Plenary Speakers

Dr. Jarell Myers

Dr. Jarell Myers

Invitation to Change - Substance Use

Jarell R.O. Myers, PhD is a clinical psychologist, licensed in both New York and Massachusetts, with training in cognitive-behavioral and dialectical behavioral approaches to treatment. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and completed an APA-accredited internship at Mt. Sinai St. Luke's Hospital on the child and adolescent track. In addition, Dr. Myers completed a two year postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent psychology at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center in White Plains, New York where the focus was on treatment for anxiety. He used that experience at McLean Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he worked with children and adolescents diagnosed with Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders in an intensive outpatient clinic. Dr. Myers has expertise in working with adolescents and young adults with comorbid anxiety and substance use disorders and adopts a harm reduction approach when appropriate.

Dr. Benjamin McNabb

Dr. Benjamin McNabb

The Role of Pharmacy in Integrated Behavioral Health Care

Benjamin "Ben" McNabb, PharmD, is an independent community pharmacist and owner of Love Oak Pharmacy in Eastland, Texas. He is actively involved in pharmacy leadership at both the state and national levels, serving with the Texas Pharmacy Association and the National Community Pharmacists Association. Ben's work focuses on advancing community-based care models that integrate pharmacy with behavioral health, primary care, and community resources. He has a strong interest in improving medication access, adherence, and care coordination through collaborative, team-based approaches, including partnerships with CINs and community health workers. Ben enjoys highlighting the untapped potential of community pharmacy and is passionate about advancing innovative payment models that improve patient outcomes while reducing health care costs.

Lori Cook

Lori Cook

AI & Mental Health

Lori Cook, MPP, is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Innovation at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (Meadows Institute). There, she works to accelerate and amplify innovation in mental health, so all people can get the healthcare they need. Cook has more than 20 years of experience and has dedicated most of her career to the public sector and academic medicine. Before joining the Meadows Institute, she served as Chief of Staff at The University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School (Dell Med). While there, she partnered with leadership to further the strategic, mission-oriented growth of the first medical school to be built at a top tier US research university in 50 years. Before joining Dell Med, Cook spent more than eight years with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. There, she led community health improvement efforts and helped develop programs designed to end chronic homelessness.

Panel: Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, Rep. Shelley Luther, Lee Johnson

Panel: Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, Rep. Shelley Luther, Lee Johnson

State Policy & Funding Facilitated Conversation

Lee Johnson became Chief Executive Officer of Texas Council of Community Centers in 2022, having previously served for 14 years as Deputy Director, advising on legislative strategy, appropriations issues, strategic communications, and policy implementation. Prior to joining the Texas Council, he served as Legislative Director for a State Representative and, in the private sector, managed the Urban and Land Use Planning efforts of a commercial development firm in Austin, Texas, engaging county and city officials across the state. Mr. Johnson holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from Texas State University.

Nino Fincher

Nino Fincher

Aligning Mind and Purpose for Lasting Wellness

Nino is a Purpose clarity coach and Rapid Therapy expert on PTS. She splits her time between USA and UAE, speaking and leading workshops and company retreats on Purpose alignment and Leveraging the power of the mind for top performance.

Seminar Speakers

Panel: Cara Lavender, Jenni Knutson, Lori Jo Casto, Dr. Leslie Carlos

Panel: Cara Lavender, Jenni Knutson, Lori Jo Casto, Dr. Leslie Carlos

Mental Health & Aging Population

Cara Lavender is a UT Austin School of Social Work alumni and has been an LMSW for over 10 years. Mostly focusing her career in geriatric medical social work and community advocacy, she is passionate about identifying unmet needs of the aging population and bringing those to light. Cara has held certification as a TX Guardian since 2018. She is the current Director of Aging Services Department at Texoma Council of Governments.

Jenni Knutson is the Founder and Executive Director of Olive Branch Seniors, where she acts as an Aging Care Strategist. She is a Certified Dementia Specialist with the NCCDP and holds a certification from John's Hopkins as a Dementia Care Specialist. She has many years of experience as an Executive Director leading Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities. Jenni is on the board of the Dallas and Northeast Texas Alzheimer's Association, where she is also a community educator and a public policy advocate.

Lori Jo Casto is a certified forensic nurse RN with over 15 years of experience related to Alzheimer's and Dementia. She has many years of experience as the director of assisted livings with memory care as a specialty. Lori's passion is finding sensible solutions to difficult behaviors related to Alzheimers disease.

Dr. Leslie Carlos is a nurse leader in behavioral health and clinical operations. Currently serving as Director of the Geriatric Behavioral Health Unit at Titus Regional Medical Center with Horizon Behavioral Health. Dr. Carlos has also served as Interim Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Assessment and Referrals at Perimeter Behavioral Hospital, and as National Nurse Educator for Eating Recovery Center. Dr. Carlos earned her Doctor of Healthcare Administration from Walden University, with her dissertation focused on nurse productivity and quality outcomes in behavioral health. She also holds a Master of Healthcare Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Ms. Dallas McCance

Ms. Dallas McCance

Invitation to Change - Deep Dive

Dallas McCance is the Director of Programs for the Center for Health Sciences and Adjunct Faculty at Oklahoma State University. For more than two decades she has worked in the public health and prevention sector. Her work has a special focus on improving the lives of those in rural communities and populations disproportionately affected by health disparities and addictions including veterans, justice involved individuals, and women of childbearing age. She frequently gives invited lectures on such subjects as Improving Outcomes for Rural Communities and Beyond Incarceration: Improving Outcomes for Families affected by Substance Use Disorders. Dallas completed her graduate work at the University of Oklahoma with a Master of Prevention Science and has undergraduate degrees from Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. Ms. McCance and her husband, Darren, are the proud parents of five grown children and grandparents of one adorable grandson.