John Morris, M.S.W., Elected as New Chairman of Board of Directors

Mental Health America has elected John Morris, M.S.W., as the new Chairman of its Board of Directors; his tenure began in June. In this role, Morris provides direction and leadership to the organization and our more than 300 affiliates nationwide.

Morris is an avid leader in the mental health community, having spent more than 35 years in the public behavioral health field as a clinician, administrator, researcher and educator. He is the Director of the Human Services Practice of the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (a Boston-based not-for-profit consulting group) and Executive Director of the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce (a not-for-profit founded to foster improvements in the workforce delivering behavioral health care). He lives in Columbia, South Carolina with his wife, Jennie; they have two grown sons, Dan and Paul.

"It is a great honor to serve as Chair of Mental Health America’s Board of Directors, and it is a special pleasure to do so during the centennial year of our founding by Clifford Beers," said Morris. "We are building on the past century of service and advocacy as we seek to change the conversation about America’s health status; we know there can be no fullness of health without good mental health."

Morris’ primary interest as Chairman is to support MHA’s efforts around the integration of mental health and general health care practice. He will lend his support to the staff and Board of Directors in advocating for the elimination of policy and finance mechanisms that prohibit integrated care; enhancing workforce competencies so that mental health professionals are equipped to provide comprehensive care; and expanding wellness programs that promote well-being and prevent illness. Other key priorities include passing federal parity legislation, improving prevention and recovery efforts and ensuring that veterans and their families receive the support and services needed to deal with the impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new Immediate Past Chairman of the Board is Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Internal Medicine and director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at the University of California. Dr. Aguilar- Gaxiola, the organization’s first Latino Chairman of the Board, served since June 2006. We are truly grateful for his enormous contributions to the organization and its nationwide movement.

In addition, Mental Health America welcomes five newly elected Board Members:

• Jerry Grammer, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in Austin, Texas

• John Head, journalist and author of "Standing in the Shadows: Understanding and Overcoming Depression in Black Men"

• Brenda Lee, executive director of Mental Health America of Allegheny County (Pennsylvania)

• Sherri Luthe, director of Parent Advocacy & Support Services at the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas

• Gail Stuart, Ph.D., APRN, FAAN, dean and professor in the College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina.