Chair
Kent P. Dauten
Chairman, Keystone Capital
Chicago, IL
Kent Dauten’s career in private equity investment spans 40+ successful years. He co-founded Keystone Capital in 1994 and now serves as its chairman. Dauten has served on DBSA’s board of directors since 2018.
He and his family have been longtime supporters and advocates for mental health, having established the Dauten Family Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dauten graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA.
“Bipolar disorder and the broader field of mental health are my top volunteer and philanthropic priorities due to family experience with them. DBSA is a wonderful cause to support since it does really important work in this field and has an outsized impact on the individuals and families suffering from mood disorders.”
Vice-Chair
Mike Kuhl
System analyst
Humana
Louisville, KY
Michael Kuhl has been involved with DBSA for more than 20 years, having served on the board in the past and currently leading the DBSA Louisville Chapter.
“I think DBSA has the opportunity to make the peer support specialist role a respected and valued professional on medical teams. This, along with the staff’s hard work can make DBSA the top mental health non-profit in the country.”
Secretary
Steven Harris
Partner, McDonald Hopkins
Chicago, IL
Steve Harris has a national reputation as an advisor to business and professional organizations, and counsels privately-owned corporations and healthcare clients on contractual and regulatory issues, succession planning, and related transactional matters.
Steve earned a J.D. from Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1981. He received a B.S. from Northern Illinois University in 1978.
“Through my involvement with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, I feel I’m in a safe environment to now share my journey. Disclosing that I live with Bipolar allows me to share my experiences with others and to encourage people living in silence to seek help, because it’s there and it helps.”
Treasurer
Eileen Kamerick
Chief Executive Officer
The Governance Partners
Chicago, IL
Eileen Kamerick is a National Association of Corporate Directors Board Leadership Fellow with an M.B.A. and a J.D. from The University of Chicago. She teaches corporate governance and finance at leading universities.
Eileen is featured in The Board Game: How Smart Women Become Corporate Directors.
Scientific Advisory Board Chair
Roger McIntyre, MD, FRCPC
Head of Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit,
University Health Network and Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology,
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada
Roger McIntyre, MD, FRCPC, is a renowned expert in his field, having been named by Clarivate Analytics as one of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” from 2014-2021. This distinction is given by publishing the largest number of articles that rank among those most frequently cited by researchers globally in 21 broad fields of science and social science during the previous decade. McIntyre has published more than 750 articles/manuscripts and has edited and/or co-edited several textbooks on mood disorders.
McIntyre has served on the DBSA Board of Directors since 2015. As Scientific Advisory Board Chair, McIntyre oversees DBSA’s advisory body of doctors and clinicians.
McIntyre completed his medical degree at Dalhousie University. He received his psychiatry residency training and fellowship in psychiatric pharmacology at the University of Toronto.
“I am on DBSA’s board because I am grateful and so privileged to have met so many people and families affected by depression and bipolar disorder, and have witnessed the resiliency and the amazing opportunities that can be successfully achieved when the medical profession works in unison with people who are affected by depression.”
Read Dr. Roger McIntyre’s story.
Member-at-Large
Catherine M Fields, JD
Sr. Director, Health Care, Compliance and Risk Heartland Alliance
Grayslake, IL
Catherine Fields leverages her broad pharmaceutical industry experience to bring a unique perspective to the creation and implementation of global corporate compliance programs. She has served on the board since 2019.
Fields earned her JD in healthcare law from Loyola University Chicago and a BS in biological science from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
“DBSA’s commitment to mental health wellness, caregiver support and being a voice for mental health policy changes never waivers. This has positioned DBSA perfectly to continue to contribute to the current social and justice mental health wellness matters we face today.”
Member-at-Large
Shlomy Kattan
Director, Tyton Partners
Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Shlomy Kattan is a social entrepreneur, strategy consultant, and executive who has been leading organizations at the intersection of innovation and social impact for over two decades. He is a Director at Tyton Partners, the leading provider of investment banking and strategy consulting services to the global knowledge sector.
Dr. Kattan was previously Chief Advancement Officer of the XPRIZE Foundation, the global leader in designing and implementing large-scale innovation competitions to inspire and empower changemakers to create a more optimistic future.
“I joined DBSA’s Board of Directors because my life has been greatly affected by my loved ones’ struggles with depression and bipolar, and because of my personal experience with DBSA’s incredible support system. I have lost six close friends to suicide, and not a day goes by that I don’t think of them. During an especially trying time in my own life nearly 15 years ago, a DBSA chapter in New York City was my primary and best support. Meeting regularly with others whose loved ones contended with mood disorders gave me a lifeline. I saw firsthand how DBSA changes and even saves lives. Since then, any time I encounter someone who is struggling with a mood disorder or has a loved one who is, I first refer them to DBSA. I believe in the organization, its mission, and its impact. No organization does more to support and empower those struggling with depression and bipolar.”
Member-at-Large
MJ Leman
CEO, Chicago Martech
Evanston, IL
MJ Leman is a strategy and digital technology executive with over 20 years experience building businesses and serving in senior leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies. He is currently the CEO of Chicago Martech and holds key leadership roles in a number of business and social impact initiatives. He has served on the board since June 2020.
