Mental Health Association
Mental Health Association
P.O. Box 16246 Chapel Hill, NC 27516 919.942.8083
Our Mission...
Our Mission...
Mark Sullivan
Executive Director
Mark Sullivan is the executive director of the Mental Health Association in Orange County. He came to the agency in May of 2005 after 10 years of providing direct services in the field of mental health.
Mark has previously worked in case management with adults experiencing serious mental illnesses, counseled teens with mental health and behavioral disorders in a variety of settings, and worked on an evaluation of mental health reform in the State of Arizona. He currently serves as Chairman of Healthy Carolinians of Orange County and is a member of the Mayor’s Mental Health Task Force. In 2008 he was awarded the Spilman Award for Outstanding Executive Director by the Mental Health Association of North Carolina.
Mark received his Master or Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill and received a BA in Therapeutic Use of Wilderness, with minors in Cultural Studies and Creative Writing from Prescott College in Arizona.
Being a past provider of mental health services, a receiver of mental health treatment, and a family member of someone with a serious mental illness, Mark is dedicated to carrying the message that mental health is at the core of each person’s overall health, building a better understanding of mental health and mental health disorders, improving services, and reducing the stigma and shame that too often compound the difficulties of those affected by mental illnesses.
He can be reached at msullivan@mhaorangeco.org.
President
Beth McElhinny, LCSW
Vice President
Ed Eldred, JD
Secretary
Lynn N. Giddens, PhD
Treasurer
Will Bullock
Special Advisors
Lisa Gamache
Mary Beth Hernandez
Prue Meehan, MA
Directors
Avery Cook, LCSW
Robin Dashman
Karen French, RN
Mary Fraser, DSW
Maeda Galinsky, PhD
Gini Hamilton
Charlene Lee
Sheila Sholes-Ross
Lifetime Member
Wil Edgerton, PhD
Board of Directors
The MHAOC provides a vital service to the community by linking a network of services and supports to the people who need them.
It's been nearly three decades since the birth of the Mental Health Association in Orange County. It started as the dream of just one person who wanted to help connect the many families whose lives were affected by one or more members suffering with mental illness, and now it has grown into a fully operational non-profit organization serving hundreds of local residents each year.
Our meager beginnings operated out of the founder's home and today we are housed in a professional office suite with five paid staff members and a corps of wonderful volunteers. One general program to raise community awareness and unite consumers has grown into many vital programs - with more programs and projects planned for the future.
Billie Guthrie
Director of Youth & Family Services
Billie began working for MHA/OC in July 2006. One of her roles at MHAOC is to direct The Community Backyard program. She also provides administrative oversight to the FAN, including supervision of the Strengthening Families Program. Billie received her BSW from Appalachian State University in 1999 and her MSW from the University of North Carolina in 2003. She moved to the Triangle in 2001 after accepting a position with Club Nova, and later worked for OPC Area Program as a Case Manager at the Northside Clinic and more recently as the Housing Coordinator/ Consumer and Family Advisory Council Liaison.
Now residing in Durham, she loves spending time playing volleyball, reading, making jewelry and hanging out with her cat Murray and two dogs, McCoy and Mr. Big. Billie can be reached at bguthrie@mhaorangeco.org.
Julie Bailey
Family Advocate
Julie worked for FAN when it began in 2000 and left in 2002 to attend to the growing needs of her three young, special needs children. Now that almost all of them are grown and on their own Julie was able to rejoin the FAN workforce in 2007 and share her experiences with other parents. Julie's job focus will be on the monthly parent educational meetings, as well as the Peer Parent Mentor program, advocacy and parent training, support groups, families with school IEPs and 504 issues, and adoptive parents whose children have emotional, behavioral, mental health needs, learning disabilities, substance abuse concerns or are at-risk for out of home therapeutic placement. Julie represents FAN on several committees and councils in the community, including the Special Needs Advisory Council (SNAC), and the Special Education PTA (SEPTA) in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district, the Orange Collaborative and the Orange County Care Review. She was also a 2009 recipient of the "Heroes in the Fight Award" presented by the NC Coalition for People Disabled by Mental Illness (CPDMI).
She brings nearly 30 years experience in public relations, journalism, and graphic design, including over 12 years experience as a workshop and support group facilitator, and over 20 years experience working with non-profit organizations. In addition to her busy life, Julie is also a writer and the primary co-author of the book, "The Adoption Reunion Survival Guide" (New Harbinger Publications, 2001). She can be reached at julie@mhaorangeco.org.
Linda Boldin
Family Advocate
Advocates have come and gone during the nine year history of FAN, but Linda has been here for over six years, which qualifies her title as the most consistently sustaining Family Advocate in the organization. Linda has been a constant, productive force in northern Orange County, providing parent education and support in the home, at public forums, and in schools, as well as providing vital assistance to families whose youth become entangled with the juvenile justice system, or the Department of Social Services. Linda represents the FAN on several community councils and programs, including the Orange County Accountability for Truancy Court (ACT), the Orange County Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Court, the Orange Collaborative and the Orange County Care Review.
Linda raised three children to adulthood, one whose special needs taught her the importance of advocacy many years ago. She says trying to navigate the system of services, providers, and school issues is what inspired her to become a Family Advocate and help other families with issues similar to her own. She can be reached at linda@mhaorangeco.org.
Kurt O'Briant
Office Specialist
There is no job too big, or too small for Kurt. He comes to us through the transitional employment program at Club Nova, and does whatever needs to be done with enthusiasm. Kurt has many years of experience working in the retail industry and most recently worked in a lab at UNC. Kurt has a “can do” attitude and a great sense of humor. When he’s not here at the MHA, you can usually find him at work at the Club Nova Thrift Store.
Board of Directors
"Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness."
(Inscription on
the National
Mental Health Association Bell)
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MHAOC Staff...
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The Mental Health Association in Orange County has an incredibly gifted staff comprised of compassionate, talented personnel. To learn more about each staff member, click on their name below:
This area is currently under construction. Please visit us again soon.
This area is currently under construction. Please visit us again soon.
Michelle Johnson
Program Manager Pro Bono Counseling Network
Michelle C. Johnson, is our new Program Manager for the Pro Bono Counseling Network. Prior to joining the staff at MHA she was the Associate Director at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center were she supervised client service and education programs and coordinated the short-term therapy program. Michelle worked at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Counseling Center for several years and prior to that was a family specialist at East Chapel Hill High School. Michelle has a private practice in Chapel Hill and specializes in seeing clients who have experienced trauma, sexual violence and in working with people who have eating disorders. Michelle works with a small training group, Dismantling Racism Works, dRWorks in the triangle focused on working with organizations and the community on understanding institutional and cultural racism. She is also the Director for the Heirs Project which focuses strengthening and broadening the base of the North Carolina social justice organizers who have the skills, passion and capacity to work collectively for fundamental social transformation. Michelle graduated with a degree in psychology from The College of William and Mary in 1996 and received her Masters in Social Work from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1998. She can be reached at michelle@mhaorangeco.org
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