MHANYS - Key Persons
Afua (she/her/they) is a long-time serving early childhood educator/advocate and growing artist. She was an intern at MHANYS in 2019 and then became a certified Mental Health First Aider. Now she returns to MHANYS as a full-time Universal Mental Health First Aid trainer. She supports agency programming, advocates for mental health policy and education, facilitates trainings with hopes and dreams to continue advocating for mental health in all avenues internal and external with a bit of sparkle and more fun.
Afua likes to keep busy with a balance of body wellness: yoga, pilates, crafting, roller skating, painting, auto racing, piano, dance, twirling, make-up, natural hair care, and photography. She loves her life to be full of color and vibrancy.
Andrea Hauser (she/her/hers) has been with MHANYS since 2011.
She oversees all aspects of the Finance Office including Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Payroll, and General Ledger, and handles many Grants Management and Human Resource processes.
Andrea and her husband have 4 rescue horses, 2 dogs, and many domesticated and feral cats. In addition to caring for their animals, they harvest the hay for the horses during the summer months on their 40 acres. In her downtime, Andrea likes to read fiction novels and the Readers' Digest.
Cohen, MSW, (he/him/his) has been with MHANYS since 2019. He is a Mental Health Peer, Advocate, and Social Work Professional. He supports programming, advocates for mental health policy and education, facilitates training, and more.
Cohen loves to run, ski, play video games, and is a music fanatic!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Affiliate Relations Committee
- Member of the Board
Deborah (she/her/hers) has been with MHANYS since 2010 and has been a content expert for MHANYS Family Engagement Programming. She is Co-Director of Building Connection, a collaborative project with the New York State Coalition against Sexual Assault, providing ongoing technical assistance about trauma-informed resources and trainings across NYS.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Resource Development Committee
Job Titles:
- Teen and Youth MHFA Project Specialist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Treasurer
Glenn Liebman has been the CEO of MHANYS since 2004.
During his tenure, multiple initiatives have been implemented including mandating mental health instruction in schools (New York was the first State in the nation), and many other public policy reforms. For the past five years, he has been named by City and State as one of the 100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders. He has also recently been named one of New York State's Most Influential Health Care Leaders by Politico. He serves as the Chair of the New York State Behavioral Health Advisory Council and as a member of the New York State Justice Center Advisory Council.
He is a big sports fan, especially of the New York Mets. He lives with his wife and son in Guilderland New York.
Job Titles:
- Community Program Manager
Graham (he/him/his) joined MHANYS in 2019. Graham trains individuals in mental health literacy, manages several programs across New York State in the MHA Affiliate network, oversees a Voter Empowerment Project, and supervises an internship program.
When Graham is not spending time with his wife and two young boys he likes to unwind by reading, playing board games with his friends, and trying as many local restaurants as possible in the Capital Region.
Ian has been with MHANYS since 2023. He is an accounting professional who supports the finance department in processing invoicing, payroll, contracts and more.
Ian loves skiing, hiking, softball, movies, playing the piano, video games, and Bruce Springsteen!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board Development Committee
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant, Liaison to the Board
Jennifer has been with MHANYS since October 2022.
Jennifer enjoys spending time with her twin boys and photography.
Jennifer has been with MHANYS since 2022. She has worked and has extensive experience in the non-profit sector.
Jennifer loves to travel and absorb the local cultures and traditions, and is very passionate about volunteerism.
Job Titles:
- Director of Public Policy
John Richter has been the Director of Public Policy at MHANYS since January 2008. Mr. Richter joined MHANYS after spending over twenty years serving and advocating for the elderly and people with disabilities.
He spent 13 years in long term care policy with the New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) specializing in adult home, assisted living and home care issues. While at MHANYS, John was instrumental in the passage of legislation requiring that New York schools begin teaching about mental health, beginning in 2018, as part of the school health curriculum.
John received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook. He received his Masters Degree in Public Administration from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at SUNY Albany.
John lives in Albany with his wife Susan, a practicing Psychiatrist.
John came to MHANYS in February 2023, after serving for two decades as Deputy Commissioner and Counsel at the State Office of Mental Health, where he provided advice and counsel to the Commissioner of OMH, agency staff, and the Executive Chamber. He was appointed as the Acting Commissioner of OMH by two different Governors during this period. After his career at OMH, John worked for eight years at Brown & Weinraub, a private law and consulting firm in Albany, where he represented several health and mental hygiene providers. John resides in Rensselaer, NY, with his wife Nola.
John loves road running (in his wheelchair), reading, film, politics, sports, current events, landscaping, and caring for his sweet dog Beau.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the Chair of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
Marylou (she/her/hers) has been with MHANYS since 2021. She is new to Mental Health advocacy, however, is thrilled to be using her over 30 years of work experience in technology to help the agency. She is always willing to learn and loves helping others with technology challenges.
Marylou volunteers with children, and is a Mets fan, beginner quilter, and loves the outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Family Mental Health
Meg, CASAC, (she/her/hers) joined MHANYS in 2022. She is a CASAC. Meg supports the MHCP team by delivering trainings in CarePath and Mental Health Community Partners programs. Meg believes in the CarePath and MHCP programs because of their human-centered approaches to recovery, and loves the relational aspect of the programs.
Meg loves to cook and experiment with new recipes. She is also a pet mom and loves spending time with her dogs and cats!
Melissa Ramirez has been with MHANYS since 2006.
Melissa oversees MHANYS' day-to-day administrative and operational functions, as well as the Grants Management and Mental Health Information Center teams. She is responsible for operational leadership, including change management and improving systems to increase alignment, accountability, and efficient allocation of resources.
Melissa enjoys music, cooking projects, and walks with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Board
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator for Family Mental Health
Stephanie (she/her/hers) has been with MHANYS since March 2022. She loves to read, paint, snowboard and walk her 2 dogs.
Job Titles:
- Member of Awards Committee
- Member of the Board
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of SMHRT
Susan (she/her/hers) is an Associate Director at Nassau Region PTA and Resolutions Coordinator for New York State PTA, where she sits on the NYS PTA Mental Health Task Force. She has planned regional and statewide legislative conferences bringing together members, education stakeholders, and legislators to discuss school, youth, and education issues. She is a former educator and taught Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Science.
Susan loves her Peloton! She also cooks, bakes, and spends time with her two sons and husband.
Job Titles:
- SMHRT Family Education and Engagement Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Secretary
- Vice - Chair