Committees

Committee Structure

The Commission uses advisory committees to increase its efficiency. Committee meetings are open to the public, and subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs are appointed annually by the Commission Chair.

Budget and Fiscal Advisory Committee

This committee supports the Commission by monitoring the Commission’s budget and provides recommendations on annual priorities, in alignment with the Program and Legislative and External Affairs Committees. The committee reviews the annual budget, quarterly budget updates, and budget change proposals, as well as fiscal analysis of projects, contracts, and grants, and thereafter recommends Commission action and raises any necessary concerns.

Members

Chair: Commissioner Al Rowlett

Vice Chair: Commissioner Chris Contreras

Commissioner Keyondria Bunch

Commissioner Steve Carnevale

Commissioner Dave Gordon

Commissioner Harabedian (Designee Rosielyn Pulmano)

Commissioner Jevon Wilkes

Committee Charter

Legislative and External Affairs Advisory Committee

This committee supports the Commission by shaping the Commission’s legislative agenda and advocacy priorities. The Committee monitors and proposes legislation, engages community leaders, providers, advocates, and other interest holders, and partners with advocacy contract grantees to strengthen their capacity.

Members

Chair: Commissioner Mark Bontrager

Vice Chair: Commissioner Robert Callan, Jr.

Commissioner Amy Fairweather, J.D.

Commissioner Tumboura Hill

Commissioner Karen Larsen

Commissioner Gladys Mitchell

Commissioner Marvin Southard

Commissioner Jay’Riah Thomas-Beckett, DHA, M.ED

Committee Charter

Program Advisory Committee

This committee supports the Commission by shaping its program priorities. The committee reviews proposals for research and projects and recommends Commission action. It also ensures transparency, reviewing periodic program updates to certify terms of approval are satisfied, while reporting progress, outcomes, and concerns to the Commission. Proposals requiring Commission resources will be referred by the Program Advisory Committee to the Budget and Fiscal Advisory Committee to secure resource availability. The Program Advisory Committee will have responsibility over any specific authorities granted to the Commission, including the Behavioral Health Wellness Act, Behavioral Health Student Services Act, and Behavioral Health Services Innovation Partnership Fund.

Members

Chair: Commissioner Gary Tsai, MD

Vice Chair: Commissioner Mara Madrigal-Weiss

Commissioner Pamela Baer

Commissioner Michael Bernick

Commissioner Rayshell Chambers

Commissioner Dave Cortese (Designee Marjorie Swartz)

Commissioner Makenzie Cross

Commissioner Brandon Fernandez

Committee Charter

Workplace Optimization Advisory Committee

This committee supports the Commission by advising the Commission on human resources matters, including oversight of the Executive Director’s performance, staff culture, and overall organizational effectiveness. The Committee serves as a resource to the Commission in fulfilling its responsibilities related to human capital management while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act.

Members

Chair: Commissioner James Robinson

Vice Chair: Commissioner Mayra Alvarez

Commissioner Bill Brown

Commissioner Keyondria Bunch

Commissioner Makenzie Cross

Commissioner Alfred Rowlett

Commissioner Marvin Southard

Commissioner Mara Madrigal-Weiss

Committee Charter

Client, Family, and Community Inclusion, Lived Experience, and Diversity Advisory Committee

The Client, Family, and Community Inclusion, Lived Experience, and Diversity Advisory Committee helps ensure the Commission’s work centers the voices of the people most impacted by serious mental illness (SMI), substance use disorder (SUD), and co-occurring SMI/SUD in state-level decisions, as well as centering the voices of peer providers, consumers, family members, and representatives from marginalized communities, including racial, ethnic, linguistic, geographic, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, and other diverse lived experiences.

The Advisory Committee shall provide technical and professional expertise to the Commission on lived experience by providing guidance, reviewing materials, and making recommendations related to:

• Commission research, project development, contracts, and grants. This includes providing recommendations regarding the Commission’s work related to the Innovation Partnership Fund (WIC 5845.1), Mental Health Wellness Act (WIC 5848.5), and the Behavioral Health Student Services Act (WIC 5886).

• Legislation & advocacy regarding existing laws that enhance behavioral health services and access; and

• Other commission initiatives.

Committee Charter

Members

Chair: Commissioner Rayshell Chambers

Vice Chair: Commissioner Mayra Alvarez

Senait Admassu, President, African Communities Public Health Coalition

Carolina Ayala, Executive Director, The Happier Life Project

Veronica Chavez, Psy.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles

Eugene Durrah, LCSW, Equity Services and BHSA Manager, Solano County Behavioral Health

Eugene Durrah is a licensed clinical social worker from Compton, CA, currently serving as the Ethnic Services Manager and BHSA Coordinator for Solano County Behavioral Health. With over a decade of experience in community mental health and private practice, Eugene is deeply committed to advancing care for underserved communities. In his role, he leads peer support services, suicide prevention initiatives, and community engagement efforts, while driving strategic planning under California’s Behavioral Health Services Act. Beyond his professional work, Eugene is a devoted husband and father who grounds his leadership in family, purpose, and legacy.

Robyn Gantsweg, Senior Coordinator and Peer Self-Advocacy Program Manager, Disability Rights California

Robyn Gantsweg, PhD, has worked with Disability Rights California (DRC) since 2002. She is a queer person with lived experience with a mental health disability and forced psychiatric hospitalization. As DRC’s Peer Self-Advocacy Program Manager, she conducts outreach and trainings to provide education and resources to the peer community.

Jim Gilmer, Co-founder, Cyrus Urban Network

Nahla Kayali, Executive Director, Access California Services

Richard Krzyzanowski, President, California Association of Mental Health Patients’ Rights Advocates

Kontrena McPheter, Peer Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator, Interim Inc.

Susan Wynd Novotny, Chairperson, NAMI Mendocino Board

Susan Wynd Novotny represents a family member involved in behavioral health support since July 2002. She serves as the Board Chair of NAMI Mendocino and has been a member since 2004. She also is a founding Board Member of Manzanita Services, Inc. and has been the interim Executive Director since 2023. Susan was previously the MHSA Strategic Chair and Vice Chair of the Mendocino County Behavioral Health Advisory Board and also served on the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency. Prior to being a Committee Member of the Commission’s Client, Family, and Community Inclusion, Lived Experience, and Diversity Advisory Committee, Susan was also a Committee Member of the Client and Family Leadership Committee.

Larisa Owen, Director, IntelliQuest Consulting

Jason Robison, Chief Program Officer, SHARE! The Self-Help and Recovery Exchange

Jason Robison is the Chief Program Officer of SHARE!, a peer-run organization in Los Angeles that operates two client-run Centers, two peer-run respite homes, SHARE! Collaborative Housing and provides advanced peer specialist training throughout California. He has worked in Non-profit management for over 20 years, focusing on education, recovery, housing and health. Jason is on the board of the California Association on Mental Health Peer Run Organizations and is a SAMHSA Recovery Month Planning Partner. He also serves as a member of California Behavioral Health Action, a stakeholder group to lead the development of the California Behavioral Health System.

Richard Zaldivar, Executive Director, The Wall Las Memorias

Strategic Plan Advisory Committee

The Strategic Plan Advisory Committee supoorts the Commission by shaping the update of the Commission’s strategic plan priorities, specifically focusing on incorporating the new mandates and opportunities enacted under the BHSA into the strategic plan.