MEET OUR BOARD MEMBERS
Our dedicated team is always on the ball, utilizing their unique skills and passion for moving the work of our Non-Profit Organization forward. We’re always pushing ourselves to stay ahead of the curve and striving to perfect our programs. Meet some of our incredible leaders below.
THE REV BARBARA F. MEYERS
President
Rev. Barbara F. Meyers, pronouns she/her, is a Unitarian Universalist community minister with a mental health ministry based in Fremont, California, affiliated with Mission Peak UU Congregation where she is a member. A mental health consumer, she is assistant director of the Life Reaching Across to Life peer support center, the author of the book “Held – Showing Up for each Other’s Mental Health”, published by Skinner House Books in 2020. She was active in the creation of EqUUal Access and the AIM program. She is the current President of the UU Mental Health Network and the Secretary of EqUUal Access.
KARL PAANANEN
Vice President
Karl Paananen (he/him) has been a person receiving mental health services for over 30 years. He is a member of two UU congregations--Church of the Larger Fellowship and UU Church of Greater Lansing, Michigan. He was briefly chair of the Mental Health Caucus of EqUUal Access, then participated in the Core Working Group to establish the UU Mental Health Network, and currently serves as interim Vice-President for that organization. He has pursued many interesting careers over his life, including in the field of law, and still retains active membership in the State Bar of Michigan.
SKYLER MALAN
Secretary
Skyler is an active member of the Evergreen Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (EUUF) in Everett, Washington, where she has served on the EUUF Board. She participates in the EUUF social equity committee, concentrating on mental health, and has personal experience with mental health conditions, both personally and with family and friends. Skyler brings years of volunteer experience with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), including a tenure on their board, and she recently retired from her role as Executive Director and Program Manager for NAMI Snohomish & Island Counties (Sno-Isle).
STEPHANIE JOSEPH
Treasurer
Stephanie Joseph (she/her) received her Bachelor of Accountancy from The George Washington University as Valedictorian. She then earned a Graduate Certificate in Medical Services Management at Johns Hopkins University. Stephanie began her career in public accounting. She currently works for Housing Unlimited, Inc. in the Finance Department. HUI provides affordable housing for people in mental health recovery who are ready to live independently in Montgomery County, Maryland. There, Stephanie’s experience as an individual living with bipolar disorder complements her personal desire to help others living with mental challenges. Prior to working for HUI, Stephanie worked at several nonprofits most notably at NAMI Montgomery County where she was the Finance Director and Office Administrator/Helpline Coordinator. Stephanie sits on the Board of the Montgomery County Mental Health Advisory Committee as well as the County Suicide Prevention Coalition. She also works on the MHAC Subcommittee dedicated to mitigating poor mental health directly caused by climate change. Mental health is her passion and she dedicates her work to the memory of her father who she lost to suicide in 2011. She would like to see an end to the stigma of mental health challenges and believes that good quality mental health care is a right that should be extended to all persons. Stephanie is certified through the ASIST suicide prevention program and is a graduate of Mental Health First Aid. She is excited about being on the UU Mental Health Network Board because good mental health is integral in everything Stephanie does. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys cooking and reading. Stephanie currently lives in Germantown, Maryland with her six Chihuahuas.
TESHA NESBIT
Board member at large
Tesha Nesbit (she/her) has over 22 years’ experience as a Human Resource Development and DEI strategy professional. As an influencer and empowerment enabler, she also is a thought partner on community engagement, Belonging and educational equity. Her personal mission is rooted in the Tamari expression “to do everything in life with passion and emotion.”
The Pennsylvania native is the founder and principal of A Phoenix Rising Coaching, a full-service coaching and consulting practice. Tesha uses empowerment coaching through the lens of emotional intelligence to build collaborative work/life solutions.
Tesha earned a B.A. in Communications from Penn State Behrend at Erie and a M.S. in Human Resource Management from La Roche College. She earned her Corporate Social Responsibility certificate from the Johns Hopkins University, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences in Washington, DC. The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC) awarded her the Registered corporate Coach designation and she completed foundational coursework in the executive coaching program through the Coach Diversity Institute + Howard University. Tesha is the host of The Remix podcast on Spotify.
"A Waking Woman is a storytelling platform she is developing for maturing and marginalized identities. She wants to help people identify, locate and dislodge trauma through yoga. She wants to introduce people to somatic intelligence so that they can stop cheating on their future with their past. Her advocacy for mental health is rooted in how we reclaim our personal narratives and center the space we take up in this world."
She is a member of the Germantown UU Fellowship and the Church of the Larger Fellowship.
SHERI THOMAS
Board member at large
Sheri Thomas (she/her), a worship assistant and board member at Channing Memorial Church, Unitarian Universalist, in Ellicott City, MD, was born with cerebral palsy and diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her fifties. She breaks down barriers and promotes full accessibility as part of various disability commissions and committees in Maryland. Her book, "IMBALANCED: A Memoir," traces Sheri’s remarkable journey from a front-page headline in 1962 to her current role as an advocate fighting to remove the stigmas surrounding physical disabilities and mental health. For a free digital copy of her book, email her at imbalanced.book@gmail.com
JENNIFER KRONK TERRY
Board member at large
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