NAMI Ask the Expert: Warmlines, Helplines, and Crisis Lines Offer the Help You Need When You Need It

Hannah Wesolowski
Chief Advocacy Officer, NAMI National

Hannah Wesolowski serves as NAMI National’s Chief Advocacy Officer. She leads NAMI’s Government Relations, Policy & Advocacy team, which develops NAMI’s policy positions, advances NAMI’s federal priorities and supports the policy work of NAMI’s Alliance at the state and local level. In particular, Hannah leads NAMI’s crisis systems advocacy and thought leadership, including NAMI’s Reimagine Crisis initiative.

Hannah serves as a member of NAMI’s Executive Team and is a frequent NAMI spokesperson to the media on mental health policy. She serves on the Executive Committee of Friends of NIMH and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Affairs Council and the American Brain Coalition.

Before joining NAMI, Hannah worked at the Public Affairs Council, providing support to leading associations and nonprofit advocacy groups to build advocacy programs. She also previously led political advocacy efforts at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Institute of Architects.

Dawn Brown
National Director of HelpLine Services, NAMI National

Dawn and the NAMI HelpLine team work each day to help further the recovery of people affected by mental illness and restore their families. Together, they bring their lived experience, professional skills, and passion to the service and support of the NAMI community.

Dawn was drawn to NAMI following her son’s schizophrenia diagnosis, and in 2011, she volunteered to serve on the NAMI HelpLine. Shortly afterward, she accepted a staff position.

Leading the NAMI HelpLine team has allowed Dawn to align years of professional experience in business and non-profit management with her passion for helping others affected by mental illness. Each year, the NAMI HelpLine provides more than 250,000 help seekers with the information, resources and peer support they need to advance their recovery or support the recovery of a loved one.

Since 2011, in addition to NAMI HelpLine management, Dawn has contributed to NAMI as the Director of Convention Services, Director of Membership and Content Development Specialist. She is a native of Washington, DC, and has certification in business and project management.

Howard Trachtman
Co-Founder of MBRLC, Certified Peer Support Specialist, Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner, Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community (MBRLC)

Howard D. Trachtman is the co-founder and on the leadership team of the Metro Boston and Southeast Recovery Learning Communities and is a Certified Peer Specialist and a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner. Mr. Trachtman started warmline.org in 1999 and it remains a portal of information on peer support lines to this day.

Mr. Trachtman attended MIT at the age of 16 and graduated with honors from Northeastern University. Some of his many awards includes a Commissioner’s award from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, NAMI Massachusetts Consumer of the Year, and both the Ken Steele and Gloria Huntley awards from the NAMI Peer Leadership Council.

Mr. Trachtman has served on many mental health related boards and committees, frequently serving as President, Chair or Co-Chair. The boards he has been on in the past or currently include the chair of the PAIMI (Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness) of the Disability Law Center the Disability Law Center Board of Directors, the MBHP Consumer Advisory Council, Center Club Advisory Board, Department of Mental Health State Mental Health Planning Council, One Care Implementation Council, Transcomm, DMH Restraint and Seclusion Committees, NAMI Massachusetts board of directors, NAMI Greater Boston Peer Support and Advocacy Network, Massachusetts Representative to NAMI National Peer Leadership Council, President of the DMH Metro Suburban Area Board, Edinburg Center Human Rights Committee, M-POWER/Transformation Center and Chair of the NAMI Peer Leadership Council Advocacy Committee.

Alex Boyd
Senior Manager of 988 Digital Operations, The Trevor Project

Alex Boyd (he/him) is a queer non-profit professional committed to creating a safer world for LGBTQ young people. He has worked at The Trevor Project since 2018, including as a counselor on the Trevor Lifeline, as a Supervisor and a Manager on TrevorChat & TrevorText, and now as the Senior Manager of 988 Digital Operations. In working on 988, Alex oversees Chat and Text operations and staff, leading initiatives to maintain a high-quality experience for LGBTQ young people in crisis.