Our CEOs

“As CEO of Clarion Psychiatric Center, I am proud to partner with NAMI Keystone PA in signing the CEOs Against Stigma pledge.  Every day our team seeks to serve the community and care for the mental health needs of patients and their families.  Our leadership team is equally devoted to supporting our staff and their loved ones in this way.  Through education and resources, Clarion Psychiatric Center seeks to be a part of reducing stigma and removing barriers to mental health care.”

“As CEO of YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, I am committed to developing an organizational culture and working towards a society that prioritizes mental health. Too often, mental illness is misunderstood and seeking assistance for mental illness is stigmatized. As a CEO Against Stigma, I strive to increase access to mental health supports through a strategic partnership with NAMI Keystone PA. Acknowledging racial disparities in seeking help for mental illness and the effect of mental health on physical health is one step. In addition, as we collectively move beyond statistics to see the individuals and families impacted, we can truly develop a more inclusive region.”

“As Director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), I am committed to supporting the mental health and overall wellbeing of our dedicated workforce. The last two years have been challenging. We have seen an increase in personal stress within our staff due to the pandemic, politics, hate-related violence and the increased demands of work due to staffing shortages, at a time when the need for services is greater than ever. The impact of these stressors on the mental wellness of our workforce is obvious and troubling. We cannot expect our staff to promote the wellness of the individuals and families we serve while ignoring the same for themselves.

I, along with each of DHS’s deputy directors, am excited to be partnering with NAMI Keystone PA to promote education and resources regarding mental health, encourage dialogue and increased openness in the workplace to promote support and understanding, and combat the negative impact of stigma that grows out of fear and lack of information.

In addition, I pledge to support existing wellness activities within the Department and to appoint dedicated staff to expand these opportunities in partnership with the already-robust CEOs Against Stigma planning group. Together, we can change the misperceptions of mental illness in the workplace and promote a culture of transparency, education, and wellbeing.”

“I am so grateful that the Kingsley Association has joined the CEOs Against Stigma movement. The pandemic revealed that so many folks are struggling to find a balance in their work versus personal life. I was fortunate enough to listen to what was being discussed and I know our involvement as an organization will provide resources and avenues for individuals to thrive during difficult times. Mental health is inextricably linked to so many facets of well-being. Thank you for the opportunity to learn and to share!”

“As the chief executive for the City of Pittsburgh, I am committed to creating a culture of support for our workforce. We must normalize conversations about mental health, ensure our workers receive necessary resources to get help, and end the stigma around mental illness. Thank you to NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania and the Staunton Farm Foundation for your continued work in this effort.”

“I firmly believe that we need to embrace our mental health and well-being as we have learned to do from birth with annual ‘physicals.’  We seek professional help, share our physical health journeys – both challenges and accomplishments – openly, so why do we approach mental health differently?  Our mental and physical health are intertwined and we must stop separating the two. To foster thriving workforces and communities, we must lead by example and build an understanding that a “healthy” workforce is all-inclusive of mental, physical, emotional, social, and environmental health.”

“The mission of Cindy Leonard Consulting is to provide compassionate consulting for mission-driven organizations. To make it possible to continually give compassion, empathy, and services to nonprofit organizations, it is vital that I address well-being and mental health concerns for myself and my contractors. The pandemic has caused so many to give of themselves until the “well runs dry” and as a society, we cannot continue in this manner. It takes a combination of courage and having the resources to mitigate these impacts and I’m so pleased to partner with NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania for this endeavor.”

“Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP) recognizes that giving employees the tools they need to bring their whole selves to work is vital to a healthy workplace. We are proud to partner with NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania to improve employee well-being at HARP. We are committed to providing employees with not only the resources they need to do their jobs, but also to provide for their mental, physical and spiritual health.”

“Sisters Place faithfully provides opportunities for families and individuals to overcome poverty and homelessness through empowerment, housing, wellness, personal and professional advancement services. It is a priority to be mission-centric in how we support the staff team, too. We have an EAP program but feel that it is not used or grossly underused due to stigma, even with our staff. We just had a 16-year employee resign who attributed her departure to stress in the workplace and at home, and her declining physical health. This feels like a failure as an organization."

“The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education recognize and value our NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania collaboration as a crucial cornerstone partnership to help us more effectively understand and address the whole-person health needs of our employees and also the patients, families, and communities we are privileged to serve.

Partnering with NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania advances our mission to improve the health and welfare of our community by galvanizing our collective advocacy efforts to reduce internal organizational and external stigma against mental illness. We are confident that our passionate engagement in NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania’s CEOs Against Stigma initiative will empower our executive team, providers, staff, residents and fellows to be better equipped and proactive in optimizing their personal well being, interpersonal and cross departmental relationships, and the care we provide to patients and families.”

“Reed Smith is committed to improving mental health at our firm by destigmatizing mental illness and substance use issues. We are proud to partner with NAMI in signing the CEOs Against Stigma pledge. Providing mental health benefits and access to an EAP are essential parts of our comprehensive plan, but we want to do more. To further support our colleagues and to eliminate stigma, we are cultivating a culture that encourages people to speak honestly about mental health and to seek help when they need it. We also believe that providing ready access to mental health resources and educational sessions with mental health experts are key to being a true leader in Pennsylvania and the legal profession.”

“Isn’t it interesting that for centuries society has focused on physical well being…and yet proverbs and clichés have existed for at least that long about “mind over matter”…which ultimately suggests that good mental health is the most important thing of all. The workplace is a great place to focus energy, attention and care relative to mental health and well being. And NAMI is helping to push that agenda forward.”

“A workplace that meets people where they are and provides the right type and kind of support is more likely to find success. There is nothing more important than the well-being of people.”

“Our mission at Makin Wellness is to help millions of people heal & become happy again. This starts by upholding a positive company culture & values so our providers can effectively help our patients. Our leadership team prioritizes the mental health & well-being of our team so they can thrive. We need to work together to help to eradicate the stigma behind mental health & Makin Wellness is proud to partner with NAMI to help make this happen!”

“At ProMinent Fluid Controls we live by a strong set of values. As a part of those values we are committed to fostering a community that values individuals. We understand and know firsthand the importance of prioritizing our employee’s health and wellness. We work to help end the stigma behind mental health through training our employees, our benefits package, utilizing our EAP, and by having certified MHFA responders within our leadership. We provide our employees with the support and resources they and their families need to promote mental health and wellbeing. We are proud of the environment we have created.”

“George Junior Republic is excited to participate in the CEOs Against Stigma campaign.  The organization looks forward to providing our workforce of over 700 staff (working across multiple states) with the mental health education and supports needed in order to decrease stigma and increase worker productivity at work, home, and in the community.”

“The core value of Achieving True Self (ATS) is ‘people matter – a concept so simply stated, yet powerfully embraced.’ We are committed to providing and promoting healthy organizational culture and balance. We are unquestionably committed to the health and wellness of our valued team members – our ATS family – just as much as those individuals and families across communities we are fortunate to serve. We are not afraid of difficult conversations and we will not to give in to stigma. Let’s change the dialogue, and the world, together.”

“The mission of our organization is to help build a community free of stigma where individuals with mental health challenges work together toward recovery of mind, body, and spirit. It is validating for me to see the community making a commitment to reduce the stigma associated with mental health challenges. I would like to express my appreciation to NAMI Keystone PA for tackling this important issue.”