SPEAKER

Senator Sydney Batch is a family law attorney, child welfare advocate, and social worker. Sydney received her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she remained for her Juris Doctorate and Master of Social Work. Following law school, Sydney entered private practice with her husband, J. Patrick Williams. She is the founding partner at the law firm, Batch, Poore & Williams, PC. Her practice primarily focuses on family law, child welfare law, and appellate work. She was elected to the NC House representing Southern Wake County in 2018 and was later appointed to fill a vacant seat in the NC Senate in 2021 and reelected in 2022 and 2024. She currently serves as Democratic Deputy Leader in the NC Senate. Senator Batch has continuously advocated for families and small businesses during her time in the legislature. She currently serves on the Appropriations on Health and Human Services, Commerce and Insurance, Finance, Health Care, Joint Legislative Committee on Health and Human Services, and Judiciary. As a legislator, Sydney believes that policy and evidence-based research should inform and guide the legislation passed in the North Carolina General Assembly. She has advocated for several common-sense reforms, including paid family leave, affordable childcare, and mental health access. She resides in Wake County with her husband and two sons.

SPEAKER

Gale Adcock is a family nurse practitioner and former chief health officer at global software company SAS. She served 7 years on the Cary Town Council, including 3 years as Cary Mayor Pro-tem, before her election to the House in 2014. During her fourth House term she was appointed to the position of deputy minority leader. Senator Adcock is now in her second term in the Senate, representing District 16 that includes Cary and Raleigh. She is a member of the Health, HHS Appropriations, State & Local Government, and Commerce & Insurance committees. Senator Adcock is the first nurse to serve in the NC Senate.

SPEAKER

Timothy Reeder, MD, MPH earned a Medical Degree and residency in Emergency Medicine from Ohio State University. He obtained an MPH the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1998, he joined the Brody School of Medicine at ECU where he is an Associate Professor and Executive Vice Chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He is past President of the North Carolina Medical Society. He provides clinical care at ECU Health Medical Center. He was elected to the NC House of Representatives in 2023, representing District 9 in Pitt County. He serves on the Committees for Appropriations, Commerce, Education-Universities, Families, Children and Aging Policy, and Health.

HOST OF OJ RECEPTION

Representative Allen Buansi grew up in Orange County. He lives in Chapel Hill with his wife and their three children. He is a proud graduate of Dartmouth College (B.A.) and the University of North Carolina School of Law (J.D.). From 2017 to 2021, he worked at the UNC Center for Civil Rights and was the deputy director there, working in the areas of public education, environmental justice and land use law. He is currently a land use attorney. After being elected to the Chapel Hill Town Council in 2017, Governor Roy Cooper appointed him to the statewide Local Government Employees Retirement Board of Trustees, and there, he served from 2018 until 2021. He was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2022, and he represents District 56 (Orange County) in the North Carolina General Assembly.

SPEAKER AT OJ RECEPTION

Kelly brings over 30 years of experience in providing and managing public services and supports for people with mental health and substance use issues, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and brain injury. In her current role as the Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services (DMH/DD/SUS), Kelly oversees the public community-based system for mental health, intellectual and other developmental disabilities, substance use, and traumatic brain injury in North Carolina. For the past 13 years, Kelly has served in multiple leadership roles within NC DHHS, including Assistant Director of Behavioral Health at NC Medicaid, Chief Operating Officer of NC Medicaid, and the Chief Quality and Population Health Officer at NC Medicaid. Kelly is proud to be a licensed clinical social worker and person with lived experience.

SPEAKER

Marcia Morey (NC House District 30-Durham) was appointed to the House in April 2017, and has since served three terms. Rep. Morey was a district court judge in Durham County from 1999 to 2010, and served as Chief District Court Judge from 2011 until 2017, before being appointed to the legislature. Rep. Morey is also a chair of the Juvenile Sentence Review Board and a member of Governor Cooper’s Task Force on Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC). Representative Morey has been an outspoken advocate for Juvenile Justice. As the leading force behind Durham's Misdemeanor Diversion Program, she implemented rehabilitation and community resources for juveniles to address substance abuse and mental health disorders.

