Thank you to everyone who joined the Zoom Annual Holiday Gathering.
Please welcome our new NAMIJC board members who's terms will begin January 2021.
Matt Drabek is an academic, author, and blogger who writes on social and political issues, including the philosophical implications of psychiatry. He's also a content specialist at ACT, Inc., where he develops content for career readiness assessments and conducts research on critical thinking. In addition to these projects, he is the Vice Chair of the City of Iowa City's Housing and Community Development Commission and a founding Board member of the Iowa City Tenants Union. Matt holds a PhD in Philosophy and Master's Certificate in the Rhetorics of Inquiry from the University of Iowa.
Elley Gould has served on the NAMIJC Board as an interim board member for 2020. Elley is the Jail Diversion Program Administrator for Johnson County. Elley brings to the board her experience in treatment services to individuals with mental health and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who have come into contact with the criminal justice system.
Kim (Spading) Novak has worked as a pharmacist and/or manager at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for 20+ years. She currently works for Iowa TelePrEP, a service that provides HIV prophylaxis to patients across the state using TeleHealth visits and coordination with local Public Health departments. In addition to Kim's work for UIHC, she is a Catholic Worker at the Iowa City Catholic Worker House, serving the poor, homeless, and in-need families in the Iowa City area, and is a member of the St. Thomas More Social Justice Commission. Kim served a 6-year term on the Council on Human Services for the state of Iowa, as well as on many committees for state and national pharmacy associations. Kim's interest in mental health is rooted in her experience growing up as the sibling of a person living with schizophrenia. This has given her a very personal understanding of how mental health affects individuals, families and communities.
Jacqueline (Jackie) Reger was born in Wisconsin, receiving her undergraduate degree in nursing from UW-Madison. Jackie worked in long term care facilities and as an Oncology nurse before heading back to school to get her Masters Degree in Nursing. She graduated and worked as an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) in Wisconsin before moving to Iowa City in 2000 with her family. In Iowa City Jackie worked as an ARNP at the University Of Iowa Hospital and for the past 11 years at the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Jackie has been active in the Boy Scouts of America, volunteered for West High theatre productions and is active in Moms Demand Action. She lives in Iowa City with her wife and dog Teddy. Jackie has two adult children who live in the Iowa City area.
Kiran SharmaI is a Medal Student at the University of Iowa. She will bring a student perspective to the board as well as the perspective of a health care trainee. I will also bring my experience working with the Office of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) at the College of Medicine and my passion for working toward providing adequate psychiatric services to the most marginalized groups in the county. I have also managed the social media accounts for student organizations and feel this is a skill I can bring to the NAMIJC board.
