Nine New Members Appointed to SAMHSA's Advisory Committee for Women's Services

SAMHSA Search

Contact Media Services: (240) 276-2130

Date: 5/5/2008
Media Contact: SAMHSA Press Office
Telephone: 240-276-2130

Nine New Members Appointed to SAMHSA's Advisory Committee for Women's Services

Terry Cline, Ph.D., administrator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), recently announced the appointment of nine new members to the Advisory Committee for Women’s Services (ACWS). The Committee, established in 1992, meets twice yearly and advises, consults with and makes recommendations to the associate administrator for women’s services, the SAMHSA administrator, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding activities and policies with respect to women’s substance abuse and mental health services.

“We advance our goals by drawing advice from among the best and the brightest,” said Dr. Cline. “The members include physicians, consumers, practitioners, treatment providers, and other health professionals, whose clinical practice, specialization, or professional expertise includes a significant focus on women's substance abuse and mental health conditions.”

The new Advisory Committee members include:

Susan C. Ayers, L.I.C.S.W., is the executive director of the Guidance Center, Inc., a leading provider of comprehensive child and family services in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her strategic vision, collaborative leadership and talented team have produced a family-centered agency known for its cutting-edge models of care and strong community partnerships. Families, particularly mothers who often shoulder the burden of caring for a child with a serious emotional or behavior disorder, are at the center of Ms. Ayers’ service model as partners and collaborators. She has authored many publications and presented at workshops and conferences on issues relating to women and children.

Jean Lau Chin, Ed.D., is professor and dean, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies of Adelphi University, Garden City, New York. She is a licensed psychologist with more than 30 years of experience as an administrator, educator, clinician, and consultant in the health, mental health, and human services fields. Dr. Chin has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters in professional publications on women’s issues, cultural competence, Asian American, and ethnic minority issues. She recently completed a four-volume set, The Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination, which covers racism, ethnicity, gender, and all forms of discrimination.

Stephanie S. Covington, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., is a clinician, author, organizational consultant, and lecturer in La Jolla, California. She is recognized for her pioneering work in the area of women’s issues, specializing in the development and implementation of gender-responsive, trauma-informed services. Dr. Covington's organizational work in both the public and private sectors focuses on systems change and the development of caring, compassionate, and empowering environments. A consultant to the Betty Ford Treatment Center, Dr. Covington has created a progressive and innovative program for women. She also consulted with the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach on the development of the Center for Women's Recovery.

Roger D. Fallot, Ph.D., is the director of Research and Evaluation at Community Connections, Washington, D.C., and is also currently principal investigator on the District of Columbia Trauma Collaboration Study, a federally funded research project examining the effectiveness of integrated services for women trauma survivors with mental health and substance abuse problems. Dr. Fallot is a national consultant, specializing in the development and evaluation of trauma-informed systems of care and trauma-specific services for women and men. He currently serves as a consultant to the Northwest Mental Health Authority of Torrington, Connecticut which was recently recognized by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services as the Trauma Center of Excellence.

Renata J. Henry, M.Ed., is currently the director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, an operating division of Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS), New Castle, Delaware. She is responsible for the administrative direction and oversight of public sector behavioral health services for adults in Delaware. She has over thirty years of experience in the behavioral health field, serving in various clinical and administrative positions, as well as in state and county government. Prior to becoming the division director, she was the director of Substance Abuse Services for the State of Delaware where she led an initiative to develop a programming manual on women's treatment issues and appropriate services.

Gail P. Hutchings, M.P.A., is the president and CEO of the Behavioral Health Policy Collaborative in Alexandria, Virginia. She works with public and private sector organizations to improve mental health and substance abuse prevention systems, services and outcomes. Ms. Hutchings has lead responsibilities for coordinating and overseeing a wide portfolio of policy, programmatic, and financial management. She is a long-time champion of the behavioral health and housing needs and interests of women and families. She has led national systems change activities related to access, treatment, and quality of mental health care in public systems.

Amanda Manbeck is the executive director and program manager of White Bison, Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colorado. White Bison has offered sobriety, recovery, addictions prevention, and wellness/’Wellbriety’ learning resources to the Native American community nationwide. Ms. Manbeck is responsible for scheduling and coordinating regional training events and national conferences to develop facilitators for implementing: prevention, treatment and recovery programs for Native American youth, including those in treatment and detention centers; and alcohol and substance abuse treatment, intervention and recovery programs for men and women in their own communities, including individuals returning from prison.

Jacki McKinney, M.S.W., is the director and co-founder of the National People of Color Consumer/Survivor Network of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ms. McKinney works to facilitate understanding of discrimination against people of color in relation to consumer services and focuses on the intergenerational effects of co-occurring disorder, trauma, and violence. She is a program manager at the National Center for Trauma Informed Care (NCTIC). She received the Clifford Beers Award, the highest honor award given by the National Mental Health Association. She has been a consultant to the SAMHSA Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study. Ms. McKinney has more than 20 years of experience working on women’s issues, focusing on women who have been in prison.

Britt Rios-Ellis, Ph.D., is a professor of Health Science at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) and the director of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health. She has directed several Latino health projects focusing on HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health. Dr. Rios-Ellis has taught women’s studies courses at the undergraduate and graduate level and has received funding for several projects focusing on Latina women’s health, particularly as it relates to sexuality, HIV/AIDS, and maternal/child health. She is specifically interested in the ways in which women- and family-specific models can be used to improve and integrate women’s health outreach and services.

These new members will join Vivian B. Brown, Ph.D., former president and CEO of Prototypes of Culver City, California, who is already a member of this committee. Dr Brown is a licensed clinical psychologist and a certified addiction specialist. She has more than 30 years of experience as a senior manager in a Community Mental Health Center (CMHC), and she has designed, implemented, and administered more than 20 major mental health programs in CMHCs. Dr. Brown has participated in policy decisions, collaborated with community groups, planned and implemented substance abuse residential treatment programs for women, planned and implemented a comprehensive employee assistance program, which included crisis intervention, as well as administered a comprehensive research and demonstration center designed to provide services to eight counties in southern California.

For more information, visit https://www.nac.samhsa.gov/index.aspx.

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health services delivery system.

Page Last Updated: 5/5/2008