John Grohol, Executive Director
Dr. John Grohol is the CEO, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of Psych Central, one of the Internet's largest and oldest independent mental health and psychology networks. A pioneer in online mental health and psychology, Dr. Grohol has helped transform the way people access mental health and psychology resources online, being the first to publish the diagnostic criteria for common mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. His leadership has helped break down the barriers of stigma often associated with mental health concerns, bringing trusted resources and support communities to the Internet. Dr. Grohol is a published researcher, as well as the author of The Insider’s Guide to Mental Health Resources Online (Guilford, 1996-2003), and the co-author of Self-Help That Works (Oxford University Press, 2013). He sits on the scientific board of the journal, Computers in Human Behavior, is a founding board member and current treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine, and writes regularly for the World of Psychology blog.
Therese Borchard, Founder
Therese Borchard is the Emotional Health Columnist for EverydayHealth.com, where she writes the blog “Sanity Break,” one of the most trafficked columns on the site, Associate Editor at PsychCentral.com, and a contributor to Yahoo!, CNN.com, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, and other media outlets. For seven years, Therese penned the popular blog, “Beyond Blue,” on Beliefnet.com, which was named a Top 10 Depression blog by Health.com and Healthline.com. She has been named a Top 10 Influencer in the Online Depression CommunitySharecare.com, the health platform created by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jeff Arnold. An advocate for mental health awareness, Therese is a regular guest on radio programs throughout the country, and has appeared on national television shows such as “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher,” “Fox & Friends,” and ABC News Now.” She can be found at thereseborchard.com.
Maureen Therese Nee, Program Manager
This question brought Maureen to Project Hope and Beyond – “If money was no object, what would you do with your life?” Since money is indeed an object, working as a Healthcare Finance Manager for 35 years helped to pay the bills. Her true love though is being the “team mom” with anything involving the kids, even though now two of the three are grown! While Maureen’s favorite role is with her family, after 50 years of life, she hopes there is still much more she will be able to do. Maureen was born, raised, and is still living south of Pittsburgh, PA. She is a passionate sports fan, rooting for local teams and, of course, for her kids' teams too! Maureen received her BA in Biology, and MA in Healthcare Financial Administration, both from the University of Pittsburgh. Until Maureen read some of Therese’s works, she was all alone in her struggles with depression and OCD; now she realizes that there is so much more to learn and share! Maureen is trying to live Robin Robert’s mantra, “Make your mess your message.” By becoming part of Project Hope and Beyond and trying to reach those in need of support, especially the young ones, Maureen wants to let people know that they have someone who understands and also cares about them.
Maggie White, Site Administrator
Born and raised on Chicago’s south side, Maggie White resides in Downers Grove, Illinois, with her husband, Sean and their five children, Colin, Moira, Shannon, Aileen and Patrick. Maggie received a BA in Writing/English from Marquette University in 2003. She later went on to earn her MA in Education with a teaching certificate for secondary level Language Arts from Chicago State University in 2007. She has just published her first children’s book, A Christmas Guest, which she hopes will inspire both children and adults to show small acts of kindness and compassion toward others. She is passionate about mental health advocacy awareness, and the need for providing resources to the millions of people suffering the burdens of mental illness. She believes that sometimes all it takes is one person, one guardian angel in human form, to reach out to another and pull that person out of darkness. She also hopes that the older her tribe of children gets, the more time she’ll be able to devote to mental health advocacy and her writing.
Kama Easaw, Site Administrator
Kama was born in Poland and moved to Alaska when she was nine. She met her husband, Chris, when she was 16, and they have been together ever since. They moved to Arizona in 2001 and have three children; Isaiah, Mayah, and Aubrey. Currently a controller for a mortgage company, Kama enjoys cooking, reading, running and swimming. She also loves to watch her son play basketball and her girls dance. Kama has been struggling with her second episode of depression since July 2014, but is learning ways to cope. She has especially learned a lot from Therese and others on Project Hope and Beyond.
Becky Ford, Site Administrator
Becky Ford is the founder and President of Catapulting Communications LLC, a communications and marketing consulting firm, servicing clients nationwide on everything from social media management to branding and publicity initiatives. Catapulting Communications provides consulting services in the communications field to small businesses, nonprofits, advocacy groups, media personalities, authors, and to political campaigns. Among her recent notable clients are the Center for Vision Development (Annapolis, MD), Paul Panella Industries (Denton, MD), various best-selling authors in the Massachusetts area, a host of local and state candidates throughout Maryland, and most recently candidates in the 2014 mid-term elections. She has done everything from writing and placing op-ed pieces in publications to crafting speeches for candidates and planning educational outreach for promotional material production. Becky holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Salisbury University, and is pursuing an MA /PhD in Communications from Southern New Hampshire University. Her passion for mental health comes from her own experiences, and her desire for advocacy comes from growing up reading the works of Borchard, and, even at a young age, deeming Therese as her official role model. Becky wishes in some small way to pay it forward.