LIVED EXPERIENCE SPEAKER

Born and raised in North Carolina, Jacob is the peer consultant and trainer with the UNC Institute for Best Practices and a person in long term recovery. He has been working in local mental health services since 2008, starting in crisis services and then transitioning to peer support within ACT services. Beginning in 2010, he worked on high fidelity teams in Durham and Wake Counties for the next 14 years before joining the Institute for Best Practices. Jacob’s own recovery journey is robust, including serious mental illness, addiction, and multiple bouts of cancer. In 2015, he returned to school to finish his education, something that had been set aside in 2002 with the onset of his mental health challenges. In 2022 Jacob completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is currently working on a master’s in social work at UNC Chapel Hill. Jacob has experience utilizing a variety of wellness and recovery models, as well as supporting one of North Carolina’s first Hearing Voices Network groups. As a part of his work at the Institute for Best Practices, he now works to share these experiences with other peer specialists and with providers here in North Carolina and abroad. He serves as secretary on the board of directors for Threshold, an accredited clubhouse program in Durham, NC, and is very involved in his local recovery community. In his spare time, Jacob especially enjoys spending time with his partner and children (pets).

SPEAKER

Senator Jim Burgin is a longtime resident of Harnett County and current President and Owner of C & D Insurance. Senator Burgin also serves as Chairman of the Board to New Horizon Insurance Group, President of B.C. Property, Inc., a real estate development company, and partner in John Heister Automotive, which owns Chevrolet and Chrysler Dodge Jeep Dealerships. Senator Burgin and his wife, Ann, have been married 44 years and have three children and four grandchildren. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and attended The University of Knoxville. He is proud to serve Harnett, Lee and a portion of Sampson counties. Senator Burgin is currently serving his fourth term in the North Carolina Senate where he has served as a Chairman of Healthcare, Appropriations on Health and Human Services and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services. Before his time as a North Carolina State Senator, he served two terms as Harnett County Commissioner. He is passionate about helping North Carolina make positive changes for those affected by mental health challenges. He has traveled with Secretary Kody Kinsley across the state to hold 14 Mental Health Town Halls.

Mona Townes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and Certified Clinical Supervisor with nearly two decades of experience improving the crisis continuum for individuals, families, and communities. She currently serves as the Mobile Crisis Director at Integrated Family Services, overseeing mobile crisis management services across 33 counties in Eastern North Carolina. With a wealth of expertise in Mobile Crisis Management, Mona excels in rebuilding and enhancing crisis services, fostering strong community partnerships, and improving service delivery on a regional scale. She has spearheaded innovative approaches to crisis response, such as implementing co-responder models, facilitating critical incident stress management, and expanding access to mental health resources in underserved communities. Her leadership has been pivotal in navigating challenges, maintaining compliance, and ensuring client-centered care. Beyond her leadership at Integrated Family Services, Mona is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers - North Carolina Chapter, the owner of MTownes Training & Consulting, and a lecturer in the School of Social Work at NC State University. She has provided clinical supervision to more than a dozen associate-licensed professionals and is certified by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing as a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, having trained nearly 1,000 individuals.

Amy is an Associate Professor and The Prudence F. and Peter J. Meehan Early Career Distinguished Scholar at the School of Social Work at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also the Co-director of the Tiny Homes Village, a demonstration project that seeks to expand the continuum of permanent and affordable housing options for people with mental illnesses. Dr. Blank Wilson is a national expert in the development and testing of interventions for people with mental illness. She uses her practice experience and research expertise to explore new ways to address the complex, interlocking problems of poverty, homelessness, substance use, and criminal legal system involvement facing many people with mental illness. Her research and scholarship include over 20 funded grants, 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and 90 conference presentations.