Stakeholders Advisory Board
Stakeholders advisory board provides input from policy makers about implementation processes and helps make sure OPAL work will be useful to policy makers and clinicians, and helpful to patients and their families.
National Stakeholder Advisory Board Members:
Patricia E. Deegan, PhD
Owner of Pat Deegan & Associates
Adjunct professor at the Dartmouth Institute, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College
Patricia E. Deegan Ph.D. is a founder of Pat Deegan & Associates. For over 40 years Pat has been a thought leader and disruptive innovator in the field of behavioral health recovery. Pat founded a company run by and for people in recovery. The mission: To safeguard human dignity by bringing individual voice and choice to the center of the clinical care team. Toward this end she developed Pat Deegan’s Recovery Approach that includes the award winning CommonGround software, Medication Empowerment, Certified Personal Medicine Coaching, the online Academy + Library, and the Hearing Distressing Voices Simulation. Since 2009 Pat has worked as a consultant helping to develop and evolve the OnTrackNY model for coordinated specialty care teams for young folks experiencing early psychosis. Pat is an activist in the disability rights movement and has lived her own journey of recovery after being diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager. She has held a number of academic appointments, has numerous publications, and has carried a message of hope for recovery to audiences around the world. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Duquesne University.
Sherry Glied, PhD
Professor at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Sherry Glied is a Professor at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She served as Dean of the Wagner School from 2013 through 2025. From 1989-2013, she was Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She was Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management from 1998-2009. On June 22, 2010, Glied was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services, and served in that capacity from July 2010 through August 2012. She had previously served as Senior Economist for health care and labor market policy on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers in 1992-1993, under Presidents Bush and Clinton, and participated in the Clinton Health Care Task Force. She has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Social Insurance, and served as a member of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking. In 2021, the Association of University Programs in Health Administration selected her as the recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research.
Brian M. Hepburn, MD
Executive Director, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
Dr. Hepburn has been the Executive Director of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) since July 2015. He previously was the Director of the Maryland Mental Hygiene Administration (MHA) from 2002 to 2014 and that position became the Director of the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) July 2014. Dr. Hepburn was the Clinical Director for MHA from 1996 to 2002. He was also the Director of Psychiatric Education and Training for MHA from 1987 to 1997. Dr. Hepburn received his M.D. degree in 1979 from the University of Michigan School of Medicine and received Residency Training in Psychiatry at the University of Maryland from 1979 to 1983. He was a Full-Time Faculty Member at the University of Maryland from 1983 to 1988 and has been on the Volunteer faculty at the University of Maryland since 1988. He maintained a private practice from 1983 until 2004.
Ruth S. Shim, MD, MPH
Luke & Grace Kim Professor in Cultural Psychiatry
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Vice Chair of Faculty Development in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis
Ruth Shim, MD, MPH, is the Luke & Grace Kim Professor in Cultural Psychiatry and Vice Chair of Faculty Development in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Shim provides clinical psychiatric care in the Healing and Optimizing Psychotic Experiences (HOPE) Clinic at UC Davis Health. She received an MPH in health policy from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and an MD from Emory University School of Medicine. She also completed residency training and a fellowship in Community Psychiatry at Emory.
Dr. Shim is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is chair of the board of the Steinberg Institute. She serves on the Editorial Boards of JAMA Psychiatry and American Psychiatric Publishing, and edits two columns in Psychiatric Services: Social Determinants of Mental Health and Racism & Mental Health Equity. She is a regular contributor to JAMA Health Forum, where her articles focus on mental health policy issues. She is co-editor of the books The Social Determinants of Mental Health and Social (In)Justice and Mental Health.
Ann Marie T. Sullivan, MD
Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health
Dr. Sullivan has served as Commissioner for the New York State Office of Mental Health since 2014. She is responsible for implementing Governor Kathy Hochul's landmark plan to transform the state's mental health system and expand access to care for all New Yorkers. To date, this initiative has invested more than $2 billion into dramatically expanding services, supports, and capacity across the state.
Under Dr. Sullivan's leadership, the mental health system in New York serves over 800,000 individuals each year and provides over 53,000 units of supportive housing for individuals living with mental illness. She has expanded preventive services for youth and families, increased the availability of treatment services across the lifespan and provided individuals living with serious mental illness the intensive supports and treatment needed to thrive in their communities.
