WV ESMH Steering Team
One of the fundamental roles of a team is to set direction through a clearly defined mission and vision. The diverse state-level WV ESMH Steering Team provides guidance in best practices for planning and implementing the Expanded School Mental Health framework throughout West Virginia.
The steering team also contributes to state-level policy integration of ESMH to remove barriers and support the implementation of the framework with fidelity.
Our Mission
To empower schools and their partners to create positive cultures through integrated frameworks that nurture all students’ social-emotional wellbeing and academic success.
Our Shared Vision
All students in WV will benefit from a school environment that supports social-emotional wellbeing to achieve their full potential.
The state ESMH Steering Team is currently comprised of 30 members representing over 20 entities statewide.
Since 2007, the ESMH Steering Team has developed a comprehensive Expanded School Mental Health Model and website, providing best practice resources to support schools and community providers in effectively integrating a system of mental health supports in schools.
In 2006, as the needs for mental health services in schools became apparent, a small group of professionals from the WV Department of Education, the WV DHHR Bureau for Behavioral Health, and the Marshall University School of Medicine discussed working together to provide a system of mental health supports for students in WV schools. In 2007, a state Expanded School Mental Health Steering Team was formed between the WV Department of Education, The WV DHHR Bureau for Behavioral Health, Marshall University School of Medicine, and a couple of mental health agencies. The work of the Steering Team was formally approved and made official by a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that was signed by the WVDE Superintendent and the WVDHHR Commissioner in 2007, showing a shared commitment to improving school mental health services for our students.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, GOALS and STRATEGIES
To carry out the mission, four Strategic Priorities were agreed upon to frame future directions of the initiative:
- Outreach and Communications
- Capacity Building and Fidelity to the Multi-Tiered Model
- Expansion and Sustainability
- Strong Infrastructure
WVESMH Steering Team
Stephanie Hayes, Co-Chair
Coordinator of School Counseling
Federal Programs and Support,
Student Support and Well-Being
West Virginia Department of Education
Tahnee Bryant, Co-Chair
Program Manager II, Children’s Behavioral Health
WV Bureau for Behavioral Health
Tiffany Pittman, Facilitator
School Mental Health Coordinator
School Health Technical Assistance Center
Division of Community Health
Marshall University School of Medicine
Jessica Ball
Service Array Coordinator
WV Bureau for Children and Families
WV Department of Health and Human Resources
Kenneth Birchfield
Wyoming County Clinic Administrator
Southern Highlands CMHC
Sarah Brown
Director
Violence & Injury Prevention Program
Office of Maternal Child Family Health
West Virginia Bureau for Public Health
Deana Cummings
Regional Family Advocate
Family Advocacy, Support & Training
Legal Aid of WV
Andrea Darr
Director
WV Center for Children’s Justice,
WV State Police, Crimes Against Children Unit
Barri Faucett
Director
Adolescent Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention/Prevent Suicide WV
Prestera Center
John Kennedy
School-Based/Behavioral Health Coordinator
WV Primary Care Association
Eric Limegrover
Director, Psychological Services
Westbrook Health Services, Inc.
Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center
Teresa Marks
Director
Division of Infant, Child and Adolescent Health
Office of Maternal Child Family Health
West Virginia Bureau for Public Health
Nikki Tennis
Office Director
Office of Children , Youth, and Families
WV Bureau for Behavioral Health
Kelly Mordecki
Coordinator, School Mental Health
Federal Programs and Support,
Student Support and Well-Being
West Virginia Department of Education
Jo Anne McNemar
Partnerships for Success Program Director
Office of Children, Youth and Families
WV Bureau for Behavioral Health
Donna Pauley-Wilson
Director of Nursing & Clinical Services
Children with Special Health Care Needs Program
Office of Maternal Child Family Health
West Virginia Bureau for Public Health
Garrett Keefer
HHR Specialist
Office of Children, Youth and Families WV Bureau for Behavioral Health
Allison Lambert
Program Manager I
Children’s Behavioral Health
WV Bureau for Behavioral Health