Tonya (she/her) serves as the Executive Director at Mental Health America of Ohio (MHAOhio), bringing nearly a dozen years of experience with the organization. In addition to her leadership role, Tonya manages MHAOhio’s Public Policy and Advocacy initiatives. She is also the co-founder and longtime director of Perinatal Outreach and Encouragement for Moms (POEM), a nonprofit that merged with MHAOhio in 2013. POEM is one of the largest and most enduring programs of its kind in the US, earning the 2017 Innovative Programs in Care Award from The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health and the Marcé Society of North America and the 2023 Mental Health America Programming Innovation Award. Recognized for her contributions to mental health and childbearing, Tonya received the 2009 Postpartum Support International (PSI) Founder’s Award.
Driven by her belief in supporting her team, Tonya works to ensure that each member of MHAOhio has the necessary tools, skills, and support to excel in their roles. She believes in MHAOhio’s mission, which is dedicated to person-centered care in the journey toward improved mental health. Beyond her professional endeavors, Tonya is a proud mom of two adult daughters. She resides in Columbus with her husband, Dave, and their dog, Stella.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 1040
POEM Support Line: 614-315-8989
Maggie spent a decade in corporate marketing before returning to school for her MA and EdS degrees in Counseling. As a counselor, she’s worked in community mental health, private practice, and in-patient hospital settings. At MHAOhio, Maggie oversees Workplace Health and Education, which includes Occumetrics (a workplace health assessment designed to create mentally healthy work environments and improve retention, morale, and productivity), Mental Health First Aid, and our Peer Supporters Recovery services. Maggie is a Certified Executive Coach and provides various workplace health trainings for businesses and organizations. Outside of work, Maggie enjoys her family and friends immensely, especially traveling the world and watching soccer with her husband and son.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 1050
LeeAnn is an independently licensed social worker supervisor, who has worked in the mental health system in Franklin County for 15 years. LeeAnn graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and continued on at OSU to earn a Master of Social Work. LeeAnn has worked in a variety of settings including the community mental health system, emergency psychiatric services, inpatient hospitals and maintained a private counseling practice for 12 years. She joined the MHAOhio team in 2014 as the Pro Bono Counseling Program director and is currently the director of the Get Connected Program. LeeAnn lives in Clintonville with her husband, daughter, and their dog Archie.
Phone: 614-242-4357
Michelle received her MA in Mental Health Counseling at the University of Cincinnati and has been working in the field of public health for over five years. Her experience in suicide prevention began while working as the Project Coordinator for Suicide Awareness and Prevention at Miami University. She later worked in public health policy and evaluation at United Way of Greater Cincinnati and the Ohio Department of Health. In her MHAOhio role as the Franklin County Suicide Prevention Coalition Director, she is committed to the Coalition’s goal of preventing suicide and increasing awareness and prevention education in Franklin County.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 1140
“Psychology” was a word in Brandi’s vocabulary long before most of her peers. Having lost two biological parents early in life to suicide and addiction, it’s no surprise she pursued a career in mental health. She believes her education in psychology, women’s studies, and counseling—as well as her ongoing training in trauma informed care —equip her to skillfully and compassionately support people seeking to reduce suffering in the world, both their own and others’.
Brandi began her work with MHAOhio in 2014 and currently directs the Workplace Health program. She is very grateful to oversee provision of the agency’s Occumetrics assessment aimed at improving the workplace wellbeing of community mental health staff across Ohio. She is also firmly committed to her part of MHAOhio’s internal efforts to provide a healthy, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist workplace for its own staff.
In 2020, she and her wife celebrated the arrival of their son, Desmond. It brings her great joy to watch her three kids shower each other with love.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 1100
Laurie is a content writer and marketing professional with a passion for mental health. She is a graduate of Ohio University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Health Administration. Prior to joining MHAOhio, she was the Director of Public Relations and Development at Netcare, and the owner of a content writing agency where she contracted with clients for website copy, blogs, email newsletters, social media and other marketing projects. After navigating the mental health system for family members struggling with mental health conditions, she decided it was time to put her skills to use for a mission she felt strongly about, and that so many people need access to. She and her husband have four children, two dogs and spend their weekends at their daughter’s cheer competitions or catching up with family and friends. She loves anything to do with coffee and red wine, browsing indie bookstores, and vacationing anywhere that’s warm and relaxing.
Phone: 614-221-1441
Extension 1090
Colleen Dempsey
Colleen is an independently licensed social worker with over a decade of experience in the field working in direct clinical practice as well as policy and advocacy practice. Colleen feels most effective when working behind the scenes in support of practitioners doing the day-to-day healing work.
She cares deeply about working toward a more just society and believes that work happens in therapy offices, legislator offices and everywhere in between. She received both her Master’s and Bachelor’s of Social Work from The Ohio State University and is very proud to be a social worker.
In her free time, Colleen enjoys spending time with her partner and pets.
