Stacy Morgan is the parent of an adoptive child and young adults with special needs and a consumer supporter/advocate with over 20 years of opportunities to participate in the planning, development, and implementation of services for populations with special needs, especially in the arena of mental health and disabilities. She is also the kinship caretaker of her 10-year-old cousin who experienced traumatic events and continues to navigate the mental health and foster care systems. She has served as a consultant for various programs and organizations, facilitating partnerships between families and community stakeholders to develop family and consumer centered/driven and culturally competent initiatives, services, and policies for children, youth, and adults with special needs. During this time, she served as a consultant to two National TA Center’s focused on expanding the capacity of family and consumer run organizations serving children and youth with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Ms. Morgan served as a program director and directed the FL Statewide Family Network for 12 years. She also assisted in the development and implemented Florida’s statewide family provider program for their Title V/CYSHCN Program; training, supervising, and evaluating up to 23 Family Health Partners within 19 regional clinics and programs. Ms. Morgan was also, contracted as a Family Partner Coordinator with NC Families United on the SOC Expansion grant project focusing on developing a comprehensive, strategic plan to expand System of Care philosophy and infrastructure, increase engagement within the local and regional collaborative(s), building and maintaining partnerships with community and state partners and evaluating the System of Care process and outcomes within the Eastpointe catchment area. She has also served as the Family Co-Chair of the NC Collaborative for Children, Youth and Families and Associate Director of NC Families United. Currently, Ms. Morgan serves as the Executive Director of the Mental Health Transformation Alliance and Coordinator of the Family and Youth Center of Excellence” Authentic Voices”. She also, participates in multiple community councils and partnerships and serves as the Family Co-Chair for the NC Collaborative for Children, Youth and Families Policy & Research Workgroup
Elizabeth Field is the mother of an adult child with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Beth has been actively involved with family support initiatives as a volunteer for the past 15 years. In 2019, she formed LAND to meet the needs of those with I/DD and their families, especially during times of transition. In October 2021, LAND was awarded a four-year grant from the North Carolina Council for Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD). She is also Family Co-Chair for the NC Collaborative for Children, Youth and Families. Beth is on its Executive Committee. In 2017, Beth co-founded NCFASD Informed, a 501c3 with the mission to improve the lives of those impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in North Carolina. Beth has a Master of Science degree in Communication Management from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She has 30+ years of strategic communications and marketing experience, representing public and private organizations.
As Program Director Kody focuses on the development, coordination, and implementation of MHTA’s A Hero’s Heart program. Through this program he builds and maintains partnerships with national partners, provides mental health and suicide resources and support to active-duty military service men/women and their families and advocates for active-duty suicide awareness and system-level changes, policies, and practices.
Kody Justiss is from Damascus, Virginia and graduated from Holston High School in 2012. He is currently serving Active Duty in the United States Army and is married and has 2 beautiful girls. He has been in the Army for approx. 5 and a half years. Starting his Army career in Fort Jackson, SC where he went to Basic Combat Training. After BCT, he completed his AIT at Fort Gordon, GA to become a Cable Systems Installer-Maintainer (25L). As his first duty station, he was sent to Fort Bliss, TX to be part of the Charlie Company, 86th Expeditionary Signal Battalion. While he was at Fort Bliss, he was able to support units across the country/world such as going to South Korea on mission to support USFK. In 2022, he re-classed to become a Unit Supply Specialist (92Y). He was then moved to Fort Johnson, LA (formerly known as Fort Polk) where he is currently with the 3rd Brigade 10th Mountain serving as a Supply NCO for a medical company.
Program Director for the MHTA program will be the co-founder of Grupo Poder Y Esperanza Jessica Aguilar. Jessica brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
Jessica is the parent of twins with IDD and mental health special needs and a strong advocate with years of opportunities to participate in the planning, development, and implementation of services for populations with special needs, particularly around access to services and supports for Latino families. She has earned strong trust from Latino families and serves as a voice for these families.
Jessica has a BA in Economics and has studied community development, additional count with different certification in programs the mental health and Triple P. She is a history teller for mental health, Family Partner and QPR trainer with Mental Health America. She also has been part of the North Carolina Parents of Children Advisory Council with NC Child, where she ensures Latino parent voices are represented in roundtable conversations. Jessica also supports local groups to continue to encourage the Latino community to use their voices and advocate for their children. As a Parent Advisory Board member of MamasConPoder/ MomsRising, Jessica shares her passion for championing programs to improve the lives of other parents. Additionally, Jessica is a board member of the Center for Exceptional Children, a support network for parents and families.
Jessica participates in multiple councils and partnerships including the State Consumer and Family Advisory Committee (SCFA) and the Partners’ Healthcare Consumer and Family Advisory Committee; representing those identified with IDD. She is a member of numerous stakeholder engagement groups with the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services (DMHDDSAS), like the DHHS I/DD Stakeholder Task Force, DHHS Tailored Care Management (TAG), and the Olmstead Plan Stakeholder Advisory.
Jessica is also a parent member of different groups for represent the Latino community in the tables, some this group are the Hispanic/Latinx Community Response Team of the North Carolina Community Engagement Alliance (NC CEAL), working for the families have information about covid and complications. She also is part of the Innovative Approaches (IA) Steering Committee in Cabarrus County and Parent Advisory Council in Union County; she is a member of Union County Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICC) they working with kids with special needs 0-5 years old. She is also part of the Special Needs Advisory Council (SNAC) the Union County Public Schools (UCPS). She serves as a family representative of the Family Engagement and Leadership Coalition with the Leadership Alliance for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LAND) She is a parent member of the System of Care Community Collaborative of Mecklenburg and Union County, Thriving in Transition Advisory Council with Duke University School of Medicine, and recently is part of Work Together NC Steering Committee.
Diane Coffey has a lifetime of experience with personal family members with disabilities. She has been a foster mom and then an adoptive mom of two children with disabilities and mental health challenges. She has worked with families in NC for 10+ years, helping them navigate the systems that serve them. She also supports and partners with many agencies across the state. Diane is the Acting family co-chair of the NC Collaborative for Children, Youth & Families School-Based Mental Health sub-committee. She is also on the Advisory Council of LAND, sits as Chair of the DPI Council on Educational Services for Exceptional Children and one of 24 on the Parent Engagement Committee for Center for Safer Schools. When working/partnering at the state level she works hard to bring the family voice and build partnerships to improve all services children/youth and adults receive.
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