Dr. Sullivan has focused on ensuring integrated care throughout the mental health system, addressing the stigma around mental health, fostering equity and inclusion and incorporating the presence of peers with lived experience throughout the service system. A few major initiatives during her tenure include the implementation of 988 and expansion of crisis services across the state, a focus on school based mental health services for our youth and a comprehensive engagement and housing program for individuals with serious mental illness living unsheltered in the community.
Dr. Sullivan previously served as senior vice president for the Queens Health Network of New York City Health and Hospitals, and Director of Psychiatry at Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals where she developed a comprehensive inpatient and ambulatory psychiatric service system, youth programs, substance use services, mobile outreach, and school-based programs.
A native of Queens, Dr. Sullivan graduated from New York University's Washington Square College and it's School of Medicine. She completed her Psychiatric Residency at New York University/Bellevue Hospital. She has taught, lectured, and published on best practices in community care and is an active advocate for her patients and her profession.
She is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and has served as the speaker of the American Psychiatric Association's Assembly and on its Board of Trustees. She is a clinical professor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a member of the American College of Psychiatrists. Dr. Sullivan currently serves as National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Board President.
Local Provider Stakeholder Advisory Board Members:
Mansour (Max) Banilivy, PhD
Vice President of Education, Training & Client/staff Wellbeing at WellLife Network in New York City and Long Island
Dr. Banilivy has been providing comprehensive multidisciplinary behavioral and emotional health services, training and consultation nationally to school districts, private and nonprofit community as well as government including military agencies .
His education at the highest level includes postdoctoral training in eating disorders and family therapy at the Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital and Judge Baker Guidance Center. Dr. Banilivy’s specialty areas include but are not limited to Clinical training of mental health professionals, Coping/Resiliency , Couples/Marriage/Sex therapy, Self Injury and Assessment, Management and Prevention of Suicide through training and education.
He speaks widely on a variety of topics. Dr. Banilivy is currently spending much of his time, regionally as well as at the state and national level training the community members and professionals on suicide risk identification, prevention, intervention, and postvention. He has published and served on the boards of professional organizations. Dr. Banilivy was the co-chair of the Consortium of SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINERS for New York State until 2015 which focused on education/training for suicide prevention. He is also on the executive board of the SUICIDE PREVENTION COALITION of Long Island (SPCLI), having developed a website, and being responsible for the coordination of training and education for the region. An annual suicide prevention conference is organized as part of the focus of this board. He has been recognized for his work in the field of suicide prevention by the Livingworks Organization as the trainer of the year in 2009 and by the New York State Suicide Prevention Center (SPC) in 2011 for Excellence in Suicide Prevention.
Katariina Hoaas, LCSW
Chief Clinical Officer at Access: Supports for Living Inc.
Ms. Hoaas began her career with Access in 2008 and currently oversees more than $20 million of the day-to-day operations of the agency. She provides strategic leadership and business development to Access’s Article 31 Mental Health Clinics, Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS), Mental Health Residential and Case Management, Mobile Mental Health Teams, Child Welfare, and Foster Care and provides clinical leadership to services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ms. Hoaas is committed to customer service engagement and excellence, evidence-based and outcome-driven practices, and ensuring that the voices of people served and their identified families are always well represented. A native of Finland, Ms. Hoaas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of New York having received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of New England, Biddeford, Maine, in 1995.
Martin Lalli, Executive Director, Pibly Residential Programs, Inc.
Martin Lalli has served as Executive Director of Pibly Residential Programs, Inc. since 2018. Pibly is a nonprofit organization based in the Bronx and Brooklyn and certified by the New York State Office of Mental Health to provide supportive housing and services to adults living with mental illness, many of whom have experienced homelessness.
Martin began his career with Pibly in 1993 as a counselor and has advanced through progressively responsible roles, including Senior Counselor, Case Manager, Supervisor, Program Director, and Director of Supported Housing.
In his current role, Martin provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for an agency that serves more than 1,000 clients, employs over 200 staff, and manages an annual budget of $35 million in federal, state, and city funding. Under his executive leadership, the agency’s annual revenue has grown by 170%, and the number of clients served has increased from 595 to more than 1,000. He works closely with regulatory agencies and public partners on daily operations and future initiatives, including development projects. His expertise includes public funding, restorative service provision and oversight, regulatory compliance, grant writing, human resources, recruitment and retention, employment law, and fringe benefits.