Phone: 614-884-7227
Becca’s work with Mental Health America of Ohio began as a support group facilitator and volunteer with the POEM program after her own experience with postpartum depression and anxiety in 2012. Becca served as a volunteer until 2019, when she joined the POEM staff at MHAOhio. As a passionate maternal mental health and peer support advocate, Becca continues to work within the POEM program as the Senior Manager of Statewide Operations. Becca is a former high school teacher, data analyst, and yoga instructor, and she draws upon these previous roles to connect with people with a diversity of life and mental health experiences. She is proud to work within an organization that addresses barriers to mental health care and believes strongly in the importance of mental health as a critical determiner of overall health outcomes.
Phone: 614-259-8321
POEM Support Line: 614-315-8989
Hailee was introduced to the POEM program following the traumatic birth of her youngest daughter, a micro-preemie born at 23 weeks and 2 days. Hailee went on to complete her Masters program for marriage and family therapy and began volunteering as a mentor and support group facilitator for POEM. Hailee is able to draw from her past clinical and case management experience to connect clients with community resources, mental health care and services. As a wife and mother of four, Hailee is very passionate about supporting moms in the community. Outside of work, Hailee absolutely loves spending time with her husband and children, volunteering and supporting other NICU parents, and watching sappy Rom-Coms.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 108
POEM Support Line: 614-315-8989
Erica is a licensed social worker with a BA in Sociology and Spanish from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Following her Bachelors, Erica completed her Masters of Social Work at Ohio State University with a concentration in Communities and Social Justice. Prior to joining MHAOhio, Erica worked in research and consulting, assisting nonprofit organizations in using data to inform and guide their work. She has experience with a variety of community engagement and program delivery roles within the field of community development and social impact. Erica is a strong believer that mental health matters, and the ways in which we connect and share experiences with others is a powerful tool in fostering holistic wellbeing. Her core values are authenticity, growth, and vibrancy. Outside of work, Erica is often either at a park, catching up with TikTok, or hanging out with her turtle, Beans.
Phone: 614-221-1441,
Extension 1180
Jess is an Ohio native and has been living in the Columbus area since graduating from Otterbein University in 2020 where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with minors in Biology and English Literature Studies. Her passion for volunteerism and mental health blossomed when she was selected to join the Cardinal Corps Leaders, a scholarship-based community service organization at Otterbein University. During her time with the organization, she led a weekly after school program teaching Columbus youth life lessons through sports. From there, she became involved with Otterbein University’s Women’s Gender and Sexuality Resource Center where she trained volunteers in crisis management. After graduation, Jess worked as a Behavioral Health Case Manager supporting families in the Columbus area. Jess is a passionate advocate for mental health, and is excited to continue this work in her position as Franklin County Suicide Prevention Coalition Manager. In her spare time, Jess can be found reading, playing with her dog, Margo, and her cat, Juniper, and going to concerts.
Phone: 614-221-1441,
Extension 1240
Raquel’s journey with Mental Health America of Ohio began when she connected with the POEM Program for peer support during her own pregnancy. POEM provided her with the space to show up authentically, allowing her to foster meaningful relationships and receive communal care while navigating perinatal depression and anxiety. With a Master’s in Social Work and a background in providing social justice education, Raquel hopes to center equity in her work as the POEM Education Manager. She believes in cultivating space that is both trauma-informed and intersectional. As part of the MHAOhio team, Raquel looks forward to engaging in collaborative efforts toward making mental health care more accessible to diverse and marginalized communities.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 111
Tori is a Certified Health Education Specialist with a Bachelor of Science in community health education from Kent State University. Prior to joining the MHAOhio team, she worked in local public health, serving as regional coordinator for a pilot project executed by a three-county consortium in rural Ohio. She is passionate about improving access to mental healthcare and empowering others through health education. Currently, she is completing her Master of Social Work at The Ohio State University and is thrilled to apply the skills she is learning to her work as Senior Education Manager. In her free time, Tori enjoys watching TV, cooking, and being outside.
Phone: 614-233-1233
Cass learned about the POEM program from a brochure in her OBGYN’s office during a maternal health visit. Upon reading the program’s offerings, Cass knew POEM was exactly the support she needed as a new mom facing a high-risk pregnancy. POEM sustained Cass after her son’s pre-term birth at 33 weeks, and she eventually became a POEM Mom Mentor Volunteer to give back. Today Cass is honored to serve as a Program Coordinator with the team the helped save her life. She brings years of experience in non-profit work, mental health advocacy, holds a BA in Psychology and Child Development, and has an MS degree in Management. Music, singing, dance, and art are close to her heart and she is a professional, published songwriter. Her motto is “get to the good” to encourage others to find the good in life and go for it.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 121
Hannah always knew she wanted to work in social services and initially believed that the political arena was the best outlet for her passion. She earned her undergraduate degree in political science from The Ohio State University and began working at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in pre-hearing resolution. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Hannah realized that her true calling was in mental health. She originally joined the MHA Ohio team in 2022, working part-time with the Get Connected program. After a year as a case manager in community mental health, Hannah has returned to the MHA Ohio team full-time and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling.
Phone: 614-242-4357
Jasmine is a community and public health educator who is immersed in developing a community-conscious culture within the health care and mental health systems. Having been on both sides of the fence as a health care/social service professional and as a patient, Jaz understands the millions of barriers to achieving conscious whole-person care as well as the cost that is paid as a patient to not have received adequate health care.
