to increase the federal funding for bipolar disorder research and was appointed by President George W. Bush to the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health to help improve the mental health care system in the United States.

In October 2002, the Prechter Fund raised over $1.25 million at its first gala dinner, the largest single fund-raising event for manic depression in U.S. history. The Prechter Fund recently announced its first major gifts to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Stanford University to identify the genes responsible for manic depression, an insidious hereditary disease affecting 2.7 million Americans.

Born in the Nuremberg region in southern Germany, Mrs. Prechter attended the University of Erlangen. She came to the United States in 1977 and completed her education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in education with honors.

Beverly Hammerstrom

In the Senate, Ms. Hammerstrom chairs the Health Policy Committee, is vice-chair of the Families and Human Services Committee and the Government Operations Committee, and is a member of the Legislative Council.

Prior to serving in the Michigan Senate, she was elected three times to represent the 55th district in the Michigan House of Representatives. From 1980 to 1992, Ms. Hammerstrom served as the Bedford Township Clerk, where she was recognized by her peers as Michigan Township Clerk of the Year in 1991. In addition, she was chair of the Monroe County Republicans from 1983 to 1990.

In the Michigan Legislature, Ms. Hammerstrom has fought to make Michigan safer for children by sponsoring the Michigan Playground Safety Act and the Michigan Child Products Safety Act. As chair of the Mental Health Committee during the 1995–96 legislative session, she led the rewrite of the state’s mental health code and was instrumental in developing the Mental Health Waiver Plan, which went into effect October 1, 2002.

Ms. Hammerstrom has business experience as a retail manager, buyer, marketing representative, and regional director and has taught at elementary, junior high, and pre-school levels.

She received her bachelor’s degree in English and elementary education from Adrian College and her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Toledo. She also earned Municipal Clerk Certification at Michigan State University.

Gilda Jacobs

She is the Democratic vice-chair of two committees — Economic Development, Small Business, and Regulatory Reform and Families and Human Services — and also serves on the Government Operations and Health Policy committees.

Prior to serving in the legislature, Senator Jacobs was an Oakland County commissioner from 1995 to 1998; she was the first woman elected to the Huntington Woods City Commission, serving from 1981 to 1994. She was mayor pro tem of Huntington Woods in 1993–94. In addition to her elected offices, Senator Jacobs served as development director for JARC, a Jewish association providing residential care for persons with developmental disabilities. She was also as a special education teacher in the Madison School District.

Senator Jacobs currently serves on the Board of Visitors Leadership Council for Endowments and Scholarships at the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University, the Community Advisory Council for the Junior League of Birmingham, the Advisory, and the Triangle Foundation Board of Advisors. Her community service includes membership on the boards many organizations, including the South Oakland NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, the Neighborhood Project, the Tri-Community Coalition, and the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. She is a former vice-chair of the Oakland County Democratic Party.

Among the many honors that Senator Jacobs has received are the “Wonder Woman Award” from the Women’s Survival Center, the Michigan Counseling Association Legislative Service Award, the Chaldean Federation of America Public Service Award, the “Do Something Wonderful for Children” Legislative Award from Michigan’s Children, and the 2002 “Woman of the Year” award from the Na’Amat Greater Detroit Council for her work on behalf of women and children.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Senator Jacobs holds a bachelor’s degree in science with a distinction in education and a master’s degree in behavioral sciences in education.

Fran Amos

Ms. Amos served on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners from 1995 to 2002. As a commissioner, she chose to help protect Oakland County’s most vulnerable residents by serving on the Community Mental Health Board. She knew firsthand the struggles of people and families who are affected by mental illness; when she was four months old, her mother was institutionalized after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Ms. Amos began working at Michigan Bell in 1957 as a toll operator; after 35 years and seven promotions, she retired as an executive. In 2000, the American Business Women’s Association named her one of the top ten business women in the nation. Ms. Amos is a graduate of Oakland University.

Andrew Meisner

Prior to his election, he worked for Congressman Sander Levin as a legislative assistant responsible for policy relating to crime, community-oriented policing, community coalitions, drug courts, unemployment compensation, and foreign affairs.

