Antonia Hylton is a Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, and the New York Times bestselling author of MADNESS. She is also the cohost of the hit podcasts Southlake and Grapevine.

From 2016 to 2020, Antonia was a Correspondent and Producer for Vice Media and HBO’s nightly news and documentary show, Vice News Tonight. Since 2019, she has also served as an annual judge for the American Mosaic Journalism Prize.

Antonia’s won several awards, including Emmys for education and immigration reporting, two Gracie Awards for her stories about women, a NAMIC Vision Award for reporting on violence and politics in Chicago, and two Front Page Awards for special reporting and breaking news. 

Antonia graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 2015, where she received prizes for her writing and investigative research on race, mass incarceration, and the history of psychiatry.

For more information, please see https://www.antoniahylton.com

Courtney Bergan is an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Disability Rights Maryland working on a project to combat the unjust segregation of people with psychiatric disabilities using legal advocacy, outreach, and state legislative advocacy to promote access to person-centered, culturally responsive community-based support. Motivated by their lived experience with psychosocial disability and institutionalization, Courtney is passionate about guaranteeing autonomy for people with psychosocial disabilities and promoting access to choice-based resources.

Courtney’s work is largely influenced by the peer and disability justice movements and their recent article, The Right to Choose and Refuse Mental Health Treatment: A Human Rights Based Approach to Ending Compulsory Psychiatric Intervention, was published in the Journal of Health Care Law and Policy in January 2024. Courtney earned a B.S. in Neuroscience from Simmons College in Boston, MA, holds a J.D. from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and is licensed to practice law in Maryland.

Stacey Ferrare is the Special Grants Program Manager with the Western Maryland Consortium.  She has served in workforce development for over five years, where she had the pleasure to work with individuals from various demographics and assist them in overcoming a multitude of barriers to employment or education. In her time at the consortium, her primary focus has been serving those who have been impacted by the substance use and opioid epidemic currently ravaging our community.

Stacey is proud to serve as the Project Manager on the Support to Communities grant for Western Maryland and, to ensure further success for the community and impacted individuals, have begun pursuing an additional project called Recovery Friendly Workplace. The purpose of Recovery Friendly Workplace is to focus on the relationship between employer engagement and connectivity to those in the recovery continuum. As someone myself who is in long-term recovery, she is incredibly passionate about the work she does and the wonders that can be done by and for the community. Stacey is fortunate to work and serve as a professional, a wife, a daughter, and proud mother of two young adults and puppy, and overall grateful person who enjoys all life has to offer. 

Laurie Galloway has been the Executive Director of On Our Own of Carroll County, Inc. since 2005, providing support in the form of support groups, educational workshops, and activities focused on the reduction of isolation and stigma associated with wellness and recovery for nearly 12,000 people this year. In addition to coordinating with her Board of Directors and incredible staff to better realize, develop, and implement  the mission of recovery, empowerment, and behavioral health awareness, she also co-facilitates WRAP (Wellness, Recovery, Action, Plan) and worked previously as a Rehabilitation Counselor. 

Laurie is a trauma-survivor who maintains that losing her child, Brittany, was the hardest, most heart-breaking part of her life. In order to survive that loss, Laurie embodied Brittany’s strengths and passion for supporting others, and incorporated that into her work. More than anything, Laurie wants to bring hope to those who have lost it and those who don’t believe in themselves. With Brittany’s guidance, she works daily to support recovery, helping folks get to where they feel they need to be. 

Laurie is mother to 4 wonderful children and grandmother of 9.

Vanessa Holloway-Truxon is a dedicated advocate and community leader, currently serving as the Parent Engagement Coordinator and The Keeper of the Garden at Minary's Dream Alliance. With a lifetime of experience in community empowerment and addressing disparities, Vanessa brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her role.

Born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in rural Queen Anne County, Vanessa's upbringing instilled in her a deep sense of responsibility towards her community. From an early age, she witnessed the challenges faced by families in accessing affordable housing, quality education, and adequate healthcare. Determined to make a difference, Vanessa dedicated herself to serving others and creating positive change.

Specializing in family dynamics, Vanessa understands the importance of addressing not only individual needs but also the needs of the entire family unit. Drawing from her cross-generational childhood and inclusive upbringing, she approaches her work with empathy, compassion, and a deep commitment to fostering supportive and productive family environments.

In her role as Parent Engagement Coordinator, Vanessa works tirelessly to empower families and strengthen community bonds. She collaborates with parents, caregivers, and community stakeholders to address issues ranging from housing insecurity to educational inequities. Vanessa is a firm believer in the power of green spaces to promote health and well-being, and she integrates nature-based initiatives into her work to create inclusive and accessible environments for all.

