Executive Director Dr. Kathy Quick, kathy@pmhca.org As the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association (PMHCA), Dr. Quick is very invested in ensuring that individuals in recovery from mental illness have their voices heard. Dr. Quick is in long-term recovery from mental illness as well as alcohol addiction, and she shares her story to inspire others to embrace recovery and hope. Dr. Quick received her bachelor's degree from Penn State University in 1998, majoring in Criminal Justice. She went on to receive a master’s degree in social work from Temple University in 2005, and her Doctorate in Social Work from Capella University in 2020. She has accumulated over 20 years of experience in providing treatment services in mental health, family treatment, children's services, substance use disorder treatment, and local government before joining PMHCA. Dr. Quick is a resident of Schuylkill County with her husband, German Shepherd Duke, and 3 cats – Little AK, Molly and Princess Fiona. Dr. Quick's recovery tools include reading, hunting, painting, crocheting, counted cross-stitch, and gardening. | Director of Operations Tyler Eppley, tyler@pmhca.org Tyler has worked for PMHCA since August of 2001. He's been a drummer since he was 3 years old and is in and has played in a countless number of bands since his high school days (None of them successful). He loves spending time with his wife, Dana, and two pups, Daisy and Chi-Chi. He loves gaming and watching sports, especially his beloved New York Islanders. | Training and Education Director Ethan Frost, ethan@pmhca.org Ethan Frost is an individual in long term recovery from substances, mental health, incarceration, and housing insecurity for the last ten years. He is a CPS, CRS, CFRS, and working on his Warrior Down Recovery Coach Training through White Bison Recovery for Indigenous Individuals. He began at PMHCA ten years ago as a contracted trainer of the Forensic Peer Support Program. In July of 2022, Ethan joined PMHCA full-time as the Training Director that would oversee all training programs for the agency. Ethan enjoys hiking with his partner and his three rescue dogs, free climbing, photography, and getting lost in a good documentary film. Ethan’s passion is advocating for equal and fair treatment for the forensic population and LGTBQIA+ population while educating the public on mental health situations that effect those marginalized populations. |
PMHCA Program Director Tristan Schnoke, tristan@pmhca.org Tristan Schnoke is a young adult who is married, has a child, owns pets, and also has a mental illness that she battles every single day. She has learned to grow through things instead of trying to jump over them and that has helped her to become a strong advocate for other young people who struggle with mental health and traumatic experiences. As the Program Director at PMHCA, Tristan's goal is to make sure that everyone's experiences are being included, heard, and understood when changes to the mental health system are being made. You have a voice and we need to hear it! | Administrative Support Director Kim Brown, kim@pmhca.org Kimberly Brown is the Administrative Support Coordinator for PMHCA and YMPA. She became a Certified Peer Specialist in 2023, and looks to complete her Certified Family Recovery Specialist Certification later in the year. In her spare time, she enjoys motorcycle riding with her husband and spending time with their two children, family, and friends. | Capacity & Advocacy Coordinator Candijoy Myers, candi@pmhca.org Candi's journey into advocacy work began in 2021 when she became employed at Peerstar and became a Certified Peer Specialist. While employed through Peerstar she received a promotion as the Community Support Ambassador for Clearfield and Jefferson counties. During her time as a Community Support Ambassador, she won an award for outstanding mental health advocate of the year from Skills of North Central PA. She started a lot of different events in her community for CSP. She was a member of the suicide prevention team and chaired their walk last year. She is involved with the heroin and overdose task force in her community. She plans to use her lived experience and training to help rejuvenate the community support program in the central region, while hopefully building ties to other regions in the state. She is excited to be able to advocate for people in recovery because she also suffered from substance use disorder and depression. She is also a suicide loss survivor so has strong ties to suicide prevention in our state. Candi has five kids and lives in the North Central part of Pennsylvania. In her spare time, she enjoys kayaking, fishing, and spending time with her family. She feels her family is her greatest accomplishment in everything that she does. |
YMPA Program Director Kevin Puskaric, kevin@pmhca.org Kevin Puskaric (He, Him, His) CPS, CRS, CFRS became a Certified Peer Specialist in 2017 and later certified in 2021 as a Certified Recovery Specialist and Certified Family Recovery Specialist. Kevin's training and lived experience brings skills in leadership, youth engagement, and bringing youth peer support values to the forefront in his role as the Program Director for Youth MOVE Pennsylvania. Kevin serves as a voting member on the Childrens Committee of Mental Health Planning Council and is a co-chair of the Transition Age Youth and Young Adult Advisory (TAYYA) Subcommittee as part of the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). Kevin is a fierce advocate of amplifying youth voice and championing youth peer support initiatives throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. | YMPA Community Outreach Coordinator Zoe Small, zoe@pmhca.org Zoe Small is a passionate advocate for youth voice who cares about connecting young people to the resources they need to thrive. Zoe loves active listening, providing care, and making those around her feel seen and valued. Zoe is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College where she majored in Religious Studies; outside of academics, she was engaged in a variety of programs related to supporting first-year students in their transition to college. After graduating, Zoe worked in the non-profit sector supporting youth with disabilities and their families, where she developed and led trainings and workshops for youth focused on self-advocacy and intersectionality. Zoe continues to support youth in their self-advocacy around mental health as the Community Outreach Coordinator for Youth MOVE PA. Zoe believes in the power of building community and living with the values of kindness and compassion. In her free time, she enjoys singing by herself and with others, hiking, reading poetry, and watching sitcoms. | Call for Change and Youth Coordinator Chris Lunsford, chris@pmhca.org Christopher Lunsford is a CPS with lived experience in recovery from Bipolar Disorder and the child-serving mental health system. He has taken his experience to become an advocate and leader for youth voice and speaks openly about mental illness on Twitch under the name of "Fencechild" where he uses video games to provide support to others. Chris now lives in Allentown, PA where he serves as the Call For Change & Youth Care Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association. |
Special Projects Coordinator Dr. Amy Sagen, amy@pmhca.org Amy joined PMHCA in March 2023 with a passion for advocacy: giving voice to those who feel they are not heard. She is invested in ensuring policies / legislation / governmental agencies hear the voices of persons living with mental health issues. Amy’s educational journey starts at Penn State with BS in Education, traversed the country to study Social Work & Gerontology at the University of Southern California, and completed her Doctorate in Social Work from Kutztown/Millersville University. Her twenty plus years of experience oscillates between therapeutic interactions with clients / patients and advocating on a larger level; running Alzheimer’s Units in skilled nursing; chief operating officer at NASW-PA; and adjunct professor at many local universities. When not working, Amy enjoys training for triathlons, hiking, and spending time in nature with her husband and two girls. |