NAMI FaithNet Advisory Group

Doug Beach

Doug is the chairperson of the NAMI FaithNet Advisory Group. He is an advocate for better mental health care and the current President of NAMI San Antonio. He is also a NAMI Family-to-Family instructor and leads a Family Grace faith-based support group for families impacted by mental illness.

Doug is also the chairperson for the 2017 Pathways to Hope Conference held in San Antonio, a county and regional event to help engage the faith community along with mental health professionals, social agencies, law enforcement and the judiciary and families and individuals impacted by a mental illness.

In 2016 Doug received the Visionary Award from the Bexar County Health Collaborative for his leadership in organizing the initial Pathways to Hope Conference. In 2009 he and his wife began a mental health ministry which has become a model for other churches throughout the city.

Vicky Coffee

With the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health since 2007, Vicky has committed more than 30 years to increasing awareness, offering services and enhancing systems to support individuals, youth and families living with mental health conditions in Texas.

Her work has supported youth and families in Houston, as well as faith-based communities throughout Texas. Vicky has served as an executive board member and secretary for the National Leadership Council on African American Behavioral Health. A certified licensed professional counselor supervisor and Mental Health First Aid instructor, she holds a Bachelor of Science in child and family development and a Master of Education from Texas State University.

Brad Hoefs

Pastor Brad Hoefs has committed his life to empowering those who have mental illness, as well as their loved ones, with faith-filled hope. He is a certified peer specialist and mental health advocate. He serves on the State Advisory Committee to the Governor of Nebraska Mental Health Services.

In March of 2013 Brad’s first book, Fresh Hope: Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis was released. He regularly coaches others to live well despite their struggle with mental health issues. He’s committed to helping break the stigmas regarding mental illness and challenging the church-at-large to address the needs of those who struggle in silence.

Paul Lu

Paul is a member of the NAMI California board of directors and volunteer NAMI FaithNet coordinator for NAMI Orange County. He believes faith and spirituality can be a significant factor towards recovery for people living with mental illness and can also be the source of comfort, hope, and strength for family members and friends. As the parent of an adult child with mental illness, he is motivated to bring hope, comfort, and assistance to other families in similar situations.

Paul holds a Master of Theology degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, a Master of Aeronautical Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a Doctor of Business Administration degree from Nova Southeastern University and is currently a doctoral student at Fuller Seminary.

Babu George Mathew

Babu has been serving on the NAMI Colorado Board Directors from 2018, Vice President next year and as President from 2020. He currently serves his second term as Secretary on the NAMI State President’s Council and since 2019 on the NAMI Faithnet National Advisory Committee.

Along with his board leadership at NAMI Colorado, Babu has been collaborating with the NAMI CCIE team on the Faithnet outreach to interfaith communities and the Chai & Chat initiative that centers on destigmatizing the conversation around mental health and wellness in South Asian communities. For his outstanding contribution in raising public awareness about mental illness, reducing stigma in diverse communities, Babu was presented with the NAMI Cross-Cultural Innovation and Engagement Award at the NAMICon 2023.

His lived experience as a family peer for over a decade has shaped his calling to be a passionate Mental Health Advocate. Since 2015, the local NAMI Family Support Group has been a safe sanctuary and support for him as a caregiver. He is a certified teacher for the NAMI Family-to-Family Education, Program Leader for the NAMI Family & Friends and a certified Facilitator for the NAMI Family Support Groups. He has completed the Mental Health First Aid training and has attended the 2020 CIT International Conference. Babu has attended 7 NAMI National Conventions from 2016 and. Back in 2014, he led a 2-year Refugee Mentoring Project from his church in collaboration with the Lutheran Family Services and the Denver Rescue Mission.

He has over 2 decades of experience in Sales & Marketing in India and the U.S. He lives in Morrison, Colorado with his wife of 42 years.

Chris Miller

Chris is a religious studies teacher at a Catholic High School in the San Francisco Bay Area. He most recently worked for Catholic Charities Santa Clara County supporting the Community Action Poverty Simulation program as well as serving as the youth and young adult coordinator at a 5,000 family parish in San Jose, CA.

