2021 Presentations

Victor Armstrong joined North Carolina DHHS as ‪Director of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services in March of 2020, with responsibility and oversight of the public community-based mental health, intellectual and other developmental disabilities, substance use, and traumatic brain injury system in North Carolina. Prior to accepting this role, Victor spent six years as Vice President of Behavioral Health with Atrium Health. Based in Charlotte, NC Victor had responsibility for operations of Atrium’s largest behavioral health hospital, Behavioral Health Charlotte (BHC). The BHC campus contains the southeast’s only psychiatric emergency department, staffed 24/7 with board certified psychiatrists, as well as 66 inpatient beds, and 10 outpatient programs. Victor has over 30 years of experience in human services, primarily dedicated to building and strengthening community resources to serve individuals living with mental illness.‬

Victor currently serves on the board of directors of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) NC. He is also former board chair of NAMI NC, and a member of American Association of Suicidology (AAS), and NASW-NC. Victor is a former member of the Board of Directors of National Council for Behavioral Health, i2i Center for Integrative Health, and RI International.

Victor’s awards and recognitions include 2019 Black Mental Health Symposium -Mental Health Advocate of the Year, 2019 Atrium Health Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award, 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from East Carolina University School of Social Work, Pride Magazine 2018 "Best of the Best", and i2i Center for Integrative Health 2018 Innovation Award for "Whole Person Care", 2012 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NC, Mental Health Professional of the Year.

Victor graduated, Magna Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and received a Master of Social Work (MSW) from East Carolina University. He is the husband of Dr. Charletta Armstrong and the father of 3 sons, Carter, Alonzo, and Victor Jr.

Kelly Friedlander is the Principal Consultant at Community Bridges Consulting Group. She has worked in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities for 15 years and consults primarily around stakeholder engagement, advocacy, and managed long-term supports and services. In North Carolina, she worked on stakeholder engagement and policy analysis projects for clients such as the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, RHA Howell, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, Vaya Health and Anthem Healthcare. Her specialty is convening and facilitating diverse work and advisory groups, with the goal of infusing individuals with IDD and their family member’s voices into the public policymaking process. In addition, Kelly has worked as a subject matter expert and writer for managed care RFIs and RFPs in Florida, Washington, Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina.

Before moving to North Carolina, Kelly served as the Operational and Quality Assurance Director of Pyramid, Inc., the largest day training program in Florida. She also has experience working within a state government, as she provided oversight to the Developmental Services Quality Assurance Contract at Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration.

Kelly holds a Master’s of Social Work, a Master’s of Public Administration, and a Bachelor’s of Social Work.

Brian Hart is the Chief Strategy Officer of LADD, a Cincinnati non-profit serving adults with developmental disabilities. He has made it his mission to push the boundaries of what options exist for adults with disabilities. He is never satisfied and believes there is always a better way to increase independence of others and break down the systemic barriers that hold them back. Brian has been on the forefront of expanding services through technology-enabled supports and community clusters of services.

A seasoned disability and association professional, Merrill was selected to serve as ANCOR’s Chief Executive Officer in November 2014, concluding a national search by the ANCOR Board of Directors. Merrill, who had previously served as ANCOR's Vice President for Public Policy, has been involved in disability issues since 1992 as an advocate, state legislator and attorney for people with disabilities and the providers who serve them. At ANCOR, she has led the development and implementation of all aspects of ANCOR's public policy agenda, representing ANCOR's diverse membership of private providers of services for people with disabilities before federal and state policy makers, while keeping ANCOR members fully apprised of the impact of critical system changes and providing guidance and technical assistance.

Prior to joining ANCOR, Merrill was the Director of Government Relations for the MENTOR Network, a national network of community health and human services providers headquartered in Boston. Elected to ANCOR's Board of Directors in 2010, Barbara co-chaired ANCOR's Government Relations Committee prior to joining ANCOR's professional staff.  A native of the state of Maine, she brings over 20 years of experience working with associations. She has represented a variety of clients, including psychologists, NAMI-Maine, nursing facilities, and providers of services to people with disabilities. She successfully orchestrated the passage of legislation in Maine to increase wages for Direct Support Professionals, and Maine’s Mental Health Parity law, and in 2002, became the first Executive Director of the Maine Association for Community Service Providers.

