Congratulations New Officers
Matthew G. Smith, executive director, Preventionfocus, Inc. has been named chair of the Erie County Anti-Stigma Coalition; Danielle Bernas, LMSW, director of the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Healing at Jewish Family Services of Western New York has been appointed vice chair; and Melinda DuBois, executive director, Mental Health Advocates of Western New York, has been named treasurer.
“The Coalition is very proud of our accomplishments over the last eight years, but we all know our work is far from done,” Smith said. “I look forward to this new chapter and am humbled by the opportunity to chair the efforts of this impressive group. We will do all we can to reduce the stigma that keeps too many people from getting the help they need.”
Smith has been in the field of substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion for over thirty years. He is a founding member of the Anti-Stigma Coalition and was recently chair of the Coalition’s Outreach Committee. He also chairs Px21, an Erie County collaborative of all prevention agencies in the county, and the Western New York Chemical Dependency Consortium.
Bernas has 20 years of experience working with diverse populations including refugee and immigrant communities, Native American communities, families involved in the child welfare system, individuals involved in the criminal justice system, and individuals experiencing SPMI.
DuBois most recently served as chair of the Coalition and has over 25 years of experience managing multidisciplinary health and human service organizations. She is a current board member of Horizon Human Services and Hospice and Palliative Care, vice president of the Care Management Coalition, a member of the Health Leadership Fellows Cohort 6, past president of the Crisis Services Board of Directors, and is a 200 Hour Registered Yoga Instructor trained in trauma sensitive yoga and meditation.