Representative Meisner left Levin’s office to serve as vice president of marketing and communications for the Drug-Free Kids Campaign (formerly Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America), a national nonprofit organization that promotes community-based solutions to substance abuse and crime and unites communities around the goal of reducing substance abuse and violence.

He is also co-founder and co-director of the Michigan Democratic Action Network, a grassroots organization with members in Michigan and Washington, D.C. that works to engage young adults in the political process.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Representative Meisner is continuing his studies as a law student at the University of Detroit Mercy.

William Allen

Prior to accepting this position, he provided consultation services to OCCMHA, Lifeways Community Mental Health Service of Ionia County, the Michigan Association of CMH Boards, and a number of other Community Mental Health Services programs and private service providers through his business, Health System Solutions.

Mr. Allen served as the deputy director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for the Michigan Department of Community Health for over ten years. Before that, he spent more than 13 years with the Clinton-Eaton-Ingham CMH Service Program in a number of capacities, including the last six years as executive director.

He has written papers and made presentations at numerous national and state conferences and workshops on topics including the mental health code, managed care, human services management, Medicaid services, mental health legislation, mental health programs, contract negotiations, labor relations, and personnel administration. Among his many service awards are the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards “Go To Bat Award” (1991) and The Arc Michigan “Ben Censoni Public Service Award” (1998).

Mr. Allen holds a BS in business administration with a major in economics from West Liberty State College and a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from Michigan State University.

Elizabeth Bauer

As a volunteer and in various professional roles she has championed enlightened public policy and the development of inclusive, consumer-directed, culturally competent, community-based services and supports for people with disabilities in Michigan, nationally, and in numerous other countries. She has served as a speech pathologist; special educator and school administrator; director of staff development and, later, director of community placement in Michigan’s public mental health system.

From 1981 to 2001 she was executive director of Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service Inc. (the federally mandated rights protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities in Michigan).

Currently, she is an elected member of the State Board of Education in Michigan (term expires January 1, 2011). She also consults throughout the United States and internationally on human rights and the development of civil society.

Mrs. Bauer is the mother of four children, each of whom has experienced disability and one of whom is a recipient of public mental health services in Michigan.

Mrs. Bauer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Holyoke College, did graduate work in speech pathology at the University of Minnesota, and holds a master’s degree in education of exceptional children from The Ohio State University. She completed extensive postgraduate work in education administration at Wayne State and Michigan State Universities.

Beverly Blaney

She is the supervisor of the medical departments in the Powertrain Division. In this capacity she assists in fitness for duty determinations. She is also responsible for Ford's substance abuse policy and is a medical review officer.

Dr. Blaney serves on several internal and external committees concerning hazardous material emergencies.

Prior to joining Ford Motor Company, Dr. Blaney was an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Wayne State University and the department physician for police and fire for the City of Detroit.

She was also clinical faculty for medical toxicology at Wayne State University, and practiced emergency medicine at Detroit Receiving and Hutzel Hospitals.

Dr. Blaney received her BA in biology from the University of Virginia, and her MD from Medical College of Virginia. She completed a residency in Internal Medicine and fellowships in medical toxicology and occupational and environmental medicine at Wayne State University. She is board certified in internal medicine and occupational and environmental medicine.

Thomas Carli

This program began as an innovative health plan for Ford Motor Company, called Partnership Health. The Medical Management Center has expanded its traditional and innovative approaches to medical and disease management into commercial, Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured populations.

Dr. Carli is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System. He was previously executive director of the Division of Managed Psychiatric Services and the Michigan Center for Diagnosis and Referral (M-CDR). M-CDR is one of the oldest academic managed behavioral health care organizations in the country, serving over 140,000 managed care members in commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid products.

Dr. Carli was one of the national founders of the Academic MBHO Consortium (25 departments of psychiatry within academic health centers that are involved in managed care). He is currently the director of Community and Corporate Programs for the University of Michigan Depression Center.