With a strong foundation that bridges direct clinical services and executive leadership, he offers a comprehensive understanding of nonprofit management, supportive housing, and clinical services. Martin holds a Master of Social Work from Yeshiva University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Lynn University.
Nadjete Natchaba, EdD, LMSW, MPA
Dr. Nadjete Natchaba, has been working with people living with mental illness, substance use disorder and homelessness for over 20 years as a clinician, administrator, and executive in Human Services. Dr. Natchaba currently works at Services for the UnderServed , a nonprofit with a staff of 2,000 that provides $250 million in services. In her role of Chief Operating Officer, she leads a team of devoted clinicians and administrators managing Assertive Community Treatment Teams, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Care Coordination Services, Shelters for single adults & families, Home and Community Based Services and Crisis respite residences.
Dr. Natchaba joined the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College as a faculty member teaching fundamental courses in the MSW program to expand her work of preparing our workforce to “show up” for people served. Dr. Natchaba is also a member of National Association of Black Social Workers and a graduate from the African Centered Academy.
Supporting the workforce at S:US and in the larger community is Dr. Natchaba’s way of living up to her core value of interdependency.
Jeanie Tse, MD
Board-certified psychiatrist
Clinical Associate Professor, NYU School of Medicine
Jeanie Tse, MD, is the Senior Medical Director at Fountain House, a clubhouse community of people with serious mental illnesses in New York City. She is an Associate Professor at the NYU School of Medicine, teaching in the NYU Public Psychiatry Fellowship Program. She previously served as the Chief Medical Officer at ICL, a New York City not-for-profit serving people with mental illness and developmental disabilities where she worked for 15 years. She led ICL and its partners on award-winning integrated health initiatives, including development of the East New York Health Hub in an underserved Brooklyn neighborhood, and integration of primary care into Assertive Community Treatment and other behavioral health settings. She is past president of the NY Chapters of the American Association of Psychiatric Administrators and the American Association of Community Psychiatrists, and an alumnus of the National Council for Behavioral Health’s Psychiatry Leadership Program. She is the co-editor of “A Case-Based Approach to Public Psychiatry,” a text that explores the foundational principles of community mental health services and the care needs of special populations. She has a special interest in disrupting the impact of trauma on health outcomes, with an overarching aim to “bridge the gap” between academic psychiatry and the clinical challenges of disadvantaged communities.
Local Consumer Stakeholder Advisory Board Members:
Harvey Rosenthal, Chief Executive Officer at the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Inc (NYAPRS)
Harvey Rosenthal has over 45 years of experience working to promote public mental health policies and practices that advance the recovery, rehabilitation, rights, and full community inclusion of individuals with psychiatric disabilities and/or diagnoses.
He has provided service in inpatient and outpatient treatment settings, served a director for a clubhouse program for 10 years in Albany New York and as CEO of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS) since 1993.
Under his leadership, NYAPRS’ advocacy has helped to transform state and national mental health systems, increase access to community-based housing, employment and peer support services, and advance numerous recovery and criminal justice related mental health reforms.
Harvey has helped to create several nationally acclaimed and replicated peer support and transformational training innovations, including the NYAPRS Peer Bridger Model™, the NYAPRS Training Collective and Project Inset, a peer led outreach and engagement and support initiative for people with repeat experiences with homelessness, incarceration and hospitalization.
He has also worked to fight stigma, discrimination, and human rights violations and to advance informed choice protections, self-directed care and racial equity.
Harvey currently serves on the boards of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and the College for Behavioral Health Leadership and as a member of New York’s Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council, Value Based Payment Work Group and the Advisory Council for the New York Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs.
His work has been recognized with the highest honors from Mental Health America, the College for Behavioral Health Leadership, the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery, the National Association of Peer Supporters and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
His commitment to our community is personal, dating back to a psychiatric hospitalization at age 19.
Carlton Whitmore, Director at the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene’s Office of Consumer Affairs
The Office of Consumer Affairs is responsible for assuring the voice of individuals with lived experience is integrated into all levels of city policies and planning. Carlton’s primary function in this role is to support activities that promote recovery, achieve health equity, and support efforts to address avoidable historical and contemporary injustices. Prior to this position, Carlton served as Assistant Director at Goodwill Industries’ Peer Advocacy Leadership program, where his responsibilities included providing supports for consumers reentering the workplace.