Meet the Board of Directors : Mental Health America of Indiana

Jayson Harvey, LMHC, LAC
LifeStance Health
President of the Mental Health America of Indianapolis Board of Directors

Jayson Harvey graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Minor in Psychology. Jayson continued his education at Capella University and completed a Master’s in Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He currently holds a Licensee in Mental Health Counseling and Addiction Counseling. Jayson has worked for 7 years in the Indiana Department of Correction with both mental health and addictions populations. He was the Director of Addiction Recovery for the Department of Correction’s medical contractor for 2 ½ years where he worked to help continually develop the statewide addiction treatment for incarcerated individuals. He was awarded the 2017 Indiana Counselor’s Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Addiction Professional of the Year. Jayson is a member of the Indiana Counselors Association. He is trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Reality Therapy. He works with adults (ages 18+) and seniors. He does individual, group, family, and couples psychotherapy. Jayson’s Life Stance is “Life is an experience which has value in every moment, it is up to you to either learn from it or just exist in it.”

Catherine Cummings
Deputy Chief, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Vice President of the Mental Health America of Indianapolis Board of Directors

For over 24 years, Deputy Chief Catherine Cummings has served the residents of Indianapolis. In that time, she held many assignments within different areas of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD).

During her tenure, Deputy Chief Cummings has worked as a uniformed officer, investigated homicides as a detective in the Homicide Unit, filled the role of departmental spokesperson (Public Information Officer), supervised young officers on the middle shift of East District, developed the Behavioral Health Unit/Mobile Crisis Assistance Team (MCAT) programs, served as the co-chair for the 2016 national training conference of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), worked as the Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Administration, became the first woman appointed to Major of the Investigations Division, served as Commander of the IMPD Training Academy, and now fulfills the role of Deputy Chief of the Training, Policy, and Oversight Division.

Deputy Chief Cummings holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Speech Communications, a Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Management and an MS in Business Psychology. She previously served as an adjunct instructor for Indiana University – Purdue University in Columbus, Indiana (IUPUC).

As a direct result of her diverse assignments and education, Deputy Chief Cummings believes in a collaborative and holistic approach to public safety. She champions an approach involving the expertise of community members, service providers, and those working within the criminal justice system. She believes this approach reserves incarceration for the most violent offenders who are terrorizing our communities; and connects those accused of low-level crimes with medical, quality-of-life and educational resources.

This approach to law enforcement has generated local and national interest for Indianapolis and Deputy Chief Cummings is often asked to join panels and working groups designed to shape policy and advance criminal justice reform. She is a Board Member for Mental Health America of Indiana and was a member of the planning committee that worked to open the Assessment and Intervention Center located at the new Criminal Justice Campus in Indianapolis.

In her free time, DC Cummings enjoys backpacking with her husband, reading, and spending time with her retired greyhound, Hot Pocket, who was adopted through Prison Greyhounds.

John Barth
Councillor, District 7
Indianapolis City/County Council

We are happy to have John Barth as part of the Mental Health America of Indianapolis Board Members, as addressing mental health needs is one of his highest priorities as a member of the Council.

Beatrice Beverly
Co-Owner/Founder of Stop the Violence Indianapolis, Inc.
President/Owner of Genesys Solutions

Beatrice Beverly has extensive experience in Conflict Management, Personality Assessment, Team Building initiatives, Community Activism, Youth Leadership and Development, Youth Program Design and Mentor/Life Coaching for families, youth, and women. She is a trained and certified Diversity’s Consulting Pairs® facilitator by Pope Consulting, DiSC® facilitator and a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Beatrice is a CICF Ambassador where she is tasked to ensure that every day under-appreciated Central Indiana residents voices are heard and that needed resources and social capital are considered in the foundation’s work through advocacy, urgency, and equity. She is the Co-owner/founder of Stop the Violence Indianapolis, Inc., and President/Owner of Genesys Solutions, where life skills training, corporate training, habilitation training (servicing children diagnosed with a mental illness) are key pillars on the organization.

Beatrice servers as the BOD President for NAMI Greater Indianapolis and BOD member for Brightwood Community Center. She serves on the Family Care Council for the Juvenile Services Division.

Beatrice’s passion for mental health awareness, responsibility and advocacy is personal and has directly impacted her home, family, friends, and community. All too often she has seen black and brown people not have access and/or the education/understanding of the mental health journey and it has in some cases caused catastrophic outcomes. She is committed to ensuring that people diagnosed and not yet diagnosed have the necessary knowledge and access to navigate their mental health journey.

Allen Brown, MSSW
President/CEO, Adult & Child Health

Allen Brown, MSSW, is President and CEO of Adult and Child Health in Indianapolis, a nonprofit agency employing 600 staff in central Indiana. Focused on improving the health and well-being of underserved, at-risk persons, Allen has led Adult and Child Health’s transition from specialty care into integrated, whole health services. Organized as an FQHC Look Alike organization, Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC), and Licensed Child Placement Agency (LCPA), A&C’s continuum of programs include primary care, behavioral health, child welfare, supportive housing, and supportive employment. Prior to joining Adult and Child Health in 2014, Allen held managed care and community mental health leadership positions in Texas, Colorado, and Georgia.

Virginia A. Caine, MD
Director and Chief Medical Officer
Marion County Public Health Department

I have had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors for the Mental Health Association for the past several years and am pleased to be a part of an organization that works toward solutions that support communities addressing mental health. As Director & Chief Medical Officer of the Marion County Public Health Department, I know that mental health is as essential to a person’s life as in the same way as physical health and it is my goal to provide the same services to address mental health along with one’s physical health.