Since 1997, Dr. Carli has been the physician lead and medical director in a joint venture between the University of Michigan and Washtenaw County called the Washtenaw Community Health Organization. The WCHO combines the administrative, financial, and clinical components for all Medicaid and indigent patients in the university’s home county of Washtenaw, allowing for the development of integrated models of care for Medicaid enrollees who are part of an HMO as well as clients within CMH.

Dr. Carli is past president of the Michigan Psychiatric Society and has served as a consultant to law enforcement agencies, government, private insurers, and employers. He has given numerous lectures and published in the areas of academic medical centers’ responses to managed care, short-term treatment methods, evidence-based medicine and guideline implementation, care coordination and disease management, and the integration of physical and behavioral health.

Dr. Carli is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School and completed residency training at both the University of Michigan and the University of British Columbia. He is board certified in psychiatry.

Nick Ciaramitaro

He served as assistant prosecuting attorney in Macomb County in 1999–2000, following a 20-year career as a state representative in the Michigan Legislature.

While in the Michigan House of Representatives, he served as vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, chair of the Consumers Committee, chair of the Community Health and Judiciary subcommittees, and co-chair of the Mental Health and General Government subcommittees.

As a policymaker and advocate, Mr. Ciaramitaro has demonstrated a strong commitment to the needs of children, the frail elderly, people with developmental disabilities, and people who suffer from mental illnesses. His civic activities include service with the Macomb County Domestic Violence Council, Macomb Arc, and the Macomb County Chapter of the National Association for the Mentally Ill.

His many awards include the first annual Herbert A. Start Award (HOPE Network, 2000); the Snyder-Kok Award (Mental Health Association of Michigan, 1999); Legislator of the Year (Arc of Michigan—1998), and the Macomb County Regional Interagency Coordinating Committee award in appreciation of leadership and dedication to Michigan citizens with disabilities 1979–1998.

Mr. Ciaramitaro holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Detroit and a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University, which has conferred on him its distinguished alumnus award. He also received a distinguished public service award from the WSU Alumni Association.

Bill Gill

He serves as vice chair of the County Board of Commissioners and chairs the board’s Transportation Committee, which includes the Muskegon County Airport and Muskegon Area Transit System.

Mr. Gill serves on the Michigan Association of Counties Judiciary Committee, and is a member of the National Association of Counties Finance Committee.

Mr. Gill serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Community Mental Health Board, liaison to Family Independence Agency Board, Lakeshore Coordinating Council for Substance Abuse, and the Muskegon Community Foundation Health Project. He has been president of the Muskegon branch of the NAACP for 22 years and is also president of the Muskegon Air Fair.

Mr. Gill has been instrumental in the planning, negotiations, and successful completion of significant development projects for Muskegon, including the new airport passenger facility, the Union Depot and Visitor Center, the playground at Heritage Park, and the relocation of the Coast Guard Air Rescue Mission operations to Muskegon.

A graduate of Muskegon Business College (now Baker College), Mr. Gill retired from the State of Michigan with 25 years of service.

Rick Haverkate

His previous experience includes work as the community health educator for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe; as public information specialist for the Hawaii State Department of Health’s HIV/STD Prevention Program; and as Public Health Advisor with the Inter-Tribal Council. In this position, he created individual “community profiles” for each of the federally recognized tribes in Michigan through research in vital records and other statistics pertinent to public health.

Mr. Haverkate earned a BS from Northern Michigan University and a MPH with a major in health education from the University of Hawaii.

Joan Jackson Johnson

Ms. Johnson has been recognized for her broad array of volunteer services to the poor and vulnerable in the community through such groups as Advent House Ministries, the Ingham County Family Court and Truancy Court, and Loaves and Fishes.

In addition to providing pro bono professional services to various programs, she is a “hands-on” volunteer. She also coordinates an annual fund-raiser, which provided over $70,000 in 2003 for local programs.