Nanette L. Perrin is currently the Senior Director of Pathways, RCRS and Social Determinants of Health for Sunflower Health Plan. Nanette has over 30 years of experience in supporting individuals with Developmental Disabilities and their families; assessing and supporting quality of life and behavior supports. She has extensive experience in consultation; instruction and mentoring of professionals both pre-service and in-service; providing autism specific and positive behavioral supports consultation and training; administration of in home and center-based intervention and teaching programs. Nanette possesses a PhD in Special Education as well as a Master of Arts in Human Development and is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at the Doctoral level (BCBA-D) and is licensed in Kansas and Missouri.

Nanette is a board member of the Autism Society of the Heartland and continuing education coordinator for the Association for Positive Behavior Supports. She has also been an appointed member of the Kansas Governors Commission on Autism and member of the Kansas Autism Waiver Advisory Committee.

Stephanie Perry is a Long Term Services and Supports Director at Iowa Total Care a subsidiary of Centene Corporation. She has more than 15 years of experience serving individuals with long term health needs. In addition to her experience helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, she is also a Certified Brain Injury Specialist. Stephanie is especially skilled in program start up, program expansion, leadership, and talent development. Stephanie is passionate about helping individuals live their best life.

Stephanie Rasmussen has over 30 years of hands-on, administrative, and managed care experience in the field of Long Term Supports & Services, including provision of services for persons with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, participation in the development of State Policy, consultation in the development of I/DD providers in California and Tennessee, and provision of managed care for Medicaid LTSS Populations in Kansas.

Dr. Peggy Terhune has served at the helm at Monarch since June 1995. As President and Chief Executive Officer she oversees Monarch's large, statewide network of services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental illness and substance use disorders, serving nearly 30,000 North Carolinians each year.

Under Peggy's leadership, Monarch has implemented evidence-based and best practices in all areas, has successfully added numerous services, enhanced community integration, improved customer satisfaction, reduced turnover, and has effectively developed programs to serve consumers with multiple disabilities. She has grown the agency significantly, in part, due to the excellence of the supports offered. She diligently pursues her methodology to incorporate continuous improvement within the organization. Peggy has served as an advocate for people with disabilities for more than 40 years and she has often been invited to present at national conferences and technical workshops across the country, particularly on emerging practices that are used at Monarch. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Rochester Institute of Technology, Strayer University and is currently teaching at Wingate University.

She is a founding board member of the North Carolina Providers Council and past president of the National Conference of Executives of the Arc. Additionally, Peggy was appointed to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Waiver Advisory Committee (DWAC) and has been appointed twice to the N.C. Commission on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. She is also a board member of the N.C. Council of Developmental Disabilities and was appointed twice by the Governor. Peggy is a past member and officer of the Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) North Carolina and former member of the Benchmarks' Board of Trustees.

Peggy is the recipient of numerous regional and national leadership awards. In 2016, she was the firstever recipient of the Distinguished Professional Award in Diversity and Cultural Competency by The National Conference of Executives (NCE) of The Arc. The award recognizes leaders from The Arc's national network of nearly 700 chapters that provide innovative programs that meet the needs of the diverse I/DD community.

A graduate of Indiana University, Peggy received a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy, she earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching with a concentration in Cultural Studies/Human Development/Families from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is culturally competent, and her competencies include a wide range of clinical and administrative skills.

As General Manager of Integrated Care, Neal Tilghman endorses a client focused and strategic market model around Netsmart’s solutions with a keen awareness of the current state of behavioral health, addictions treatment and physical health, while maintaining a forward-looking approach as to where our clients need to be and how we get them there with the appropriate technology. As an advocate of integrated care and its inclusion of addictions, Neal promotes whole-person care as the best means to improve patient care, achieve better outcomes and reduce costs. Neal completed his graduated studies at East Carolina University and has 30 years of experience in behavioral health.

As Director of Child & Family and Developmental Services, Tricia Zerger endorses a client focused and strategic market model around Netsmart’s human services solutions and services. Tricia works closely with clients to ensure technology, market demands, and strategy are aligned. She also advances Netsmart thought leadership in the industry promoting behavioral health, I/DD, child and family, autism, foster care, addiction treatment, and other human services markets.

Tricia has a master’s degree in Professional Counseling and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas. She serves as one of two Netsmart Certified Mental Health First Aid Trainers. Netsmart has certified 800+ of its more than 2,300 associates in various locations across the country, with a goal of 100% certification.

Dr. Caroline Carney is a board-certified internist and a board-certified psychiatrist. She joined Magellan Health in 2016 and serves as Magellan Health’s Chief Medical Officer, overseeing Magellan Healthcare and Magellan RX Management.  Her previous experience includes the role of SVP Chief Medical Officer of Magellan Behavioral Health and Magellan Specialty Health.  She served as the chief medical officer for regional health plans where she gained experience in Medicaid, Medicare, Exchange, and commercial populations.

