Betsy Schwartz drives the advancement of mental health by working with organizations and philanthropists to build or expand their capacity to grow evidence-based mental health services. Her exemplary career enables her to facilitate scaling an organizational infrastructure to bring initiatives and public policy into action and to expand their programs. This includes assessment of human and financial resources, design options and business models and culminates in optimal strategies. External strategy includes the exploration of partnerships, influencer support, and revenue sources.

Schwartz draws upon her years of mental health experience at the local, state, and national levels. As a leader in mental health public policy, she has a track record of designing and implementing legislative action. As CEO of a nonprofit organization, she has practical knowledge for mobilizing board members, empowering professional teams, and garnering private funding.

Schwartz has demonstrated the power of community engagement to solve complex problems. Noteworthy examples of this work resulted in the creation of the first ever mental health unit in the Houston Police Department and a multi-year stakeholder consensus building strategy that transformed the Houston juvenile justice system. Schwartz has a hands-on understanding of how to respond to mental health issues including crisis care, maternal mental health, public awareness initiatives.

On a national level, as Vice President of Public Education at the National Council for Wellbeing she led the expansion of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). MHFA is a public education program taught throughout the USA and in 30 countries.

She is a Senior Fellow with the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Institute and a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum and WK Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Alliance. Among her numerous awards, Schwartz received the Houston Psychological Association’s Public Citizen of the Year and the Houston Chronicle Women on the Move. Her volunteer work includes membership on multiple local and state boards of directors and President of the Board of the Houston Coalition for the Homeless. She has a Masters in Social Work Administration from the University of Houston and a Bachelor’s of Science from University of Denver.

Heidi Christensen, M.T.S, is the Director of the Center for Workplace Mental Health. Prior to joining APAF Heidi served as Senior Advisor to the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Over several administrations, she worked closely with community-based non-profits to strengthen their response to the critical public health issues facing our nation-- including the prevention of childhood obesity, access to health care services, COVID-19 prevention, and the promotion of evidence-based approaches to mental health and recovery support for those experiencing substance use disorders.

Heidi brings to the Center decades of experience convening diverse thought leaders and practitioners in the pursuit of improving access to the health care system. She coordinated the Building Partnerships between Communities and Mental Health Providers Demonstration Program co-sponsored with APAF and aimed at strengthening the bridge between health care service providers and faith and community-based health assets in locations across the country.

She has developed tools and resources that reduce stigma and remove barriers to mental health care and treatment through education and awareness including the Practical Toolkit: Preventing Drug Overdose and Supporting Recovery in Faith and Community Settings, Faith & Community Roadmap to Recovery Support: Getting Back to Work, and the Playbook for Increasing Direct Access to Mental Health Care in Faith-based Communities.

Shayla Gerity joined the American Psychiatric Association Foundation in 2022 as Program Manager for the Center for Workplace Mental Health. In her prior role, Shayla was a Well-being Specialist with Adventist Healthcare in Maryland. Her primary role was designing and implementing well-being programs for the hospital staff across three regional hospitals. In past roles, Shayla has worked as both a government and private contractor working in the Employee Health field. Shayla earned her B.S. in Kinesiology at Penn State University.