Ms. Johnson currently serves on the board of numerous community, parish, and business groups, including: the Greater Lansing African American Health Institute (chair); Catholic Services/St. Vincent Home (vice chair); CEI Community Mental Health (current secretary and past chair and vice chair); African American Family Reunion/Parade; Advent House Ministries; Capital Area Transportation Authority; Ingham County Child Death Review Board; and the Loaves and Fishes Core Community.

Former positions include serving on the advisory boards for City of Lansing Human Relations and Community Services (chair and vice chair); Lansing School District Teen Pregnancy; St. Thomas Aquinas School (chair); and Success Place.

She is also a former member of the board of directors of the Black Child and Family Institute; Child Abuse Prevention; and the Michigan Association for Children with Emotional Disorders. Among the many honors she has received are: Mother Seaton Services Award, KFC Family of the Year, Advent House Volunteer of the Year, State of Michigan Volunteer Family of the Year, Father Mac (Lansing Diocese) Award for Community Service, Modern Woodmen Community Service Award, James Kegal Community Service Award, and the NAACP Citizen of the Year Award.

Ms. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Edward Waters College and an MA and PhD from Michigan State University.

Alexis Kaczynski

Prior to this, she was the director of Northern Michigan Community Mental Health since 1990.

Before coming to northern Michigan, Ms. Kaczynski worked for Kalamazoo County CMH in the area of planning and evaluation.

From 1974 to 1976, she worked for the Michigan Department of Mental Health as a review specialist, developing the Michigan Standards for Community Mental Health Boards and field-testing them in several CMH programs across Michigan.

Ms. Kaczynski earned her bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University, as well as a master’s degree in clinical psychology.

She is a past board member for the Charlevoix-Emmet Housing Coalition, Northern Michigan Planned Parenthood, the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan and the Arnell Engstrom Children’s Center Citizen Advisory Board.

Guadalupe Lara

Her expertise in these areas makes her a sought-after speaker at local and national conferences. She has been invited to present her work in 42 states by minority health, mental health, and social services agencies and many others and has been invited by national education and human service agencies to keynote meetings since 1980.

Ms. Lara has held several positions at Children’s Hospital of Michigan over the last 22 years. She is currently the manager of the Conflict Management Program, which promotes interactions that are strength based versus problem oriented. She developed the program and model that led to the successful video “Managing Conflict in the Workplace, A Non-Deficit Approach to Serving Diverse Populations.”

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Ms. Lara has lived in Detroit since 1976. Since then she has been a community activist for the improvement of services to the Detroit multicultural community.

Ms. Lara has co-founded many organizations, served on several agency boards, and has been appointed by three different governors to serve and lead state commissions and boards.

She has been recognized by more than 40 organizations for her work. Some of these awards reflect her work on diversity. They are the Champion in Health award (United States Environmental Protection Agency), Michigan Social Worker of the Year award, Martin Luther King Scholar (University of Michigan), and Global Visiting Scholar (Arizona State University).

Most recently she received the Spirit of Detroit award from the Detroit City Council for contributions to staff development and community service in Wayne County.

Kathryn Lynnes

She graduated with honors from Michigan Technological University with a BS in civil engineering. After working as an environmental engineer for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska for two years, she returned to school and earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law.

Ms. Lynnes’s academic and professional accomplishments were achieved despite a life-long struggle with bipolar disorder. After a severe episode of suicidal depression she chose to “come out of the closet” about her illness and publicly advocate for persons with mental illness. She has told her story to local and national media and was featured in articles on mental health insurance parity in The New York Times and Kiplinger’s’ Personal Finance magazine.

During her campaign as the Democratic candidate for the 3rd District U.S. Congressional seat in the 2002 mid-term election, she spoke frequently about the pervasive stigma against persons with mental illness, the need for research funding for brain disorders, and mental health insurance parity.

She is a founding member of Michigan Partners for Parity, a coalition of patients, advocates, and treatment providers that is working for parity legislation in Michigan.

In 2001, Ms. Lynnes was named Member Advocate of the Year by the Mental Health Association in Michigan. She is a sought-after speaker on mental health issues who is as comfortable speaking to psychiatrists at the State of Michigan’s Center for Forensic Psychiatry and the Michigan Psychiatric Society as she is with sharing her experience with depression with high school student and patient advocacy groups.

