Micah Pearson

Second Vice-President
NAMI Board of Directors
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Micah Pearson is the Second Vice-President of the NAMI Board of Directors. He first learned about NAMI through taking a Peer-to-Peer class, after which he encouraged his parents to take the NAMI Family-to-Family class. This ended up saving his life years later after he experienced multiple hospitalizations and the all-too-common de facto hospital that is the criminal justice system.  

As an advocate, he has served on a number of boards, and consulted with several agencies due to his expertise in information systems, criminal justice and public policy. In 2021, Micah was appointed to and currently serves as a direct Advisor to the New Mexico Governor's Behavioral Health Council.  As an artist, his art has been featured at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building and had three gallery shows and authored multiple books; the last of which was A Peek Inside: Illustrated Journeys in Life With Mental Illness.

He attended Corcoran College of Art and Design and was recognized with the New Mexico Behavioral Health Star and the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Association of New Mexico's (PSRANM) Advocacy Awards for his work in mental health advocacy, criminal justice reform, and peer support. In 2021, Micah was recognized by the Treatment Advocacy Center for the AOT program he helped create specifically for its integration of peers in the strategic planning and development and peer support at all levels of the treatment teams. Micah has been a guest speaker for the American Psychiatric Association, Treatment Advocacy Center, NAMI, and numerous other groups due to his experience with the intersection of mental health and peer support with other cultural issues affecting our communities.

During the 2022-2023 Board year, Micah serves on the Youth & Young Adults Mental Health Outreach Workgroup.