board meetings

Monthly board meetings are open to those who want to help plan events, organize educational programming, lead special projects, and more.

​Visit our Events Page for more details.

join the board!

Our elections are held annually, although existing board members have the option to elect interim board members who are actively involved with the organization, at any time.

Directors serve two year terms, officers one year terms. All board members must be current NAMI members. No more than 18 people may be on the board at one time.

If you'd like to be considered, please regularly attend board meetings and get involved in projects or apply when we send out our annual call for applicants.

Meet the board!

Mindy greiling, president

Mindy was a state representative for 20 years, served on state and national NAMI boards, and is the author of Fix What You Can, a book about her legislative work and her family's story about her son's schizo-affective disorder.

jennifer laforgia, Vice president

Jennifer worked at the Mayo Clinic as a health information writer/editor for 15 years and has facilitated a NAMI Family Support Group for 7 years. She has several family members with mental illness. ​

Debra Gunsell, secretary

Debra graduated from Metro State with a BA in Liberal Arts. She lives with schizoaffective disorder, depression, anxiety, etc.  She works full-time as a PCA. She is currently co-facilitating a Connections support group for those who live with a mental illness.

Lynndaia Carey, director

Building on her background in psychology and sociology, Lynndaia is an intake specialist for the Psychology Department at Children’s Hospital. She has also worked at a group home for individuals living with schizophrenia. She has family members with lived experience of mental illness. Lynndaia wants to raise awareness of mental illnesses, fight stigma, and help bridge the gap between families and the services they need and want.

joan cleary, director

Joan recently retired from a career in health philanthropy, nonprofit management and government. As a daughter and mom, Joan has family experience with mental illnesses. ​

michele gran, director

Michele is a co-leader of a NAMI First Episode Psychosis family support group at Fairview hospital and established a caregiver support group for parents of daughters and sons with psychosis. She is an advocate for people with chronic mental health concerns at local and state events.

tara jebens-singh, director

Tara is the president/CEO of Northeast Youth and Family Services, a non-profit, community-based mental health agency serving the Northeast Metro.  She is a caretaker and advocate. ​

Ana kaveh, director

Ana worked for the Science Museum for 20 years where she was a gallery program manager, drawing on her science education background. She managed the “Mind Matters” exhibit and also led efforts to make the museum a more meaningful and comfortable experience for visitors on the autism spectrum. She has seen the impact of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and chemical dependency among family, friends, and colleagues. She is very committed to racial equity issues.

mary o'brien, director

Mary is a professional artist specializing in oil painting and portraiture.   She participated in the early years of Fairview Hospital’s First Episode psychosis support group and has a family member who lives with mental illness.

COLLEEN OFTEDAHL, DIRECTOR

Colleen worked for MnDOT for 32 years and joined the NAMI Ramsey County board five years ago. She is working to get on the board for the Ramsey County Adult Mental Health Advisory Committee. She has family members who live with mental health issues.

kate reilly, director

Coming soon!

Carrie roach, m.s., director

Carrie promotes NAMI programs that ensure rapid and successful recoveries for those of us with the lived experience of mental illness by seeking to advance relevant access to exceptional care for everyone. She also sits on the Board with others from around our nation to guide the whole NAMI organization. She is dedicated to guiding conversations away from “us” and “them” onto continuums of care.

christine tharseo, director

Christine works as a sexual violence crisis counselor. She has a BA in Psychology and is pursuing a masters degree in Human Service with an emphasis on Forensic Behavioral Health. She has family members, friends, and clients with mental health concerns. She is committed to improving education and awareness, ending stigma, and helping families understand ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and their long-term impacts.

marly yang, director

Coming soon!

meet our advisors & staff

tara ellis, advisor

Tara has two grown daughters and one son that is 13 years old who has Autism and FASD and a host of other special needs. She is very actively involved with Ramsey County Children's Mental Health Collaborative, Proof Alliance Organization, Voices for Racial Justice, and a few others. She is very passionate about advocating for mental health needs and all persons with special needs.

ann resemius, ADVISOR

Ann was an administrative assistant at the University of Minnesota for 13 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota. She is the mother of two adult children. She is working as a volunteer for NAMI Ramsey County to help advocate for
people living with mental illnesses. It is Ann’s hope that one day the public will view people living with mental illnesses with the same kindness and compassion that the public views people living with physical illnesses.

eva tietz, advisor

Eva has two adult children, both with significant mental illnesses. She has worked with many children over the years as a former early childhood educator and currently is a paid parent provider to ensure access to the community for her son. She is the secretary of Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative and has been an advocate for children's rights for many years. 

Rochelle underwood, advisor

Coming soon!

katy jo turner, nami Ramsey organizer

Katy Jo has friends and family members who live with mental illnesses and she lives with a mental illness and a sleep disorder. She has worked part time with NAMI Ramsey since January 2019. When she’s not working with NAMI, she’s writing and illustrating children’s books and exploring nature.

BOARD MEMBER EXPERIENCES

committees

Committees are open to the public! If you'd like to help organize our events, but you aren't quite ready to apply for our board, this is a great option!
*NAMI Ramsey board member or advisor
Board president is ex officio member of all committees

program committeeS

Specific program committees are created by the NAMI Ramsey County board during the yearly planning meeting and other times a program need is agreed upon by the leadership team. This is a great opportunity for volunteers who are interested in supporting a very specific mental-health related topic.
BOOK CLUB
​NAMI Ramsey County hosts a monthly book club that discusses books with mental illness themes. This committee organizes those events!
​
​*Carrie  - chair
​*Ann Resemius 
EARLY SIGNS OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN CHILDREN PROGRAM
To be hosted in October 2021.

*Jennifer LaForgia - chair
HOLIDAY PARTY
To be hosted in December 2021.
​
*Colleen Oftedahl - co-chair
*Ann Resemius - co-chair
COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM & LISTENING SESSION PROGRAM
To be hosted in February 2022.
EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM​
​To be hosted in April 2022.
SUMMER PICNIC
​To be hosted in June 2022.

Fundraising committee

This group is for people who love fundraising! Each year, we participate in NAMIWalks, an awareness and fundraising walk hosted on the last Saturday of September. This committee directs our affiliate's fundraising and awareness efforts around this event.

Marketing & outreach COMMITTEE

This committee focuses on how to best get NAMI resources and programming in front of community members who need it. This could include writing blogs, managing this website or our email lists, reaching out to mental health providers, re-designing brochures, and more. This group is made up of big-picture thinkers who love to strategize and measure their efforts.

Bridget Lasswell - chair

Contact us

email
namiramseycounty@namimn.org
namihelps@namimn.org (helpline)
​

phone
651.645.2948 x 126
651.645.2948 x 117 (helpline)

address
NAMI Minnesota
Attn: NAMI Ramsey County
1919 University Ave. W #400
St. Paul, MN 55104
A proud affiliate of NAMI Minnesota.