Milton Mack Jr.

He is past president of the Michigan Probate Judges Association. He previously served as a Wayne County commissioner and a special assistant attorney general and was in the private practice of law for 15 years.

Judge Mack has chaired the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, the Oakwood Healthcare System, and the Wayne County Solid Waste Planning Committee and served as president of the National Association of Regional Councils.

He brings to the commission leadership in reorganizing and merging a public health care system into a private nonprofit community-based health care system, as well as leadership in reforming Wayne County government when it became a home rule county.

As president of the Michigan Probate Judges Association he successfully promoted the adoption of Public Act 678 of 2002, which gives trial courts the flexibility to become more efficient and accountable.

In 1999 he was awarded the Tom Bradley Leadership Award by the National Association of Regional Councils and in 1990 was named the Outstanding Public Official of the Year by the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

Judge Mack is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Wayne State University Law School, and the Harvard University/Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

Samir Mashni

He has served as Wayne County Mediator and Facilitator and assistant city attorney for the Westland, Michigan, and was a member of the Zoning Board for the City of Westland.

Mr. Mashni has served on the Detroit/Wayne County Mental Health Board for the past 18 years as a board member and has held the positions of chairman, secretary and treasurer, as well as chairing the Public Relations, Finance, and Personnel Committees.

He has served as an active board member for Seeds of Peace, as well as a board member and past president of the American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine. He formerly chaired the Arab American Advisory Council to the Wayne County Executive.

Mr. Mashni earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Amherst College and received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Detroit Law School.

Donna Orrin

She also works part time in Member Services for the Washtenaw Community Health Organization.

As director of Creative Connections, she is involved as a writer and speaker on the local, state, and national levels. She co-produced an award-winning documentary for community-access television and co-developed a recovery tool, “Vision Cards.”

She is the author of Consumer Involvement in Policy-Making for the Michigan Department of Community Health and has served as a policymaker on the local, state, and national level.

Ms. Orrin holds an MSW from the University of Michigan. She has received the “Friend of NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) of Michigan” award for excellence in advocating on behalf of persons with mental illness.

Jeff Patton

He was previously deputy director for mental health and substance abuse services at the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH). Prior to his appointment as deputy director, Jeff was the director of the Bureau of Community and Hospital Services at MDCH.

Mr. Patton has served as director of several department hospitals and programs, as well as previously holding the position of Executive Director of the Family Health Center Inc. In this capacity he negotiated and implemented the first and largest state Medicaid capitated clinic plan with the Michigan Department of Social Services, Medical Services Administration.

A resident of Kalamazoo, Mr. Patton serves on the Board of Trustees of Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

He is a graduate of Western Michigan University and also earned a master’s degree in social work from WMU.

Brian Peppler

He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (PAAM) and a member of that organization’s Standing Committee on Corrections.

He is a member of the STOP Grant Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence as well as the Chippewa County Community Corrections Board. He is a former member of the Chippewa County Mental Health Board.

Mr. Peppler is a graduate of the Ohio Northern University College of Law.

Michele Reid

Dr. Reid is the immediate past president of the Michigan Psychiatric Society, a district branch of the American Psychiatric Association. She served as president elect and president during 2002 and 2003.

In addition, she is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and a clinical associate in the Addiction Research Institute, at Wayne State University.

Previously, she was psychiatric consultant surveyor for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations and physician advisor for the Michigan Peer Review Organization.

Dr. Reid has participated in clinical research projects and presented many professional papers in her field.

Dr. Reid received her BA from Fisk University and her MD from Meharry Medical College, both in Nashville, Tennessee. She completed a categorical internship at Harper Grace Hospitals/Grace Division and a psychiatric residency at Detroit Psychiatric Institute, both through Wayne State University.

She is board certified in psychiatry and neurology and is a board examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Mark Reinstein

Mr. Reinstein’s prior work experience includes stints with the Monroe County Health Department and Michigan Lung Association.

