NAMI Northeast Region PA

Staff and Board of Directors

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Our Board of Directors works to provide strategic guidance in the fulfillment of our mission to provide advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. 

 

 Our Board is comprised of individuals living with mental illness, family members, professionals, community members, and advocates.

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Marie Onukiavage

Executive Director

 

                                             Over my 25+ years with NAMI, I have had the privilege, honor and joy of being                                                       a part of an organization that gives people support, understanding and                                                                   acceptance that they have not been able to find anywhere else.  Our free, peer                                                   lead support & education programs give a greater understanding of the                                                                 symptoms and experiences of mental illness,  provide practical problem-solving                                                 skills and communication techniques, help to develop strategies for handing                                                       crisis, learn about local resources and focus on self-care;  all of this helps to                                                         empower people to begin and continue the recovery journey, 

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Our mission is to help to build better lives for anyone affected by mental illness in our community- everything we do is with that mission in mind. NAMI gives people a voice and if they cannot use that voice yet NAMI will speak for them, challenging barriers to care at the federal, state and local levels.

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Families come to NAMI so distraught and overwhelmed they can hardly begin to tell their story but by listening to others they are encouraged to come back again and again until eventually they can tell their story.  Many of those same individuals become leaders, using their knowledge to support and educate others, they become the voices of change in our community, helping others to begin their own journey of recovery.

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NAMI flips the script of isolation and shame and helplessness to one of connection, empowerment and hope.    NAMI gives people hope when they thought all was lost. 

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JoAnna Van Tine

Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator

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Katie Spencer

NAMI Services Leader 

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Terri Lacey

Co-President

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Kelly Ankenbrand

Co-President

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HelenMae Newcomer

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Michael Joyce

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Charlene Dougherty

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Kevin H. Brown, CPS

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NAMI means giving those with Mental Health challenges a voice and support.

It also supports them with resources and a Community Outlet so "No One Feels Alone".

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Bill Buck

Bill Buck earned his B.S. in Human Services from The University of Scranton.  He began his career in mental health in 2002 and is currently a Youth and Adult Mental Health Advocate.  His own lived experience has cultivated a true empathy for those he works with.  His passion for helping others is evident during the weekly Depression and Bi-Polar Support Group he has facilitated for the past 18 years.  Bill received the NAMI Candlelight Award in 2014 for his efforts in helping others living with a mental illness.  He Co-chairs the Lackawanna County Community Support Program and serves on the Scranton Counseling Center’s ACT Team and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Advisory Boards.  Bill is also a member of the Lackawanna County Suicide Prevention Alliance.

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Ed Shoener 

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Wendy Reed

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Kadrianna Martinez

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Owen Dougherty

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