Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.
CEO – National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Dan Gillison provides strategic leadership to NAMI with more than 30 years of professional experience and a deep passion for mental health advocacy fueled by personal lived experiences with mental illness and its ripple effects on families. He also currently serves on 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. 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. He has authored more than 20 blogs for NAMI’s website, started and serves as host for NAMI national’s first podcast in its 40+ year history, and spearheaded the creation of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health, which brings leaders across the mental health field together to meet the needs of diverse populations affected by disparities in the mental health care system.
Dr. Jennifer Gomez-Chavez
Vice President – Institutional Engagement at Excelencia in Education
Dr. Jennifer Gomez-Chavez is the Vice President for Institutional Engagement at Excelencia in Education, one of the nation’s leading organizations advancing Latino student success and institutional transformation. A native New Mexican from the rural farming community of Hagerman, she brings over 30 years of experience serving first-generation, low-income, rural, and underrepresented students through her work with the LULAC National Educational Service Centers and the University of New Mexico. She also led UNM’s first Title V grant. At Excelencia, she facilitates a national network of institutions and practitioners, leads engagement strategies for emerging HSIs, and supports policy and practice alignment to transform systems to be intentionally responsive to Latino students and communities. Her work speaks to critical statewide and national priorities including rural equity, Hispanic Education Act efforts, Martinez–Yazzie responsiveness, the evolving role of Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and culturally grounded approaches that promote student and community success across the full career span.
Dolores Huerta
Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation and Co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America
Dolores Huerta is a legendary civil rights activist and community organizer who has championed social justice for over 50 years. In 1962, she co-founded the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) and served as Vice President, playing a vital role in securing critical labor rights for farmworkers. In 2002, Huerta used the $100,000 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship to establish the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF), which empowers grassroots leadership and advocates for educational equity, LGBTQ+ rights, infrastructure improvements, and civic engagement in underserved communities. Through DHF, she has connected local organizing to statewide and national movements for justice. Huerta is a recipient of many prestigious honors, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award from President Clinton in 1998. In 2012, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of her lifelong dedication to justice, equity, and empowerment.
Dr. Manuel X. Zamarripa
Co-Director/Founder – Institute of Chicana/o/x Psychology
Manuel X. Zamarripa is the co-director and co-founder of the Institute of Chicana/o/x Psychology based in Austin, TX where he conducts community workshop platicas as well as professional development training for educators and mental health professionals on issues related to Chicana/o/x wellness, cultural identity, and mental health from a Chicana/o/x framework. Manuel’s publications and presentations in psychology and education focus on Chicana/o/x well-being, racial responsiveness, cultural revitalization, social justice and leadership. Chicano Psychologist, Dr. Zamarripa, is a licensed professional counselor and supervisor (Texas) and received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his master’s in Counseling Psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University, and his bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Notre Dame.