He is a past president of the Great Lakes Chapter, Society for Public Health Education; earned a 1986 Dissertation-of-the-Year Award from U-M’s School of Education; and has received awards for outstanding advocacy from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Michigan (1994), Michigan Psychiatric Society (1997), the Association for Children’s Mental Health (1999), the Oakland County-based Kadima program (2001), and the Oakland County Alliance for the Mentally Ill (2002).

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, a master’s degree from Central Michigan University, and a doctorate in psychological studies from the University of Michigan.

Roberta Sanders

Since 1984 she has been Chief Executive Officer of New Center Community Mental Health Services, a federally funded comprehensive center that serves approximately 2,000 seriously mentally ill clients each year.

Prior to becoming CEO, she was deputy director of operations at New Center, supervising all clinical and psychiatric staff.

Before joining New Center, Ms. Sanders was program director at the Northeast Guidance Center, where she planned, developed, and directed a consultation and education prevention program, including workshops for hospital staff, teachers in local schools, and social workers.

Ms. Sanders earned a bachelor of science in nursing degree from Wayne State University and an MSW from the University of Hawaii.

David Sprey

He brings to the commission 20 years of experience interacting with community mental health workers and state mental health hospital workers in connection with his son’s mental illness.

He is a past president of the State Alliance for the Mentally Ill and served on a Community Mental Health board for four years. He is currently a board member of the Association for Children’s Mental Health and various mental health coalitions.

As the enrichment project director for the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, Mr. Sprey created and administered a statewide program of arts and psychosocial therapies for residents of 150 long-term care and mental health facilities.

In the private sector, he headed a technical publishing company and later was founder and president of a training company that targeted process industries.

Mr. Spray holds a BA from Goddard College and an MS in journalism from Boston University.

Sara Stech

She will complete her tenure in that position in February 2004.

ACMH is a family organization focused on support and advocacy for children with emotional disorders and their families.

Prior to joining ACMH, Ms. Stech served as clinical and administrative director at two community mental health authorities, as a clinician to families of children with serious emotional disorders.

She has also been a social worker in child welfare, serving as a protective services and foster care worker.

Ms. Stech has provided therapeutic services to children, adults, and families for 15 years as a member of Psychological and Behavioral Consultants of Lansing. Her career has focused on providing effective treatment programs for children in their home communities and eliminating the blame that is often placed on parents of children with emotional disorders.

Ms. Stech has participated in many efforts to ensure appropriate and effective services to consumers of public mental health services in Michigan. Her efforts have focused on best practices, development of a system of care for children with serious emotional disorders, and the movement to include families in the governance and quality assurance of provider systems.

Ms. Stech holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Eckerd College and a Master of Social Work degree from Michigan State University.

Rajiv Tandon

His major areas of clinical and research interest are the neuropharmacology of schizophrenia, differences between typical and atypical antipsychotic agents, dimensions of schizophrenic psychopathology (with a particular focus on negative symptoms), and neuroendocrine and polysomnographic abnormalities in schizophrenia.

He has more than 200 scientific publications and has edited one book, in addition to making over 500 scientific presentations.

Dr. Tandon has received several awards for research and teaching in the area of schizophrenia, including the American Psychiatric Association Young Psychiatrist Researcher of the Year Award in 1993, the inaugural Gerald Klerman Award (for being adjudged the most outstanding NARSAD Young Investigator Award recipient) in 1995, and the FuturPsych Award for outstanding achievement in schizophrenia research in 1997; he is one of 50 schizophrenia experts in the country listed in the most recent edition (2000–02) of the Best Doctors in America.

He is the chairman of the board of directors of the National Schizophrenia Foundation and is a member of the Scientific Council of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Maxine Thome

Her professional experience is diverse. She has served as a school social worker; a primary in-patient psychiatric therapist; a child and adolescent therapist at Community Mental Health; a public health consultant for program and policy development at the Michigan Department of Community Mental Health and the Michigan Public Health Institute; and a clinical supervisor at a substance abuse counseling center.