As the Peer Recovery Training Program Manager, Jasmine strives to support the PRS program by executing leadership that reinforces the productivity and effectiveness of evidence-based, trauma-informed practices that are rooted in equity & inclusion and cultural competency. These skills will promote better relationships, open dialogue, and trust between our peers and their peers which will lead to more positive experiences that are protective to beginning or maintaining the journey of one’s recovery.
Jasmine is a Bearcat who graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Master’s in Health Promotion and Education (Community & Public Health). Jaz enjoys a cozy home life that involves reading, cooking, creating art and poems, and spending time with her cat, friends, and family.
Phone: 614-221-1441
Olivia is a licensed professional clinical counselor who has worked with adults and children in community mental health, bereavement, and private practice settings. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Ohio University, where she fell in love with Appalachia and integrated care.
At MHAOhio, Olivia is excited to continue influencing behavioral health care through her work in the Occumetrics program. She believes supporting the behavioral health workforce is an integral step to ensure every Ohioan has the mental health support that they need.
In her free time, Olivia enjoys participating in many crafty activities and spending time with her partner and cat.
Phone: 614-813-4794
Lauren cares deeply about mental & emotional wellness and feels privileged to work in a field she’s passionate about. Lauren has been excited about Occumetrics since she took notes at her first focus group in July 2019. She is enthusiastic about the tangible difference the program is able to make for behavioral health employees within organizations across Ohio. In her free time, Lauren loves traveling, spending time with her favorite people, and reading a good book either in the sunshine or under a fuzzy blanket.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 1020
Cassidy graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology in 2022. Before Joining the MHAOhio Team, she worked in youth suicide prevention for over a year. She is passionate about mental health awareness and increasing access to mental healthcare in Fairfield County. Cassidy has lived in Fairfield County her whole life and wants to use her education and experience to make a positive impact on this community. She plans to continue her education and resume her Master of Social Work Program at Ohio University. In her free time, Cassidy enjoys coaching softball, hiking, yoga, and drinking coffee.
Phone: 740-202-9772
Bridget graduated from Depaul University with a Bachelors in Human Development Psychology. While living in Chicago, Bridget worked in a variety of fields including a behavioral therapy practice, the music/service industry, and for a mental health non-profit. Her passion for working with people and promoting health education has led her back to Ohio and into this role. In the future she hopes to attend graduate school and specialize in reproductive mental health. Outside of work Bridget enjoys trying new coffee shops, listening to music, and spending time outdoors with her dog, Akara.
Phone: 614-221-1441
Extension: 1110
In 2017, after his father’s death, Jon began to have severe episodes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and depression. He didn’t know where to turn and found the MHAOhio sponsored: Central Ohio GOALS for OCD support group. He went to his first meeting and found a place where others could finish his sentences when talking about mental health. From there he found his passion in advocating for OCD and mental health awareness. He began volunteering with MHAOhio and at that time learned about the Peer Recovery Supporter (PRS) Training. He earned his Peer Recovery Supporter certification in 2019 and now is fortunate to serve as the PRS Training Coordinator. He is passionate about helping others along their recovery journey and removing the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction. The biggest lesson he has learned and tries to share is It’s important to remember that recovery isn’t a straight line: if you stumble remember you are able to get back up, dust yourself off and continue on your journey. Outside of working at MHAOhio and advocating for mental health, Jon enjoys spending time with his wife and son, listening to podcasts and music, watching sports, and getting out in nature.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 1200
Tolu developed a passion for supporting people in their mental health in high school. She went to The Ohio State University and majored in Psychology. She interned at the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, responding to calls from people in crisis situations. After graduating, Tolu worked as a Direct Care Worker and a QMHS. She then went on to teach Social Studies and Science to Kindergarten and First Grade. After experiencing a traumatic birth and post-partum experience in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tolu developed a passion for supporting pregnant people and parents struggling with mental health, and found POEM. Tolu is very passionate about bridging the gap for marginalized people and is excited to continue this work through MHAOhio.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 101
Bri’ana Jackson is a Columbus, OH native who graduated from The Ohio State University. A single mother of one, and a former elementary school teacher, she is also a new business owner. She enjoys painting and visiting art museums, spending time with her family, traveling, volunteering, writing, and gardening. An avid advocate for women and mental health, she believes that anyone can overcome obstacles with determination, tenacity, and a solid support system. Bri’ana takes pride in providing support and resources for success to young mothers and women in general.
Jen is an ordained minister with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and a Masters in Divinity from McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, GA. After serving as a youth pastor for over 15 years in churches, most recently for over 12 years in San Francisco, she moved to Columbus with her little dog Chito in 2019 to be with her family and start a new adventure. Jen is a compassionate individual with a passion for connecting with people in meaningful ways and helping them navigate the different seasons of life. She looks forward to the opportunity to put those strengths to use through MHA. Jen loves singing and playing guitar, spending time with her niece and nephews, traveling, and soaking up the sun.
Phone: 614-221-1441, Extension 1070
