33rd annual GMHCN conference
Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please email conference@gmhcn.org for details.
We'll Be Together Again!
For the first time since 2019, the GMHCN Annual Conference will be held in person at our traditional gathering spot, Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island.
Registration will open at or after noon on April 19, 2024.
Seating and Lodging will be limited for this conference, with first priority registration going to State of Georgia CPS-MH, CPS-AD, CPS-P and CPS-Y. Second priority registration will be for those who work in behavioral health with peers but have not obtained their State of Georgia CPS Certification yet.
PREVIOUSLY AT THE GMHCN ANNUAL CONFERENCE
In 1972 Marlo Thomas released a project titled "Free to Be... You and Me" that explored the concept of identity, and the importance of each of us being able to live as our authentic selves. Thirty years later we revisited and expanded upon the concepts explored in this landmark work, and continue to extend our gratitude to Ms. Thomas, Ms. magazine, and the countless performers, artists, craftspeople, and others who labored to make "Free to Be" everything that it was, and continues to be.
2023
Keynote Speaker Jessica Umberger was recently released from GA State Prison after serving a five-year sentence. Not long after her release she joined the PAD team. Started off as a peer advocate 6 months later became a Care Navigator not even two months after she was promoted to team lead. While at PAD in this year and a couple of months she has purchased a home, was granted full custody of her children, and has earned her Peer Support Specialist, specializing in addictive disease through the Ga Substance Abuse council. She currently attends Atlanta Technical College working toward a paralegal degree. She volunteers with many community justice impacted organizations helping the Atlanta community in many capacities.
Moki Macías has served as the Executive Director of the Atlanta-based Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) since its launch in 2017. PAD reduces arrest and incarceration for activities related to mental health, substance use and extreme poverty through two strategies: immediate alternative to arrest for individuals detained by police, and community first response to referrals through the City of Atlanta 311 line. Moki has spent the last 20 years engaged in community organizing, program design and advocacy related to criminal justice reform and community development. She has called Atlanta home since 2006 and is the mama of two awesome humans.
Kevin Tanner is the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. He has served as county manager of Forsyth County and served four terms as a State Representative for District 9. He has spent thirty-three years in public service.
Commissioner Tanner received his undergraduate degree from North Georgia College and State University and earned his Master of Public Administration from Columbus State University. He has been heavily involved in community and civic activities in the North Georgia area for many years.
Commissioner Tanner and his wife Stacie have been married more than twenty-four years. Stacie is a public school kindergarten teacher, and they are the proud parents of three daughters: Kaitlyn, Abbie, and Chloe. He serves as a Deacon and Sunday school teacher at Bethel Baptist Church where his family has attended for seven generations.
2022
About Keris Jän Myrick
Keris Jän Myrick is a leading mental health advocate and executive, known for her innovative and inclusive approach to mental health reform and the public disclosure of her personal story (as featured in the New York Times series: Lives Restored). Ms. Myrick has over 15 years of experience in mental health services innovations, transformation, and peer workforce development. She is known for her collaborative style and innovative “whole person” approach to mental health. Ms. Myrick is the Vice President of Partnerships at Inseparable, the policy liaison for The National Association of Peer Supporters (N.A.P.S.) on the Mental Health of America board of directors. She is the developer and host of the podcast “Unapologetically Black Unicorns” focusing on mental health, race equity and lived experience. Ms. Myrick was formerly the Chief of Peer and Allied Health Professions for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and has served as the Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs for the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the United States Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and was the Board President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Myrick is a Co-Editor of the Journal of Psychiatric Services “Lived Experience and Leadership” column and has authored numerous peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Ms. Myrick has a MS in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology of Alliant International University and an MBA from Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management.
Podcast Host - Unapologetically Black Unicorns
https://linktr.ee/UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
This year has been a little different, and so will this year's conference. We will celebrate, and possibly mourn (a little), but we hope to spend most of the day considering: Who are we at GMHCN--staff, members, peers--and who do we want to be? What do we want from GMHCN, and what are we willing to give back? We will also be considering peer support itself--what is it, what was it meant to, what can it be, what should it be, and how do we get there?
In short, we plan to pause, and reflect on who we are, and who we want to be. A slate of presenters to inform and guide our community discussion is being assembled and will be released soon.
We hope you will plan to join us.
2021