She has worked with adults, children, and families in private practice for 25 years and has also served as a divorce consultant, managed a child sexual abuse program, and worked with child death review teams.

Experienced in the area of fund and program development, Ms. Thome has been involved in grant writing, seeking, and administration, working on Family Planning/Substance Abuse projects, the Michigan Abstinence partnership, the Children’s Trust Fund grant, the Ryan White Title IV Program, and the Families and Communities Together grant.

She has actively fostered diversity and inclusiveness of the populations social workers serve by broadening access to social work, mental health services, and public health. Throughout her career, Ms. Thome has worked to develop and build community coalitions with external organizations, including family planning agencies.

As adjunct faculty for the Michigan State University School of Social Work, she teaches courses for master’s level students. She also taught courses in psychology, domestic violence, and child abuse at Lansing Community College.

Ms. Thome has worked with the Michigan Abstinence Partnership and the MDCH Breast and Cervical Cancer Control program. She was a founder for the Remember My Name Statewide AIDS Memorial and served with the State Alzheimer’s/Dementia Coalition. She has testified in several legislative hearings regarding HIV/AIDS, diabetes (for the American Diabetes Association) and Alzheimer’s/Dementia (for the Alzheimer’s Association).

Ms. Thome earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s in social work, and a PhD in counseling psychology at Michigan State University, and holds a second master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan.

Janet Olszewski

She is responsible for policy and management of Michigan’s publicly funded health systems including Medicaid, Public Health, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Office of Services to the Aging, the Office of Drug Control Policy and the Crime Victims Services Commission.

Through its many programs and services, the MDCH is the employer of nearly 5,000 civil servants and aids over 1.7 million Michigan citizens in health care coverage.

Under her leadership as the MDCH Director in her first year on the job, she was responsible for the creation of the Detroit Wayne County Health Authority - the first regionally based metropolitan health authority in southeastern Michigan.

Before her appointment to MDCH, Ms. Olszewski served from 2000 to 2003 as vice president for government programs and regulation at M-CARE, a nonprofit managed care company owned by the University of Michigan. She was responsible for the company’s Medicare products; state contracts for the Medicaid, MIChild and Kids Care programs; compliance with state regulatory requirements; and implementation of benefit changes across all product lines.

Prior to joining M-CARE, Olszewski spent 23 years with the State of Michigan. She began her state government career with the Office of Services to the Aging in 1977. From 1985 to 1991, she assumed leadership roles in two divisions of the former Department of Public Health. She was acting director of the department’s division of services for crippled children during 1991 and 1992. She led the department’s managed care quality assessment and improvement division from 1992 to 1997. From 1998 to 2000, she was director for Medicaid Quality Improvement and Customer Services.

Olszewski is a graduate of Boston University and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Michigan.

Marianne Udow

Previously, she held various positions at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan: senior vice president, Health Care Products and Provider Services, 1999–2004; senior vice president, Corporate Strategy & Health Care Administration, 1996–1999; senior vice president, Planning and Development Services, 1992–1996; and vice president, Planning and Development Services, 1988–1992.

She also worked at Mercy Alternative and Care Choices as senior vice president in 1998 and as vice president of Plans and Operations from 1986 to 1992.

Ms. Udow serves as chair of the Michigan Health and Safety Council and of the Michigan Women’s Foundation and is a member of the Michigan’s Children’s Board of Directors and the Dean’s Advisory Committee, University of Michigan School of Public Health.

She was past chair of the Executive Council of the Ready to Succeed Initiative. In addition, Ms. Udow was an inaugural member of the National Advisory Board for the University of Michigan Depression Center.

Among many honors and awards, Ms. Udow was selected as “Leader in the 90’s” by Crain’s Detroit Business, won the John H. Romani Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1994, was recognized by the Anti-Defamation League with their “Women of Achievement” award in 2000, was chosen as one of “Detroit’s Most Influential Women by Crain’s Detroit Business in 2002, and received the “2003 Lifeline Award” from Wayne State University.