With her unwavering dedication and tireless advocacy, Vanessa Holloway-Truxon is a driving force behind positive change in her community. She is committed to building a more equitable and thriving future for all, one family and one garden at a time.

As the Director of Network & Peer Empowerment, Michelle Livshin (she/her) organizes, supports, and advocates to expand and build capacity of recovery-oriented and peer-driven behavioral health community supports and services in Maryland. She provides and coordinates quality technical assistance, training, and mentorship to the On Our Own of Maryland affiliate network of peer-operated Wellness & Recovery Organizations throughout the state. In her role, she also oversees the Transitional Age Youth Outreach Project and serves as the legislative and policy lead for the organization.

In 2019, Michelle received her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Policy from George Washington University. Previously, she interned with the DC Mayor’s Office of Health & Human Services’ Age-Friendly DC initiative where she drafted recommendations to improve awareness and access to behavioral health supports for older DC residents. Michelle is a person with lived mental health experience and is deeply passionate about facilitating the creation of a behavioral health system that is both informed and led by peers. She is a karaoke lover who also enjoys playing her guitar, thrifting, and watching 90s thrillers.

Alyssa Lord is the Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). She brings more than 20 years of experience in community and population health. Ms. Lord has focused her efforts on working collaboratively across local, city, state, and federal entities to improve the health outcomes across the lifespan.

Prior to joining MDH, Ms. Lord served in a number of leadership positions that combined direct service, advocacy, policy, and strategy in New York and New Jersey. Most recently she was Vice President, Healthcare Strategy at a large ($120 million+) housing, healthcare, and workforce development nonprofit where she was responsible for setting the vision for healthcare, behavioral health, and substance use services for homeless and unstably housed New Yorkers. In previous positions she led the implementation of care coordination services for clinically, behaviorally and socially complex Medicaid, dually enrolled, and special needs plans beneficiaries. She was also responsible for establishing a university-community partnership in West Philadelphia that led to the implementation of a school-based health center/federally qualified health center and the development of an innovative health careers curriculum for middle and high school students.

Ms. Lord earned Master's degrees from New York University and the London School of Economics.

Katie Rouse (she/her) is proud every day to serve as Executive Director at On Our Own of Maryland. In this role, she provides leadership and management of the entire organization under the direction of the Board of Directors.

Katie’s previous roles in the behavioral health sector include launching the peer-and-family-led Consumer Quality Team at the Mental Health Association of Maryland, and as Operations Director of Main Street Housing, a peer-run affordable housing development organization. She identifies as a person with lived experience in behavioral health and recovery, and participates in a variety of committees, councils, and coalitions in Maryland's behavioral health community. With over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, Katie’s passion is guiding dedicated teams through right-sized strategies to achieve ambitious goals and high-impact results. When not working, you can find her puttering in a garden, stretching in yoga class, enjoying Baltimore’s theater scene, or relaxing at home with her spouse, their cat, pizza, and a good sci-fi show.

Wilmore “Bunky” Sterling is the Director of Lower Shore Friends, Inc. in Salisbury, which serves the three counties of the lower shore: Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset Counties. Bunky is one of the founders and the original Director of Lower Shore Friends since 1995. Bunky is a strong supporter of consumers learning about empowerment and becoming independent and believes in recovery wholeheartedly. Bunky has served on many boards and committees over the years, including On Our Own of Maryland, the Anti-Stigma Project, Cultural Competency committees and many others. He has received multiple awards for his work in mental health, spoken on TV and at legislative events in Annapolis, and has been profiled in local magazines and billboards. Specifically, Bunky was honored with the 2017 Outstanding Public Health Leader for Wicomico County as well as leading Lower Shore Friends to receive an “On the Path” award at the 2016 Annual Maryland Workplace Health and Wellness Symposium due to his steps to promote continued wellness. 

Throughout his advocacy, and exemplary leadership, Bunky enjoys the opportunity to be part of the process that helps to bring about change and feels that the consumer movement is powerful and very much needed.

Collie Turner is the Founder  and Executive Director of the Veteran Service Organization Heroic Gardens located in the Philadelphia region. Since 2018, the nonprofit has assisted US Veterans, and their families as they learn to experience the healing power of plants and nature. 

A daughter and granddaughter of Veterans and organic gardeners, Collie has always had a deep-rooted connection to her local Veteran community and to the plant world but didn’t really know how to combine her passions. Forming this organization has helped bring attention to the important role plants play in our mental and physical health.

Heroic Gardens was named the 2021 Outstanding Programming Recipient from the Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network. And in 2022, Heroic Gardens received a Commendation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their Mission: Windowsill program; just one of the top 5 programs in the country recognized in partnership with the VA.

In 2023, the organization assisted over 700 Veterans, had over 280 volunteers and led over 80 classes helping Veterans connect with plants as an alternative healing therapy.