Previously, Dr. Carney served as the medical director for the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning, helping to launch the Medicaid expansion product as well as the behavioral health transformation for the state’s community mental health services. While in Indiana, she served on the Governor’s Mental Health Commission.  She is a frequent speaker about behavioral health services, integrated and collaborative care, and the importance of self-care during and following the pandemic.

Dr. Carney is a published author and co-author for over 100 peer and non-peer reviewed publications focusing on issues surrounding comorbid medical and behavioral health conditions.  She was a tenured associate professor of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at Indiana University, and developed the psychosocial oncology program for Indiana University’s NCI accredited cancer center.

She started her medical and academic career at the University of Iowa where she earned her medical degree, as well as a master’s degree, and directed the Med-Psych residency program. She continues to engage in regular clinical work through supporting the behavioral health team at a federally qualified health center.

Dr. Eleanor Castillo Sumi is Vice President of Research and Program Development at Uplift Family Services, a large behavioral health organization throughout California that serves over 35,000 children and their families annually. Dr. Castillo Sumi is responsible for expanding the agency’s business lines and developing new programs, integrating evidence-based treatments into the new programs in alignment with the agency’s clinical vision, and developing the infrastructure for implementation and sustainability of high-quality services. In the past decade she has implemented the following programs: Autism Specialty Applied Behavior Analysis, Health Homes, School-Based Intervention Teams, and a whole-person care program in partnership with a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that is now designated as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Dr. Castillo Sumi a licensed psychologist in California and Hawaii and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst with a wide depth and breadth of experiences in the delivery of mental health services to youth and families. In the area of school mental health, her experience includes an emphasis in training and consulting services with school district personnel on School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS). Her practice in mental health, behavioral issues and strategies has led her to work with children with autism spectrum disorder, youth in the juvenile justice system, and to manage a personal business venture.  Previously, she was the Best Practices Specialist for the State of Hawaii Child and Adolescent Mental Health Department. Today, she serves as the agency’s subject matter expert in evidence-based treatment. Dr. Castillo Sumi had an earlier incarnation at EMQFF as Corporate Compliance Officer and Outcomes and Quality Assurance Director. She obtained her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University, a program accredited by the American Psychological Association, where she was awarded Dissertation of the Year among her graduating class.

Krystal Melgoza is the Provider Relations Manager at Windstone Health Services. Krystal joined the healthcare industry in 2015 graduating from California State University Long Beach with a Bachelors in Sociology. Prior to joining the Windstone team, Krystal was the Provider Network Manager at Advanced Medical Management.

Healthcare executive with over twenty years experience in the health care industry including non-profit, government and private insurance with ten years progressively higher level experience in provider networks in behavioral health arena.

Richard Louis, III, brings extensive experience in public and for-profit behavioral healthcare administration and business development to the OPEN MINDS team. Mr. Louis was formerly the Executive Director of Strategic Development and Planning, Pacific Region, for Providence Service Corporation.

Prior to OPEN MINDS, Mr. Louis served as the Assistant Director of the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health, the 4th largest county behavioral health system in California, where he was responsible for day-to-day operations of a system serving over 50,000 unduplicated consumers annually through 31 county-operated facilities and 60 contract provider organizations.

Prior to his work with San Bernardino County, Mr. Louis was the Vice President of Government Operations for College Health Enterprises. In this role, he pioneered the development of public sector partnerships, contracts, and community mental health system joint ventures in California by creating some of the first inpatient psychiatric hospital-based, outpatient, day treatment, and institutional specialty treatment programs for county, state, and federal government agencies including L.A. County Department of Mental Health, L.A. County Probation Department, California Youth Authority, California Department of Developmental Disabilities, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, and U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security.

Mr. Louis has served in a number of leadership roles with several organizations in the community including: the California Hospital Association – Center for Behavioral Health, Advisory Board, and SCAN Health Plan – Advisory Board; the Board of Directors of the Forensic Mental Health Association of California, College Hospitals, and the Intercommunity Child Guidance Center of Whittier; and testified on behalf of the National Association of Psychiatric Healthcare Systems before President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Mr. Louis is currently a volunteer police officer with the City of Monterey Park Police Department in East Los Angeles serving since 1987 and currently holds the rank of Captain. Mr. Louis was recently appointed to the City of Claremont Police Commission in Los Angeles County.

He is a graduate of Whittier College and of the Police Academy of Rio Hondo College.