NEW YORK, July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Made of Millions, the global mental health advocacy nonprofit, today announced the addition of five new Board Advisors: Pamela Lasner of Verizon Media, Simon Fenwick of the 4A's, Kay Nikoforova of Violet, Dr. Neha Chaudhary, and Dr. Brittany Linton. Each of the five new additions will be charged with helping the organization's leadership team with strategic direction and program development for Made Academy.
Made Academy is a radically-inclusive workplace curriculum that explores mental health through an intersectional lens, closes key knowledge gaps around the mental health spectrum, and promotes safe and healthy communication between managers and employees. The program debuted in 2020 on World Mental Health Day with Verizon Media, who made the training mandatory for its global workforce. Following the training, 91% of employees reported having a greater appreciation for the importance of discussing mental health at work, 90% have an increased understanding of the harm caused by mental health stigmas, and 86% now feel better equipped to recognize mental health red flags.
“We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our board advisor team. We believe that the workplace represents the greatest opportunity to empower society with life-saving insights they can bring back to their teams—and their communities,” says Anastasia Kuznetsova, Co-Founder, Director of Made of Millions.
Background on new Made of Millions Board of Advisors
Pamela Lasner is Senior Communications Manager, Engagement, Culture & Communications at Verizon Media. Lasner has been involved with Made of Millions since 2018 from an impromptu meeting with Harvey at a small New York salon in 2018. Since then, Lasner has played a vital role in supporting Made of Millions, including Verizon Media's participation in the 2019 #DearManager campaign, a Made of Millions movement that urged employees to get honest about mental health at work. As part of #DearManager, the foundation released Beautiful Brains, a six-step manual helping companies implement more progressive mental health policies and initiatives.
Simon Fenwick is Executive Vice President, Talent, Equity, & Inclusion at the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's). A thought leader on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), in his role at the 4A's, Fenwick is responsible for setting strategy and leading industry initiatives around DEI. Fenwick has been involved with Made of Millions since 2019. In May 2019, Made of Millions and the 4A's teamed up for Mental Health Awareness Month for the "Dear Manager" campaign. This initiative urged employees everywhere to take a stand for workplace mental health to create a culture of speaking out. In October 2020, as part of World Mental Health Day, Fenwick was part of a Made of Millions hosted line discussion, "Finding Willpower When It Feels Like the World is Falling Apart."
Kay Nikiforova is the Head of Clinical at Violet, a platform benchmarking and showcasing clinician cultural competence. They have been involved with Made of Millions since late 2019 and contributed to the Made Academy curriculum. Kay advises startups and organizations within the mental health and healthtech space, including Halcyon Health, a full care continuum platform for substance use. They are currently pursuing their PhD in Clinical Psychology and developing a program of research focusing on LGBTQ+ and TGNC identities, alternative sexualities and relationships, trauma, and mental health literacy. Kay is passionate about leveraging technology and advocacy to bring mental health and healthcare to the forefront of innovation and creating a more equitable healthcare system.
Dr. Neha Chaudhary, MD is a double board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist on faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Brainstorm, Stanford's Lab for Mental Health Innovation. Her work focuses on the intersection of technology and mental health, with a specific interest in early intervention and resilience in kids and workplace mental health. She is a Medical Advisor for Brightline, a platform for youth behavioral health services, and Pace, a platform for virtual emotional health groups. She also consults with tech companies like Pinterest to codevelop emotional wellbeing tools, and she teaches courses on leadership in mental health innovation.
Dr. Brittany Linton, PhD is a licensed psychologist and clinical director for primary care & mental health integration within the San Francisco VA Medical Center. With integrated health psychology and behavioral medicine expertise, she’s dedicated to providing services that effectively address the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation from medical illness, chronic disease, and the psychosocial concerns that impact health, particularly among marginalized communities. Combined with career experience in a venture-backed startup and the digital mental health space, Dr. Linton works in private consulting, serves on advisory boards, and is invited as a public speaker to help inspire innovative thinking and educate across these multiple domains.
“In 2021, we are expanding the scope of the Made Academy offering including research, communications programs, workshops, and a growing library of video-on-demand resources. Together, this will create a one-stop-shop for companies to quickly bring much-needed support into their workplaces, while also supporting our mission to change how the world perceives mental health,” says Kuznetsova.
About Made of Millions
Made of Millions Foundation is the leading global mental health advocacy nonprofit on a mission to change how the world perceives mental health. By using the power of art, media, and digital technology, Made of Millions' resources and experiences, like Dear Manager, Made Academy, Shame Shouldn’t Be a Symptom, reach over three million sufferers each year.
Made of Millions corporate partners include Verizon Media, Snap Inc., Kellogg, Spotify, Tumblr, Unilever, Carbon Theory, and fellow nonprofit partners include the Mind Together Coalition, Therapart, Amnesty International. Made of Millions has been featured in the media including Vice, Business Week, Fast Company, Ad Age and more.
Founded in 2016, Made of Millions was founded by mental health awareness advocates Anastasia Kuznetsova, Lauren O’Shaughnessy, pure OCD sufferers Aaron Harvey, Rose Cartwright, and advisors and experts from the mental health community. For more information, please visit Made of Millions at http://www.madeofmillions.com, Made Academy at https://www.madeofmillions.com/made-academy, or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Media Contact
John McCartney
Jmac PR for Made of Millions
646.280.8573
john@jmacpr.com
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