Leman graduated with his MBA from Ohio State University.
“As someone who has lived with bipolar disorder for most of my life, DBSA’s peer-directed approach to supporting wellness deeply resonates with me. Had I had access to DBSA resources as a young adult, I believe it could have prevented a lot of unnecessary pain in my life. Amplifying the peer voice and the breadth of wellness resources are key reasons I am so passionate about supporting DBSA’s mission to improve the lives of people who have mood disorders.”
Member-at-Large
Jerry Pavlon-Blum, Ed.M., MA
Director of External Affairs & Program Innovation
Robert Louis Stevenson School
Private Coach
New York, NY
Jerry Pavlon-Blum has served on the Board since 2015. He co-produced “Psychiatrist as Patient: Caring for the Caregiver,” a documentary film short for DBSA, available on this website, which has enjoyed official jury selection in film festivals around the world.
A private coach, his online practice helps adults living with mental health conditions sustain and advance careers, improve executive functioning, and/or find new employment better matching interest and talent. He holds advanced degrees from Columbia University Teachers College, Bank Street College of Education and a CAS from Harvard University. A former columnist on family matters for BP Magazine and ADDitude Online, he recently published a peer-reviewed article in a psychiatric journal about parenting children with emotional outbursts over decades.
“DBSA’s mission reflects the work I love to do, providing connections for and education about pediatric, adolescent and adult mental health, along with parent support.”
Read Jerry Pavlon-Blum’s story.
Director
Margaret Annett
Corporate Treasurer, The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Margaret Annett has more than 30 years of demonstrated success in audit management, long-term investment management, corporate finance and liquidity management. She is currently the Corporate Treasurer of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Annett earned her B.S. in industrial engineering with honors from the University of Iowa and her MBA in finance and accounting from The University of Chicago. She is a CPA and has served on the board of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance since 2018.
Director
Rebecca Weinstein Bacon
Partner, Bartlit Beck, LLP
Chicago, IL
Rebecca Weinstein Bacon tries and litigates complex cases for Fortune 500 clients. She has been named by Crain’s as one of the Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago, and Benchmark has named her National and Local Litigation Star and one of the Top 250 Women in Litigation. She represents companies Rebecca on a variety of claims, including pharmaceutical products liability claims, antitrust cases, consumer class actions, and commercial disputes. She has served on DBSA’s board since 2021.
Weinstein Bacon graduated from Columbia University School of Law as a Kent and Stone Scholar and earned her BS from UCLA with honors. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three teenagers.
“I’ve seen firsthand—with family members and friends—the real challenges and pain endured by those living and caring for people with mental illness. DBSA is a beacon of light and hope for the people who struggle with their own mental illness and the loved ones who support them. I hope that I can make a difference in furthering DBSA’s mission as science makes strides to provide more options for treatments.”
Director
Christy Beckmann
Development Director
CHADS Coalition for Mental Health
St. Louis, MO
Director
Suzanne Bergoffen
Retired Retail Executive
New York, NY
Suzanne Bergoffen is a retired retail executive from Bloomingdale’s and resides in New York City. She has been involved with The Balanced Mind Foundation since 2009, a precursor to DBSA’s Balanced Mind Parent Network.
“Raising a child with a mood disorder was an enormous and lonely journey. DBSA’s support groups enabled me to share my feelings, findings and resources with parents who were just as isolated as I was. These in person gatherings and online forums were a lifeline for us all. I am excited that DBSA will now offer support groups specifically for parents.”
Director
Nicole Brown MD, MPH, MHS
Founder and Chief Health Officer, Strong Children Wellness
Jamaica, NY
Nicole M. Brown, MD, MPH, MHS, is a general pediatrician and health services researcher and is the Chief Health Officer of Strong Children Wellness, a new pediatric primary care practice network that reverse integrates comprehensive pediatric primary care into child- and family-serving behavioral health and social service organizations. Brown formerly served as Assistant Professor in the Division of Academic General Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her research and professional interests center on enhancing care and service coordination for children who have experienced trauma and those with chronic mental health needs in the pediatric primary care setting. Brown has served on the board since 2021.
Brown completed medical school at Stanford University School of Medicine and her pediatric internship and residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She obtained her MS in health sciences as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at Yale School of Medicine.
“Conversations about mental health are often taboo in the communities in which I work, and it is difficult for those with mood disorders to easily access and engage in the services that they need. DBSA’s transformative approach brings comprehensive support, education, and hope to people living with mood disorders through peer support, and this aligns with my commitment to providing holistic, wraparound care to children and families with mental health needs.”
Director
John Budin, MD
Psychiatrist
New Hope, PA
John Budin, MD, is an accomplished psychiatrist and public speaker. Previously, he worked as an associate professor of psychiatry at hospitals in New York City affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Budin also directed large hospital programs in underserved communities with a focus on those living with mood and anxiety disorders. Budin has been a board member since 2019.
Budin earned his MD from Tel Aviv University Sackler. He also lives with bipolar disorder, which was the subject of a DBSA documentary.