Geoffrey Gaither
Judge, Marion Family Division Court 9
Marion County Superior Court

Bianca L. Harris
Licensed Mental Health Therapist, Owner
The Phoenix Nicholas Center, LLC

Bianca is a mental health provider with over 15 years’ experience in varying aspects of mental healthcare. She is passionate about working with marginalized and disenfranchised people and communities of color, whose trauma and anxieties have impacted their quality of life. Her drive is to provide safe space for their voices to be empowered and establish a more fulfilled quality of life.

George Hurd
Vice President, Community Fairbanks Behavioral Health, Community Health Network

George Hurd is the V.P. of Behavioral Health for Community Health Network and has over 30 years of experience working with families and individuals in multiple roles spanning from criminal justice, child welfare and for the last 10 years in the Community Mental Health Center field. He is passionate about ensuring the best care is provided for the marginalized in our society and that prevention and understanding are a cornerstone of care delivery. He has been an advocate for early identification and intervention as well as stigma reduction. He is enthusiastic about advancing workforce development initiatives as means to increase service providers ability to meet people where they are and advance the care of Mental Health and Substance Abuse services for all Hoosiers.

Amy M. Jones
Judge, Marion Superior Court 34
Presiding Judge of the Mental Health Alternative Court

Christine Kerl
Chief Probation Officer
Marion Superior Court Probation Department

As a probation officer for over 30 years, I have been directly involved in assisting members of our community to access services to improve their situation to move beyond juvenile justice and criminal justice systems. Success is dependent upon utilizing programs and services that are proven in research to reduce the likelihood that an individual will experience additional interactions with the system. As an advocate for promoting and providing equitable access for all to effective resources for change, I am grateful to be a member of the MHA Board of Directors.

Stephen McCaffrey
President/CEO
Mental Health America of Indiana

McCaffrey earned his undergraduate degree from Purdue University and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, and been with Mental Health America of Indiana since 1991. McCaffrey is a recipient of the Webster-Kipfer Award for special achievement in public policy advocacy, former vice chairman for public affairs at the National Mental Health Association, former member of the board of directors at the National Mental Health Association, and former board member at the American Society of Mental Health Association Professionals. McCaffrey was named to the national directory of Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals and by the Indiana Business Journal as a member of Who’s Who in Indiana Health Care. McCaffrey received gubernatorial appointments to the Indiana Mental Health Commission and the Medicaid Quality Advisory Committee. McCaffrey served as chair of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Advisory Committee.

Alfarena T. McGinty, MBA
Chief Deputy Coroner,
Marion County Coroner’s Office

Alfie is an Indiana Certified Medicolegal Death Investigator with over 25 years of experience conducting death investigations in Marion County. She oversees over 4000 death investigations annually. Her passion for mental health started when she began her career at the Marion County Coroner’s Office 25 years ago. Over the years, Alfie has learned that grief can adversely affect mental health. She believes that mental health disorders are elevated after sudden and violent deaths, and the course of recovery is not widely examined as a significant need for treatment in our community.

Natalie Mongarella
Marion County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
Mental Health Alternative Courts

Natalie’s passion for mental health was initially inspired by working with veterans and seeing the intersections of addiction, mental health, and the criminal justice system. She is motivated by what a difference support and treatment can make for individuals and our community as a whole. She believes that every step we take to support just one person is a step toward a healthier, better community.

Ashley Overley, MD
CEO, Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center

Chris Paulsen
Chief Executive Officer, Indiana Youth Group (IYG)

Chris is interested in ensuring equitable services are available to all young people, especially LGBTQ+ young people. Knowing that LGBTQ+ youth have reduced access to all services and worse Mental Health outcomes, she believes it is important that we center them and young people of Color in our work.

Lauren Rodriguez
Deputy Mayor of Public Health and Safety for the City of Indianapolis

Steve Ross
Public Defender in the Mental Health Alternative Courts
Marion County Public Defender Agency

Steve’s passion for mental-health-related issues has been life-long. However, his professional focus on it began when, as a new attorney, he saw firsthand how pervasive serious mental illness and addiction are in our justice system—and particularly in our jails. Steve believes every person who lives with mental illness or addiction is entitled to dignity, respect, and autonomy. Our community needs to improve how we serve these individuals, and he is excited to be a part of that.

Antony Sheehan
President/Executive Officer, Aspire Indiana, Inc.

Monica Smith
Associate Director, Beyond Jails

Attorney Monica Smith was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. She is the Associate Director of the Beyond Jails Initiative at Vera Institute of Justice. She works on criminal legal system reform efforts dedicated to ending mass incarceration in America’s small cities, towns, and rural areas.

Previously, Monica coordinated nationwide decarceral efforts at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, including a one million-dollar, 27 city bail out. In her prior role as director of court advocacy at the Youth Justice Network , she worked to free individuals held at Rikers Island.

Monica began her career as a Public Defender in Kentucky and later in Louisiana. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Xavier University of Louisiana and J. D. from Southern University Law Center.

Jayson Harvey, LMHC, LACLifeStance HealthPresident of the Mental Health America of Indianapolis Board of Directors

Catherine CummingsDeputy Chief, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police DepartmentVice President of the Mental Health America of Indianapolis Board of Directors

Big Things Happen When You Sponsor Mental Health

Jayson Harvey, LMHC, LAC
LifeStance Health
President of the Mental Health America of Indianapolis Board of Directors

Catherine Cummings
Deputy Chief, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Vice President of the Mental Health America of Indianapolis Board of Directors