Prior to this position, Chris taught theology and served as director of campus ministry at a Catholic boarding school in Connecticut. He also worked as the Director of Youth Ministry at a Catholic parish in Palo Alto and worked as a middle school teacher in Gilroy and San Jose, CA.

He is currently the co-chair of the Council on Mental Illness, sponsored by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, a founding member of the Diocese of San Jose Mental Health Ministry Network, a member of the California State Mental Health Policy Workgroup, and a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Faith Communities Task Force.

Chris recently graduated with a Doctoral Degree in Education at the University of San Francisco, focusing research on the Kairos Retreat experience in Jesuit High Schools in the United States.

Justin Milrad

Justin Milrad, a dynamic entrepreneur, and mental health warrior, formerly served as CEO of The Berman Center. He is also the Co-Founder of the Blue Dove Foundation, TRADE TALKS USA, and heads Tikkun Olam Ventures, LLC. In 2014, he launched the Allergy Assist App to aid parents with food allergies.

Passionate about his Jewish roots, he serves on multiple boards, including The American Jewish Committee and The Atlanta Jewish Foundation. A Toronto native, Justin holds a master's from Emory's Goizueta School of Business and resides in Atlanta, GA, with his family.

Dr. Dan Morehead

Dr. Dan Morehead is the Supervising Psychiatrist for the Samaritan Counseling Center in Austin, Texas. He is board certified in General Psychiatry, and Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

He has received numerous awards including the W.C. Menninger Teaching Award, the Paul W. Pruyser Writing Award and was a Seeley Fellow. While Dr. Morehead is very knowledgeable in the fields of psychiatry and neurology, he is also an astute theologian.

He is a gifted presenter and has a profound ability to take information that is difficult for non-medical professionals and present it in a very understandable format.

AbdulAziz K. Syed, LCSW

AbdulAziz is a practicing psychotherapist at Khalil Center (Illinois Chapter), an international non-profit wellness center that aims to bridge the gap between the psychological sciences and the Islamic tradition. He is registered as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and School Social Worker in the state of Illinois and is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist.

AbdulAziz believes that every person is an expert on their experience and that by creating a safe, welcoming and warm environment, we can all begin our journey towards healing. He has been serving Muslims from across the globe and hopes to continue to find more innovative and dynamic ways to serve all people.

He considers himself to be a lifelong learner and continues to take professional development coursework and engage in his own spiritual journey. He earned his Master of Social Work Degree from Governors State University.

Jason Whitehead

Jason is an ordained Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) minister and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He spent the last seven years working at Iliff School of Theology, where he provided career coaching, mental health support, curriculum development and taught classes in pastoral care and theology.

Today, Jason works as a therapist, coach, writer and speaker with Mosaic Insight in Denver, Colorado. He teaches courses at Iliff School of Theology and the Graduate School of Social Work at University of Denver. Jason holds a Masters in Divinity from Union-PSCE, a Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Doctorate in Religion and Psychology from the Joint PhD program at University of Denver and Iliff.

Maximillian Hollander

Maximillian Hollander is a fourth-year rabbinical student at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and Bernard Revel Graduate School of Judaic Studies.

Max has a passion for sharing ideas and texts from religious traditions that meaningfully contribute to conversations about the lived experiences and challenges of contemporary life. He has been blessed with many opportunities to share the perspectives found within Jewish tradition about important issues like sex education, fertility challenges, pastoral counseling, grief and mourning processes, and pedagogy with podcasts, videos, and essays.

Currently, Max works as the Marketing & Content Manager for the Blue Dove Foundation, highlighting the ways Jewish tradition speaks to mental health and wellness, and managing an ever-growing library of mental health and Judaism content while overseeing the production of activity guides, articles, videos, and books about the subjects.

It is his belief that the combination of religious texts/ideas and modern psychology imbues wellness practices with spiritual significance, making them all the more powerful.