VISIONARY VANGUARD GROUP - Key Persons
Dr. Lauren Josephs is the Vice-President & COO of Visionary Vanguard Group, Inc. Previously she was a Researcher in the area of Health Disparities at the Center for Health Futures at Florida Hospital where she was responsible for the research, development, implementation and/or evaluation of culturally appropriate community initiatives designed to improve the health of underserved, underinsured and minority populations. Dr. Josephs has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative program evaluation and research methodology. She has evaluated both small and multi-million dollar programs. She has supervised, selected and implemented evaluation designs and evaluation activities, and is proficient in data analysis, results reporting and communication. She has worked both independently and collaboratively to address health and healthcare disparities as well as other issues impacting disenfranchised individuals and those living in poverty, and has evaluated projects for individual entities as well as partnership and collaborative entities. Her work has been presented at the International Family Violence and Child Victimization Research Conference, the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare, the Florida Health Disparities Conference, the National Youth at Risk Conference, Georgetown Institutes and numerous others. She is also a published author.
Noting the lack of gender-responsive, evidence-informed interventions for girls, Dr. Josephs co-developed and implemented 'Full of Myself® a gender-responsive program for girls 12-17. Dr. Josephs is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC). She is a member of the American Counseling Association, and the American Public Health Association. In addition, she is a certified trainer of Cultural Competence, and has taught at the post-secondary level. Dr. Josephs currently serves on the boards of the Central Florida Partnership on Health Disparities, the Orange County Healthy Start Coalition, the Community Health Centers Inc., and Voice of Love, a national not-for-profit organization which supports quality interpreting for survivors of torture, war trauma and sexual violence. Dr. Josephs obtained a Bachelor's Degree in English, as well as Masters and Specialist Degrees in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida. She earned a PhD in Public Affairs from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Josephs is from the beautiful island of Jamaica.
Job Titles:
- Behavioral Scientist
- Researcher
Dr. Stephan Brown is a Researcher and Behavioral Scientist and is currently the President & CEO of Visionary Vanguard Group. Previously, he was a mental health consultant for Orange County Public Schools (OCPS), the 10th largest school district in the country. Dr. Brown has provided clinical services at a private hospital to a diverse population of adolescents and adults from around the world. In addition, he has had years of experience with the Juvenile Justice System, Juvenile Courts as well as governmental and social services organizations. Dr. Brown has developed and implemented intervention and prevention programs and has overseen quality assurance in a number of organizations. His ability to connect real world issues with his training in the social sciences is further enhanced by his decade-long experience working as a broadcast professional in major market television news and public affairs.
Dr. Brown is motivated by his passion to educate organizations, families and individuals about mental health and emotional wellness. He has presented his work at numerous conferences including the National Youth at Risk Conference and the Georgetown University Training Institute. Dr. Brown emphasizes the connection between physical and mental health, and how one can adversely impact the other thus diminishing the quality of life.
Dr. Brown earned his PhD with a concentration in Counseling & Psychology from Barry University. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a National Certified Counselor and a Behavior Analyst. He is a member of the American Counseling Association and the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. Dr. Brown is the Clinical Director for the Center for Peace Counseling Services, the private practice arm of Visionary Vanguard Group where patients can receive mental health services with dignity. Dr. Brown specializes in the treatment of Mood and Psychotic Disorders for adolescents and adults.