United Church of Christ Mental Health Network

Working to reduce stigma & promote the inclusion of people with mental health challenges and neurodiversity.

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Board Members

We are a very committed group of volunteers, and we always welcome hearing from you. To start the WISE process for your congregation, click here or email us at wise@mhn-ucc.org.

Current Mental Health Network Board of Directors & Officers

Bishop Allyson D. Nelson Abrams, DMin.
Chair
Bishop Allyson Abrams is the founder/pastor of Empowerment Liberation Cathedral (DC). She is the founder/president of Empowerment Justice Center & EJC Wellness Center. Her loving spirit and compassion for creation brought her to wellness for all. She is an entrepreneur. Dr. Abrams currently serves on the NSBA Leadership Council. She is the wife of Dr. Diana Williams and the mother of 3 college graduate children. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @Bishop Allyson Abrams
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Abbie Chronister, MDiv
Vice Chair

A recent graduate of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities with an MDiv in Social Transformation and seeking ordination in the UCC, Abbie began serving on the MHN board in 2022. They bring to the table an eclectic set of skills and passions, and have professional experience in the realms of ministry, music, social services, technology, and youth development. Abbie currently works in campus ministry and resides in Iowa with their husband and two cats.

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Rev. Sean Witty
Secretary
Averyn Payne, PhD.
Assistant Secretary

Averyn began their first year in Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School in fall 2020, the same time they joined the Board. Averyn is curious about the ways faith communities can be places of transformation and radical welcoming to those with mental health challenges and seeks to combine their experience as a counselor with their passion for God and justice.

Jim Alexander
Treasurer
Debbie Ringen
Board Member
Jamani Blair
Board Member
Jamani Blair is a Licensed Master’s Social Worker (LMSW) who currently works as a trauma therapist in NYC. She provides essential behavioral and mental health supportive counseling for The Ubuntu Project Ministry for Inclusivity (TFAM), an organization that embraces “differently abled and differently labeled” individuals. Jamani has tremendous passion for social justice, as well as, advocating for and working with youth and young adults facing compounded challenges due to the intersectionality in mental health. Along with serving on the UCC MHN Board of Directors, Jamani is a board member of the United Black Christians UCC Association.
Mia Colwell
Board Member
Mia Colwell, MS, currently holds a masters degree in forensic psychology. She is an author and a podcaster who is very passionate about the subject of mental health. Mia spends her days spreading information about mental health complications within the African American youth community in her hometown. She has recently joined the board in order to further her work, gain more knowledge, and be apart of a wonderful organization.
Rev. Kristal Klemme
Board Member
Rev. Kristal Klemme serves as Pastor alongside the congregation of First Congregational UCC, Plymouth, Wi. She is passionate about nurturing and holding space and grace at the intersections of faith and mental health. She has served on the Board of Directors of Mental Health America – Lakeshore, the Spirit In Mind task force of Mental Health America, and the WISE Team of the Wisconsin Conference, UCC. Kristal and her husband, Philip, make their home in Sheboygan Falls, Wi.
Rev. Marty Kuchma
Board Member
Marty is Senior Pastor of St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Westminster, Maryland. He holds a BA in psychology, MSW, M.Div., and D.Min. He is also Senior Adjunct Professor at Lancaster Theological Seminary and Adjunct Faculty and Field Education Consultant in the McDaniel College Social Work Department. He is involved in a wide range of community and wider church activities.
Rev. Mabel Laird
Board Member
Rev. Mabel Laird serves as Pastor to Alfred Parish Church of the UCC's ME Conference, as well as a chaplain to inmates and correctional officers of York County Jail and as a chaplain in the Maine Air National Guard. She also serves in an on-call capacity primarily responding to critical incidents/ traumatic events for the Sanford (Maine) Police Department. She is a veteran, having served 12 years in the Navy and Navy Reserves, where she met her best friend/husband. Together they have two very young children and two beloved (and very patient) dogs.
Rev. Chance Martinez
Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, D.Min., MDiv, MSW
Ex-Officio / Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice

Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund serves as the Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice for the national setting of the United Church of Christ. She is the author of Blessed Are The Crazy: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness, Family and Church. She is also a former UCC MHN board member.

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Rev. Alan Johnson
Chair Emeritus

In 2009, Alan was asked to be the chair of the UCC Mental Illness Network and began the reformation of what has become the UCC Mental Health Network.  Since then, he had been the coordinator and then chair of the UCC MHN until 2020. Alan is a retired UCC clergy, a volunteer mental health advocate, and a church member, which developed the WISE program.

Cassidy Hall
Communications
Cassidy Hall (MA, MDiv, MTS) is an author, filmmaker, podcaster, and holds a Masters of Divinity, Masters of Theological Studies, and Masters in Counseling. Born and raised in Iowa, she now works at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Indianapolis where she is pursuing ordination in the UCC.
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Past Board Members

  • Dr. Vicki Kaye Harvey
  • Pastor Izzy Harbin
  • Rev. Dr. Rachael A. Keefe
  • Rev. Hannah Campbell Gustafson
  • R. Jeffrey Pollock
  • Karl Shallowhorn
  • Anne Weiher
  • Thomas Coates
  • Judy Johnson
  • Alison Bess
  • Rev. Carrie Bail
  • Devin Shmueli
  • Johari Sharp
  • Gabrielle Bychowski
  • Salome As-Salaam
  • Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund
  • Rev. Angela Whitenhill
  • Kerrie Hein
  • Rev. Amy Petré-Hill, J.D.
  • Rev. Shernell Edney Stilley
  • Ms. Robin Kempster, R.N.
  • Rev. Dr. Jan Remer-Osborn
  • Rev. Jon Gilbert Martinez
  • Rev. Megan Osborn Snell, MDiv.
  • Rev. Jack Abel

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