Awards

2026 Conference Award Winners

Lifetime Achievement Award

Presented to a person in the behavioral health field who has dedicated a significant portion of their personal and/or professional life to the transformation of behavioral health services.

Kate Farinholt

Kathryn (Kate) Farinholt, JD is a renowned and passionate advocate on issues affecting people with mental illness and their families. Over more than three decades of service, she continuously developed ways to engage and empower peer and family stakeholders in systems improvement, and innovated new programs and resources to fill gaps and meet emerging needs.

Kate served as the Executive Director of NAMI Metro Baltimore (1999-2011) and as Executive Director of NAMI Maryland (2011 - 2025). She has been a national trainer for several NAMI programs and the NAMI Leadership Institute, and developed the now-signature “In Our Own Voice” presentation series. Additionally, she authored the resource guide Beyond Punishment: Helping Individuals with Mental Illness Navigate Maryland’s Criminal Justice System.

She has been recognized with multiple awards from national NAMI, including Executive Director Peer Excellence Award and Family Support Group Leadership Award, and was recognized by the Mental Health Association of Maryland as their 2026 Distinguished Service Award recipient.

Visionary Award

Presented to a person who has contributed in a significant way to reducing the stigma associated with behavioral health conditions, to making the system more competent and respectful, and to helping us understand our own stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors.

Alison Malmon

Alison Malmon is the founder and Executive Director of Active Minds, Inc. During her freshman year of college, her big brother Brian died by suicide after a long and silent struggle with schizoaffective disorder. Alison turned tragedy into action, starting a group on campus at the University of Pennsylvania to give students like herself the platform and tools to change the conversation about mental health. Over 15 years, she cultivated that small student group into an internationally recognized nonprofit organization with more than 400 campus chapters, a dozen widely acclaimed national awareness and advocacy programs, and a network of more than 15,000 students, staff, and community volunteers. She has been recognized by the Association of University Women as a Woman of Distinction; has been named one of the “Top 15 Global Emerging Social Innovators” by Ashoka and American Express; and been named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine. She has received the Destigmatization Award from the National Council of Behavioral Healthcare; Tipper Gore Remember the Children Award from Mental Health America; and more. Alison has been profiled as a “Person You Should Know” on CNN, and in stories in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed, and Glamour Magazine. In addition to her work at Active Minds, Alison serves on advisory boards for the Crisis Text Line, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Elijah’s Journey: The Jewish Response to Suicide, and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three daughters.

Award of Special Recognition

Presented to a person in the behavioral health field who has realized significant innovation, leadership, contribution, or achievement.

Christina Hawkins

Christina Hawkins is the Statewide Peer Support Manager and a person in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder. Her journey into this work began while she was incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women, where she participated in the first CCAR cohort offered behind the walls. That experience helped launch her career as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist.

While incarcerated, Christina was separated from her daughter, Jillian. That experience gave her a deep understanding of what so many mothers go through while navigating incarceration and missing their children. She also saw how important it is for people to have access to behavioral health services, whether as an alternative to incarceration or as support after release. Those experiences continue to shape the way she shows up in her work today.

After her release, Christina joined the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in November 2021. What started as a program with one peer has grown under her leadership into a team of 26 across the state, supporting Parental Defense, Adult Criminal Justice, and Juvenile Defender divisions.

Christina is passionate about recovery and the well-being of peer specialists. She is dedicated to supporting people as they navigate systems she once experienced herself, and she brings empathy, honesty, and hope to everything she does.

Distinguished Service Award

Presented to a person who has demonstrated exemplary commitment and service to Maryland’s public behavioral health system.

Robert (Bob) Buchanan, MD

Robert W. Buchanan, M.D. is a retired Professor of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine. His major research interests included the 1) neuroanatomical and behavioral investigation of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia; and 2) the development of novel treatment approaches for people with schizophrenia. Dr. Buchanan has conducted multiple studies examining the clinical correlates of negative symptoms and social function, including the neuroanatomical, neuropsychological and electrophysiological correlates of these illness components. He has conducted a series of proof of concept and clinical trials examining antipsychotic reduction strategies in the acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia; the use of adjunctive pharmacological agents for the treatment of negative symptoms, cognitive impairments, and treatment-resistant positive symptoms; and the efficacy of clozapine for positive and negative symptoms and cognitive impairments in partially-responsive outpatients with schizophrenia. He has played a major role in several federally funded initiatives, including the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) project, in which he developed guidelines for the conduct of clinical trials of cognitive enhancing drugs. He had primary responsibility for the development and update of the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) psychopharmacological treatment recommendations. He was an investigator with the Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode-Implementation and Evaluation Study (RAISE-IES), for which he had primary responsibility for the development of the pharmacological treatment component of the intervention, and for the training and supervision of the study psychiatrists. Finally, he served as the Director of the Maryland Early Intervention Program for almost 13 years. He had overall responsibility for the design and implementation of the various program components, which were designed to enhance the treatment of adolescents and young adults, who are at increased risk for developing psychosis or in the early stages of a psychotic disorder.

Michele Dear Advocacy Award

Presented to a person with lived experience in recognition of their advocacy for accessible, equitable, trauma-informed, and peer-driven behavioral health services. Michele Dear was one of the original Steering Committee Members of On Our Own of Maryland and a champion for the rights of people with psychiatric disabilities.

Angel Traynor

Suffering from multiple drug addictions, domestic violence, homelessness, incarceration, incomprehensible demoralization for over 30 years of active addiction Angel was at the end of a long tiring road of self-destruction and came to a turning point in her life. That was September 2007. Today, almost 19 years later, she has dedicated her life to helping others.