“As a physician living with bipolar disorder, I have been both a caregiver and a care receiver. Too many of those with mood disorders suffer in silence without the education, advocacy and support they need. DBSA provides a beacon of hope to those living with mood disorders by illuminating a pathway toward mental wellness.”
Director
Sharnell Curtis-Martin
Associate Managing Director, Community Development Relationship Manager, CIBC
Chicago, IL
Sharnell Curtis-Martin’s career includes a 20+ year track record of success in finance, community development initiatives, and economic development. She has been fortunate to support community organizations, not-for-profit organizations and small businesses as those organizations seek access to capital resources. Curtis-Martin has served on the board since 2022.
She earned her BS in finance and accounting, as well as her MS in Business Administration, from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Stuart School of Business.
“During my lifetime, I never appreciated how some of the things that I would see within my family had a name and a community that wants to embrace them. As soon as I learned about DBSA and its mission, I knew this was an organization that I needed to join and support.”
Director
Greg Dicharry
Youth Empowerment Director
Magellan Health
Baton Rouge, LA
Greg Dicharry is an award-winning filmmaker and mental health advocate who served as the National Youth Empowerment Director for Magellan Health from 2007 to 2022. Dicharry has over 25 years of lived experience with mental health and substance use issues and recovery.
Dicharry is the founder of SmileStyle Entertainment, where he produces and directs mental health-related documentary films to reduce stigma and help others find recovery. He co-directed and produced the 2018 film “Suicide the Ripple Effect,” and produced and directed the documentary feature “My Ascension,” which focuses on youth suicide prevention. His third film “Big Infinite’s Power of Expression” also addresses mental wellness and suicide prevention and will be released in the fall of 2022.
In recognition of his work, Dicharry was awarded a 2021 Media Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Mental Health America’s top honor, the Clifford Beers Award in 2019, a SAMHSA Voice Award, a National Council Reintegration Award, and others. But his biggest reward is co-parenting his 6-year-old daughter, Gracy.
Dicharry earned his BS in communication and media studies from Arizona State University.
“I was introduced to the world of mental health while living in Hollywood pursuing my dream of working in the entertainment industry. It was there that I experienced depression for the first time and had my first manic episode and was hospitalized and diagnosed with co-occurring bipolar and substance use disorders. I spent the next 10 years in and out of denial about my diagnosis, which resulted in 10 forced hospitalizations, a one-month stay in Orleans Parish Prison’s psychiatric unit, two stays in drug rehabilitation centers, and many hopeless depressive states. In 2004, I became committed to recovery and completed a Certified Peer Support Training Program and have been working in the mental health field since that time. My personal and professional experience has shown me the importance of mental health awareness, services, and advocacy, so I am very grateful to get to support the amazing work of DBSA, which has been a leader in this arena for so many years.”
Director
Mark Frye, MD
Psychiatrist; Chair, Psychiatry and Psychology
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
Dr. Mark Frye is chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Frye also serves as director of the Mayo Clinic Depression Center.
Dr. Frye received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and completed his psychiatric training at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. He subsequently completed a research fellowship in the Biological Psychiatry Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. While at NIMH, his research focused on the neurobiology of depression and bipolar disorder.
Dr. Frye’s current research centers on genomics, brain imaging and neuroendocrinology of mood disorders and alcoholism, complementing his clinical interests in bipolar disorder, depression and alcoholism. Dr. Frye and his team established the Mayo Clinic Individualized Medicine Biobank for Bipolar Disorder in an effort to identify and understand the underpinning mechanisms of bipolar disorders through genomic studies.
Dr. Frye is also the recipient of both the Gerald L. Klerman Young (2002) and Senior (2015) Investigator Awards. He is also the Vice-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board.
Director
Eva Kohegyi, MD, MS
Executive Director, Global Clinical Development CNS
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc.
Princeton, NJ
Eva Kohegyi is a Psychiatry/Neurology Global Clinical Development Leader and pharmaceutical physician with EU board-certification in Psychiatry. She has over 23 years of experience in clinical research in academia and industry, including 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry.
Director
Daniel Smulian
Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
New York, NY
Daniel I.A. Smulian is a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s Litigation Practice. He is also a member of the firm’s Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation Group and Appeals & Legal Issues Group.
Director
Altha Stewart, MD
Senior Associate Dean for Community Health Engagement; Director, Division of Public and
Community Psychiatry; Director, Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, TN
Altha Stewart, MD, is a well-known leader in mental health. She was the recipient of the American Psychiatric Association Solomon Carter Fuller Award in 2021 and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black Psychiatrists of America in 2017. She has served on the board since 2021.
Stewart is active in several professional organizations having previously served as president of the Association of Women Psychiatrists and the Black Psychiatrists of America. She received her medical degree from Temple University Medical School.
“DBSA’s mission aligns with my professional goals to increase education and awareness about mental illness, reduce stigma associated with mental illness, and ensure access to the highest quality of psychiatric care for all, especially in racial/ethnic minority populations and underserved communities.”
To inquire about opportunities to serve on the DBSA Board of Directors, contact Michael Pollock at mpollock@dbsalliance.org.
