Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee Roster

The ISMICC is composed of senior leaders from 10 federal agencies including HHS, the Departments of Justice, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Defense, Housing and Urban Development, Education, and the Social Security Administration along with 14 non-federal public members.

The ISMICC reports to the Secretary of HHS or their designee. The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use chairs the ISMICC, with management and support services provided by SAMHSA.

CHAIRPERSON

The Honorable Xavier Becerra
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, DC

DESIGNATED CHAIRPERSON

Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D.
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Rockville, MD

DESIGNATED FEDERAL OFFICIAL

Pamela Foote
Program Analyst
Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Rockville, MD

FEDERAL MEMBERS

The Secretary of Health and Human Services Designee
Joel Dubenitz, Ph.D., Social Science Analyst/Psychologist
Gavin Kennedy, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary ASPE
CAPT Menna Vythilingam, Ph.D., Senior Advisor for Mental Health
HHS/ASPE/OASH
Washington, DC

The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use
Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D.
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Rockville, MD

The Attorney General
Designee
Theron Pride, M.S.W., JD
Deputy Associate Attorney General
Mariel Lifshitz
Senior Advisor, Substance Use, Opioid, and Mental Health Policy
Department of Justice
Washington, DC

The Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Designee
Sandra Resnick, Ph.D.
Deputy Director
Northeast Program Evaluation Center, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention,
Washington, DC

The Secretary of the Department of Defense
Designee
Richard Mooney, M.D., Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Health Services Policy and Oversight
CAPT. Ken Richter, Jr., DO, CPE, FAPA
Director for Mental Health Policy & Oversight
Health Services Policy & Oversight
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Defense Health Headquarters (3M613)
Falls Church, VA

The Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Designee
Corey Minor Smith
Senior Counsel, Office of General Counsel
Washington, DC 20410

The Secretary of the Department of Education
Designee
Meghan Whittaker
Early Childhood Team, Office of Special Education Programs
Washington DC 20202

Secretary of the Department of Labor
Designee
Taryn Williams, M.S.
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy
Washington, DC 20210

The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Designee
Kirsten Beronio, J.D.
Senior Policy Advisor on Behavioral Health Care
Acting Deputy Director, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services
Washington, DC 20201

The Administrator of the Administration for Community Living
Designee
Alison Barkoff, J.D.
Acting Administrator and Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging
Washington, DC

The Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
Designee
Marion (Taffy) McCoy, Ph.D.
Social Science Analyst
Baltimore, MD

NON-FEDERAL MEMBERS

Trinidad de Jesus Arguello, Ph.D., LCSW, PMHRN-BC
Director
Compostela Community and Family Cultural Institute
P.O. Box 277
Arroyo Seco, New Mexico 87514

Yasamin Brown, M.S.
Chief Executive Officer
Hope Restored Suicide Prevention Project, LLC
33 Boland Drive
West Orange, NJ 07044

Ron Bruno
CEO
Crisis Response Programs and Training
2825 E. Cottonwood Parkway, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, UT 84121

David Covington, LPC, M.B.A.
CEO/President
RI International
DBA for Recovery Innovations, Inc.
2701 N. 16th Street, Suite 316
Phoenix, AZ 85006

Brian Hepburn, M.D.
Executive Director
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 302
Alexandria, VA 22314

Jennifer Higgins, Ph.D., CCRP, M.B.A.
Owner
CommonWealth GrantWorks
P.O. Box 151
Southampton, MA 01073

Johanna Kandel, B.A.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness
1649 Forum Place, Suite 2
West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Steven Leifman, J.D.
Associate Administrative Judge
Miami-Dade County Court
Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida
1351 NW 12th Street
Miami, FL 33125

Adrienne Lightfoot
Peer Program Coordinator
DC Department of Behavioral Health
114 Wayne Place SE, #201
Washington, D.C. 20032

Amanda Lipp, B.S.
Director and Filmmaker
Lipp Studios
3927 Edgevale Court
Fair Oaks, CA 95628

Winola Sprague, DNP, CNS-BC
Medical Director
Children’s Advantage
520 N. Chestnut Street
Ravenna, OH 44266

Rhathelia Stroud, J.D.
Presiding Judge
DeKalb County Magistrate Court
556 N. McDonough Street
Decatur, GA 30030

Katherine Warburton, D.O.
Medical Director and Deputy Director of Clinical Operations
California Department of State Hospitals
1600 9th Street, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95814

Last Updated: 03/14/2023