In March of 2012 Angel opened her first recovery home for women. Serenity Sistas is a 501(c)(3) organization designed to help an underserved population in Annapolis MD. Currently Serenity Sista’s have six homes, two single women’s homes, a home for mothers with children, and a men’s home, and our newest additions, the first of its kind in Maryland; recovery homes for fathers and children. Serenity Sista’s mission is to help the newly recovering person to grow and become productive members of society once again. As an RCO (Recovery Community Organization) Serenity Sistas was awarded a grant to open and operate a Recovery Community Center in the City of Annapolis.

While avidly pursuing a formal education Angel became a Recovery Coach Professional Facilitator (RCPF)and a Prevention Specialist in the State of Maryland. A certified RCP Facilitator, Miss Traynor is eager and passionate to teach others how to become a Recovery Coach.

Angel has become an advocate in the community for not only recovery efforts, but also is a strong advocate for substance use prevention for Annapolis youth. She currently sits as the coordinator of “Recovery Anne Arundel ROSC” and sits on the countywide OIT (Opioid Intervention Team) and was recently asked to become a member of the Annapolis Police Foundation Board. All of these positions she holds in the highest regard. Ms. Traynor believes that through positive leadership and mentoring, individuals can become the person they envision themselves to be.

Lou Ann Townsend Courage Award

Presented to a person who inspires others with their bravery, their efforts to reduce stigma, and their dedication to helping others. Lou Ann Townsend was one of the early members of the Anti-Stigma Project and was a determined and passionate advocate.

Darlene Smith, CAC-AD

Darlene Smith is a Baltimore-born healer, survivor, and community pillar whose life embodies transformation at its highest level. A devoted wife and mother, she brings 64 years of lived wisdom into every space she enters.

With over three decades of sobriety, Darlene stands as a testament to resilience, having overcome addiction and emerged with a deep calling to guide others. As a Substance Abuse Counselor and certified Reiki Practitioner, she bridges clinical recovery with holistic healing—meeting people not just where they are, but where they’re capable of becoming.

A cancer survivor and the youngest of seven siblings, her journey is layered with both hardship and triumph. Her life story—once marked by struggle—has since been captured in an Emmy Award-winning documentary, amplifying her voice as a beacon of hope and redemption.

Beyond her professional work, Darlene is an entrepreneur in the wellness space, crafting and selling holistic healing juices designed to nourish both body and spirit. Her influence extends deeply into the community, where she actively serves, uplifts, and connects across diverse faiths and traditions.

Every obstacle she has faced has become a stepping stone, not a setback. Through pain, she discovered purpose. Through adversity, she cultivated strength. And through it all, she has remained committed to giving back—empowering others to reclaim their identity, their healing, and their future.

Gus Retalis Exemplary Service Award

Presented to a staff person, board member, or volunteer in the OOOMD affiliated peer-run WRO network in recognition of their service, dedication and commitment to the mission, goals and principles of their organization and to the peer movement. Augustus “Gus” Retalis was OOOMD’s Fiscal Manager for many years, and he exemplified service as a dedicated and thoughtful employee and advocate.

Neil Donnelly

Neil Donnelly is a peer, servant leader, and community builder whose life and work reflect resilience, humility, and a deep commitment to recovery, wellness, and hope. As Executive Director of On Our Own of Frederick County, Neil has helped guide one of Maryland’s peer-led wellness and recovery centers through a period of transformational growth, expanded reach, and stronger impact for peers and families across the community.

Neil began his career in the private sector, where he built a successful 35-year career in engineering, operations, and executive leadership. In 2014, he redirected those leadership skills into human services work in Frederick County, serving in multiple roles with the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs, including Director of the Emergency Family Shelter.

In 2023, Neil joined the Board of Directors of On Our Own as a peer with lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges. Soon after, he stepped into executive leadership, first as Interim Executive Director and then as Executive Director. He brought both operational expertise and the heart of someone who understands recovery from the inside out.

Under Neil’s leadership, alongside a dedicated team and strengthened board, On Our Own has expanded programs, increased sober social opportunities, improved infrastructure, and deepened community partnerships. His team has also consistently connected peers to higher levels of care, averaging more than one peer each week entering inpatient treatment through those connections.

Neil has helped strengthen financial sustainability, improve wages for Certified Peer Recovery Specialists, modernize systems, expand bilingual outreach, and build partnerships that meet real community needs, including mobile laundry services for unhoused individuals.

Neil leads with compassion, humility, and the wisdom of lived experience, always lifting up the team around him. Through his service, more people are finding connection, dignity, treatment, and hope—and discovering that healing truly happens in community.

Phoenix Award

Recognizes an affiliated Wellness & Recovery Organization which met challenging circumstances by significantly strengthening their creativity, capacity, and impact.

Pathfinders Peer Support, Brian Korzec, Manager

Brian Korzec has dedicated much of his life to helping people find hope, connection, and recovery. Since 1988, he has worked in peer support and mental health recovery, beginning with his involvement in person-centered approaches and peer-run communities that showed him firsthand how healing can happen through mutual respect, listening, and shared experience.

Today, Brian serves as Manager of the Pathfinders Peer Support Program at Prologue, Inc., where he helps lead peer-led wellness and recovery community centers that support people living with mental health and substance use issues. He also brings years of experience in behavioral health, training, and organizational development to his work, along with a deep belief that recovery is strengthened by choice, courage, and community.

Brian’s own recovery journey has shaped the way he shows up for others. He believes in the power of mindfulness, compassion, and peer connection, and he continues to learn from the people and communities he serves. Through his work, he hopes to create spaces where people feel seen, supported, and encouraged to keep moving forward.

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