NAMI National Board of Directors
2008-2011
Keris Jän Myrick, Ph.D.c
As executive director of Project Return Peer Support Network (PRPSN), Keris Jän Myrick oversees one of Los Angeles’ premier self-help programs for people recovering from mental illness. PRPSN operates a countywide network of peer support clubs and services run by and for mental health clients. It is a program of the nonprofit Mental Health America of Los Angeles.
Ms. Myrick brings a program development, training and marketing background to her work at PRPSN. While recovery services administrator for the nonprofit Recovery Innovations of California, she managed a peer-run agency and created recovery-based peer education programs. She developed and directed a recovery-based outreach project that targeted homeless people with mental illness and collaborated with community, business, social service providers and law enforcement.
She consults with the California Institute of Mental Health on the Clinically Informed Outcomes Measurement project. She conducted a training on integrating recovery philosophy into clinical settings for Ventura County Behavioral Health. Her work on training components for peer-run programs includes an emphasis on peer advocates and facilitators. She is a trainer and presenter for NAMI’s In Our Own Voice program.
Ms. Myrick’s emphasis on cultural competency includes serving as a consultant/stakeholder for the African American and American Indian communities at the NAMI Multicultural Action Center, and presented on outreach to underserved communities at the center’s 2007 leadership conference. She facilitated “Cultural Dialogs” for the Alternatives 2008 national mental health consumer conference and has served on the Alternative’s multicultural committee since 2007.
Among her professional memberships, Ms. Myrick has been a board member for NAMI at the national and California state level. She serves as a systems leadership team representative and stakeholder delegate in the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health planning process for the Mental Health Services Act, which is California legislation that creates dedicated funding for mental health services and calls for a transformation to recovery-focused services for people with serious mental illness. She is a member of the American Society for Training and Development.
Ms. Myrick earned her M.S. in industrial-organizational psychology and organizational psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology of Alliant International University. She earned her M.B.A., with an emphasis on marketing, at Case Western Reserve University. She is a doctoral candidate.
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