Ms. Udow received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hamilton-Kirkland Colleges in 1975 and her MHSA in health planning and administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1978.

Patricia Caruso

She previously held a number of other positions with the department including deputy director, 2002–2003; regional prison administrator for correctional facilities administration, Region 1, 2000–2002; and warden of the Chippewa correctional facilities, 1991–2000.

Ms. Caruso is past president of the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents and a member of the Michigan Corrections Association and of the board of directors of Lake Superior State University.

She frequently serves as a speaker at the local, state, and national level on topics including professional management in the public sector, cutback management, ethics for public administrators, correctional leadership, and women in corrections.

As a charter member of the Director’s Leadership Development Council, Ms. Caruso has been involved in developing new training programs for the Department of Corrections. In addition, in 2003, she completed the National Institute of Corrections Executive Excellence Program, a competitive leadership program for top-level corrections professionals throughout the United States.

Ms. Caruso received a BA in political science and sociology from Lake Superior State University in 1975 and her MA in comprehensive occupational education from the University of Michigan in 1978.

Tom Watkins

He is a strong advocate for quality, public education for all young people. His diverse background includes leadership roles in the for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors.

Mr. Watkins started his professional career with Youth Living Services, Inc. (now Starfish Human Services), where he established Counterpoint, a shelter that provided emergency housing for troubled youth and counseling for their families.

While serving as Acting Executive Director of Wayne (mental health) Center (1980–1981) and as a management consultant with Plante and Moran (1981–1982), Mr. Watkins was elected to serve on the Wayne County Charter Commission. Members of that commission created the County Executive form of governance that exists today.

In 1982, he served as deputy campaign manager in Governor Blanchard's first successful gubernatorial campaign. In 1983, Governor Blanchard named Mr. Watkins as his deputy chief of staff.

Soon thereafter, he was appointed deputy director of administration in Michigan’s Department of Mental Health. He served as chief deputy director of that department from 1984 to 1986, and in 1987, he was appointed department director.

Working with Dr. David Adamany as special assistant to the president for public school initiatives at Wayne State University (1991–1996), Mr. Watkins played a key role in creating Michigan’s first charter school.

From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Watkins served as president and CEO of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Florida, a coalition of 135 top CEOs dedicated to improving the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and businesses. Concurrently, he served as executive director of the Education Partnership of Palm Beach County from 1996 to 1999.

Mr. Watkins received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University in 1976 and a master’s degree in social work administration from Wayne State University in 1979. Currently, he is completing requirements in the doctoral program in education administration at Wayne State University.

Sander Levin

He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over all tax, trade, and economic growth policies and entitlement spending, including Social Security, Medicare, welfare, and unemployment compensation. He is the ranking Democrat on the Trade Subcommittee and serves on the Human Resources Subcommittee.

Known as a leader on trade issues, Mr. Levin has persistently challenged unfair trade practices that threaten U.S. manufacturers and U.S. jobs. He also works on a variety of health care issues including children's health care, transitional Medicaid, mental health, managed care reform, and updating the Medicare program to include preventative services and prescription drug coverage.

In 1964, Mr. Levin was elected to the Michigan State Senate where he served on the Education Committee and the Labor Committee. During the 1969–70 session, he was Senate Minority Leader.

In 1970 and 1974, Mr. Levin was the Democratic candidate for Governor of Michigan. After a four-year assignment as assistant administrator in the Agency for International Development, he was elected to Congress in 1982.

In Michigan, Mr. Levin is working to help communities create coalitions to combat drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers. From this experience, he co-authored the federal Drug Free Communities Act, which has funded over 300 of these programs nationwide. His work on the Anti-Crime bill has resulted in over 70 additional community police officers, a new multijurisdictional unit, and $17 million for a consortium of 44 police agencies in Oakland County to upgrade crime-fighting technology at local police departments.

Mr. Levin is also working to strengthen education and is involved in numerous other local projects.

Born in Detroit, Mr. Levin graduated from Central High School. He earned his BA at the University of Chicago, his MA in international relations from Columbia University, and a law degree from Harvard University.