OFFICERS

Michele Willert, President, is a licensed school psychologist and director of a preschool for children with mental health disorders. Because of her experience as a parent of a child with a mental health disorder and her professional training, she has firsthand knowledge of how to deal with and access resources for children with mental health issues and emerging mental health issues. She also serves on committees with Medica/United Behavioral Health that evaluate the quality of mental health services from a personal and professional point of view. She brings a valuable perspective to all of her work that is both unique and bridging—she recognizes what is theoretically sound and is able to develop those ideas into practical solutions.

Inez Bersie-Mize, LMFT, Vice President, works primarily with children, adolescents, and their families and has been a mental health professional for nine years. She is currently the clinical director for the University Day Community STARS program at the University of Minnesota where she supervises staff and helps children and their families gain higher levels of functioning at home, in the community, and at school. Bersie-Mize also has a part-time private practice at Mid West Centers for Personal and Family Development in St. Paul. Her goal is to guide families and children to an understanding of themselves and their world.

Caromyr Figueroa, MD, Treasurer, graduated from the University of Minnesota as a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist. She currently serves as the medical director of the Child Psychiatry Service and Clinic at Hennepin County Medical Center, does consulting work for Northwest Youth and Family Services, and has a private practice in Maplewood where she sees children with emotional and behavioral problems and provides evaluation and medication management (in both English and Spanish). Dr. Figueroa also provides consultation and education about children and adolescents with mental health issues while doing collaborative rounds with pediatricians and primary care physicians. In addition to these professional activities, Dr. Figueroa offers presentations about cross-cultural psychiatry and medication management of childhood-onset psychiatric conditions to family members and mental health professionals throughout the Twin Cities.

Jerry Wood, Secretary, lives in St. Paul and works as a program specialist for the Vocational Rehabilitation Program of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. He has worked with nonprofits for the past 15 years, has 15 years of experience working for State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, and has directed several demonstration projects for the U. S. Department of Education. He is also a member of the Minnesota Council for Quality, and since 2003 has been an examiner for the Council using the Malcom Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. In addition to his work on the MACMH board, he also serves on the board of the International Association of Business, Industry, and Rehabilitation. Jerry is especially interested in working to improve the services and systems that serve children with mental health disorders. His interest is acute because 2 of his nephews experience mental illness.

Deborah Saxhaug, Executive Director for MACMH since 1992, has a background in child, adolescent, and family therapy. Before working for MACMH, she was the director of a day treatment program for Human Resource Associates and worked as a psychotherapist in private practice. Today, she provides the MACMH staff and board with the leadership and vision necessary to keep MACMH at the forefront of education and advocacy issues. She also serves on several committees that seek effective and innovative ways to make the current mental health care system responsive to the needs of families.

DIRECTORS

J. Colleen Breen, M.A., LICSW, has worked as a mental health professional with Fairview Behavioral Services in Minneapolis for more than 20 years. Through direct service and numerous committee involvements, Colleen has focused on family mental health. She is active in the education and training of health professionals throughout the Twin Cities. She is currently involved in a special project at Fairview establishing a Family Resource Center, with special emphasis given to children and adolescents with mental health issues. Colleen is also a psychotherapist in private practice in Minneapolis.

Socorro Felton, a native of Mexico City, has lived in Minnesota for the last 21 years. She has worked for 3 years with mentally handicapped adults and for the past 4 1/2 years as a family liaison, providing support and information to parents of children with mental health disorders. Her area of expertise is cultural competency issues—she is especially interested in ensuring that Latinos have more information about mental health and that service providers learn about cultural competency. She also serves on the board of directors of the Minnesota Parent Leadership Network (MPLN).

Ken Nitsche is a foster and adoptive parent of several children who have a dual diagnosis of mental health disorders and mental retardation. Ken serves on the St. Mary’s University Advisory Committee for its special education master’s program in developmental disabilities to ensure that the students understand the issues faced by children who have a dual diagnosis. Ken also helps families write consumer-directed community support plans and budgets for their children on waivers. He is dedicated to helping families avoid out-of-home placement through appropriate services.

Lisa Peterson Moschkau, RN, earned her BSN in nursing from the College of St. Benedict, and while employed in Student Development there, she developed a keen interest in working to address the concerns of young women. Since then she has worn many hats: she works at the St. Cloud Surgical Center (and has for nearly 20 years), she volunteers as a girl scout leader, camp nurse, and religious education instructor, and she serves as an advocate for children’s mental health in Central Minnesota.

Darren Reed, Youth/Community Project Coordinator for the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program, provides leadership and guidance to more than 600 youth board members. He has a bachelor’s degree in education, holds a Minnesota Teaching License, and he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Before working with Yellow Ribbon, he taught at the elementary and secondary levels where he worked with students with emotional/behavioral problems. He has devoted his career to creating awareness among parents, teachers, and mental health providers about mental health needs.

L. Read Sulik, MD, is the Medical Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of St. Cloud Hospital Behavioral Health Services where he oversees the development of inpatient and outpatient psychiatric programs for children and adolescents. He received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School and completed his training as a pediatrician, adult psychiatrist, and child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. He has worked closely with the CentraCare Health Foundation to raise over 3 million dollars for the development of child and adolescent behavioral health services at St. Cloud Hospital, including Clara’s House, a new intensive partial hospitalization facility for children and adolescents with mental health and chemical dependency problems. Dr. Sulik is also involved in numerous community-based interdisciplinary projects in Central Minnesota and speaks extensively throughout the region and nationally on depression, anxiety, AD/HD, trauma, suicide, and violence in children and adolescents.

Tonya White, MD, is both a pediatrician and a child and adolescent psychiatrist. She is an assistant professor within the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. Both her research and clinical work is directed toward children and adolescents with psychotic disorders. She directs an outpatient Youth Psychosis Clinic at Fairview University Medical Center. She has received grant support from the National Institutes of Mental Health, NARSAD, MIND Institute, and the Center for Neurobehavioral Development to study the cause of schizophrenia and other major psychotic disorders. Her focus on younger populations is with the hope of one day preventing the onset of these serious illnesses. She also has considerable experience giving educational talks to a wide variety of audiences.

165 Western Avenue North Saint Paul, MN 55102 Phone: 651-644-7333 1-800-528-4511 Fax: 651-644-7391