NAMI Virtual Equity Summit: The Power of Storytelling, Partnership, and Advocacy – Advancing Mental Health Equity

Daniel H. Gillison Jr., NAMI
Daniel H. Gillison Jr. provides strategic leadership to NAMI through his role as Chief Executive Officer with more than 30 years of professional experience. He also currently serves on numerous boards, including the National Institute of Health (NIH)’s Advisory Mental Health Council, the Lululemon Global Wellbeing Advisory Board and the National Health Council Board of Directors.

Recognized as a Change Agent in Lifestyle magazine and a Leader in the NonProfit Times 2022 Power & Influence Top 50 List, Dan has received numerous awards for his work advancing mental health equity, including the 2022 Hope in Action Award from Hope Center Harlem, the Honor of Distinction Award from the Bowman Foundation Annual Global Impact Awards, the American Mental Health Counselors Association 2022 President’s Award, and more.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dan spearheaded the creation of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health, which brings leaders across the industry together under a unified vision to meet the unique and unprecedented challenges our most vulnerable communities are facing today. He is also the host of NAMI’s inaugural podcast, Hope Starts With Us. You can follow Dan on Twitter at @DanGillison.

Stephanie Robertson, NAMI
Stephanie Robertson is NAMI’s Director Mental Health Equity Innovation, leading efforts to address disparities in mental health care, with a focus on Black/African Ancestry communities. She oversees the Community Health Equity Alliance (CHEA) and develops strategies to expand access to culturally relevant care, particularly for minoritized groups living with serious mental illness (SMI).

A graduate of Duke University’s Trinity College with a focus on German Language and Literature and International Comparative Studies, Stephanie began her career as a teacher in Germany. After returning to the U.S., she earned her JD from Georgetown Law and worked at a corporate law firm in New York City. Recognizing her passion for working with young adults, she transitioned to higher education, where she created pathways to business and law for underrepresented and minoritized students.

Most recently, she led diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, where she integrated mental health advocacy into student life, fostering stigma-free environments, promoting open conversations, and providing peer support tools.

Brandon Graham, NAMI
Brandon Graham serves as Director, Advocacy at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. Brandon oversees NAMI’s advocate development and mobilization to advance policies that help build better lives for all people affected by mental health conditions. Brandon is responsible for its strategic advocacy campaigns—including NAMI’s #ReimagineCrisis and #Vote4MentalHealth campaigns. Brandon also leads efforts to elevate lived experience throughout the policymaking process and expand the organization’s advocacy presence and thought leadership.

Srihitha Dasari, NAMI Next Gen
Srihitha Dasari (she/her) is a youth health equity and mental health advocate, researcher, and social entrepreneur. She is the Executive Director of Project No Bounds, a national youth-led nonprofit advancing hygiene equity and health literacy through grassroots action, advocacy, and digital storytelling. Since its founding, PNB has reached over 50,000 individuals in vulnerable communities across the U.S. through direct outreach and awareness campaigns.

A neuroscience student at MIT, Srihitha also co-developed PuntoSalud, an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot bridging health information gaps in rural Argentina and serves on the NAMI Next Gen Youth Advisory Council. Her work spans the U.S., South Asia, and Latin America, centering culturally responsive, tech-driven solutions that reflect the dignity, needs, and lived experiences of the communities they serve.

She has spoken at the United Nations on youth advocacy and health access, led community-based research on integrative maternal care in India and Nepal, and continues to champion mental health through both policy and innovation. Drawing on her lived experience and commitment to equity, Srihitha works to reimagine systems of care that are inclusive, accessible, and transformative.

Caitlyn Jennings, NAMI Next Gen
Caitlyn Jennings (she/her) is a 24-year-old mental health advocate from Potomac, Maryland. Her advocacy journey began in high school, where she launched a wellness club after a series of teen suicides. Since then, she has created educational resources for youth and young adults, shared candidly about her experiences living with bipolar II disorder, and mentored emerging advocates through NAMI’s Community of Practice initiative.

As a biracial Asian American—half Chinese and half Irish—Caitlyn is deeply committed to serving historically underrepresented communities. She regularly attends her local NAMI’s BIPOC+ groups. Caitlyn’s multiethnic background and lived experience with bipolar II shape her approach to fostering inclusive, culturally competent spaces.

Caitlyn is thrilled to share her perspective at the NAMI Mental Health Equity Summit and hopes participants will find the event as meaningful as she does.

Beyond her work with NAMI Next Gen, Caitlyn believes in the power of civic engagement. She is active in her faith-based community, where she is an alto in the choir. Caitlyn volunteers with a global nonprofit to combat period poverty both in her hometown and nationwide. She also supports individuals with disabilities at her local parks department.

Furthermore, Caitlyn believes in the power of the written word to enact change. She authors articles for outlets such as Channel Kindness and bpHope that illuminate the lived experiences of those with depression and anxiety. Caitlyn uses her voice to inspire awareness, empathy, and action, all of which she hopes you find at this summit.

Ernesto Isaac Lara, NAMI Next Gen
Ernesto Isaac Lara is a youth wellbeing activist, lived experience researcher, and peer support advocate on a mission to create a happier, healthier global community. Rooted in his healing journey, Isaac has dedicated his early career to expanding access to peer support training and services. Currently, Isaac works at the Mental Health for All Lab at Harvard Medical School, where he leads the EMPOWER Peer Support Initiative. This endeavor aims to develop a digital, global peer support curriculum to equip those with lived experience of recovery to support others earlier in their healing journey. Additionally, Isaac furthers his mission by guiding organizations such as the World Health Organization, Global Mental Health Peer Network, Mental Health America, NAMI, Youth Move National, Stanford Psychiatry, and Lancet Psychiatry. In recognition of his advocacy and research he was awarded the 2024 Mental Health America mPower Award and 2025 NTTAC Young Adult Champion Award.

Areli Rosales, NAMI Next Gen
Areli Rosales (she/her) is a 21-year-old Latina from El Paso, Texas, and a proud first-generation graduate from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Currently serving as a care coordinator at a behavioral clinic, Areli is deeply committed to mental health advocacy, blending her academic background and lived experiences with episodic depression, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and as a survivor of a suicide attempt.

Her journey into mental health advocacy began after experiencing the transformative power of seeking help, gaining psychoeducation, and finding support within her community. Having navigated cultural stigma and the generational cycles that view mental health struggles as character flaws, she is passionate about breaking down these barriers.

Areli actively collaborates with several mental health organizations, including as the director of her organization, KeepInMind, and serving as the 2024 Student Voice of Mental Health for the JED Foundation. She has served as a curriculum consultant for Work2BeWell, a mentor with Texans for Drug-Free and Safe Youth, a 988 Spanish Advisory Committee member, and now a NAMI Next Gen Advisor. She focuses on storytelling, community building, and mental health education to aid in prevention and support recovery.