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WELCOME Janice McKenzie E.D.

First Executive Director for NAMI-Clark County

NAMI-Clark County has its first ever full-time Executive Director! Let us rejoice and be grateful! On Wednesday night, February 20, your board of directors chose Janice McKenzie of Aloha, Oregon to fill the position made possible by a grant from the Clark County Regional Support Network.

Janice previously was the National Support Groups and Volunteer Services Manager of the National Psoriasis Foundation, headquartered in Portland. Before that, she was the Manager of Volunteer Services for the Medical Teams International organization in Portland.

Janice has also worked extensively in church related positions, as the Ministering Arts Manager of Beaverton Christian Church and volunteered as the Administrator – Children’s Education Ministry in area Churches of Christ.

I hope each of you will call or drop by our NAMI Office to welcome Janice, and support her in her new position.

The first months she is with us, will be a time of orientation and learning for Janice. I will be introducing her to the leaders and personnel of Clark County agencies that serve mental health consumers and their families. She will be learning about our programs and offerings to the community. If you as a member of NAMI are close to agency leaders or community leaders, please set up a time to introduce them to our Executive Director.  Or, just drop by the office and ask Janice how you can help and support her.

We cannot expect Janice to “do it all” for NAMI-Clark County. We cannot think, “Well now that we have an Executive Director, she can take care of all that needs to be done.” One of her primary responsibilities, for which she is so well suited, is to recruit and train volunteers. We need much more participation from our membership, so be thinking in which area your talents fit.

I rather often hear NAMI members bemoan the fact that we as an organization are not doing more in this area or that. I don’t understand how those who complain can expect so much from such a small core of volunteers. I feel like asking those who wish we would do more, “What then are you going to do about it?”

“What then are you, NAMI of Clark Members, going to do to further support our mission?”

In the generation since we of NAMI began our work here in Clark County, the population has tripled! We can no longer sit back and wait or hope people will find us and come to us for help. Let us come together around Janice McKenzie, and move towards fulfillment of our mission, which is, “to improve the quality of life for all those struggling with and affected by brain disorders; people with a psychiatric condition, family members, mental health professionals, and concerned citizens.”

Let each one of us join together to better achieve our goal, which is, “to support, educate, advocate, promote recovery, encourage research and political advocacy.”

Sincerely,

Don Greenwood
President

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