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FMHI
Leadership The FMHI board of directors supplies the vision and oversees
the foundations programs and finances. The directors were selected
for their experience in the areas of health, community outreach
or fundraising. Most have direct personal experience with depression.
Ralph Wittenberg, M.D.
Co-founder and Medical Director
Dr. Wittenberg is a recognized authority
on postpartum depression. He is a psychotherapist and a clinical
professor of psychiatry at George Washington School of Medicine.
He served as the chair of the Public Information Committee of the
Washington Psychiatric Society and as a consultant to the Joint
Commission on Public Affairs to the American Psychiatric Association,
of which he is a Distinguished Life Fellow. He is also a fellow
of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and member of the Marce
Society, an international organization dedicated to perinatal depression.
He has organized a number of community education projects, including
a program for the early identification of children at risk in the
Washington, D.C., public schools. Through his work with the FMHF,
he has helped to build a consortium of hospitals, clinics and other
groups concerned about pregnant women’s mental health. This consortium
conducts depression screening in primary care settings, professional
and lay education, case management and provides resources for therapy.
Wittenberg received his B.A. from Wayne State University in 1956
and his medical degree from the university’s school of medicine
in 1960.
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Cheryl Hall
President
Cheryl Hall is devoted to helping women with
postpartum depression because she herself suffered from PPD without
treatment and can see the effects on her grown children. She has
personally participated in the FMHI’s outreach programs and presentation
seminars by telling her family’s story. Hall is vice president and
CFO of Wood Wentworth Ltd. Her past volunteer commitments include
serving as a crisis counselor and board member for the Loudoun [County,
Va.] Abused Women’s Shelter, where she was instrumental in developing
its Women’s Resource Center. She was appointed to the Loudoun County
Supervisor’s Commission on women in 1995. Hall is also a past board
member of the Nassau County [N.Y.] Children's Shelter, founding-member
of the Route 50 Corridor Coalition in Virginia and presently docent
for the Pink Box, the Information Center for the Town of Middleburg,
Va.
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Gillian V Jaeger
Vice President
Ms. Jaeger is an associate at The PMA Group. She has had 27 years of distinguished experience with the Department of Defense and the US Congress. Her previous position was Director of Government Relations at TriWest Healthcare Alliance, one of DoD’s Managed Cared Support Contractors delivering healthcare to over 2.5 million military beneficiaries.
Ms. Jaeger is an associate at The PMA Group. She has had 27 years of distinguished experience with the Department of Defense and the US Congress. Her previous position was Director of Government Relations at TriWest Healthcare Alliance, one of DoD’s Managed Cared Support Contractors delivering healthcare to over 2.5 million military beneficiaries.
Ms. Jaeger earned a Masters Degree in Health Services Administration at The George Washington University, Washington DC, a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Management from Southern Illinois University and a Liberal Arts degree from the University of Maryland. She is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives.
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Suzanna Kang
Secretary
Suzanna Kang has worked as pro bono counsel
to the Family Mental Health Foundation, a predecessor organization
to the FMHI, and later served as a director on the Board of the
FMHF. She brings with her over 15 years experience in government
and law. Suzanna currently practices corporate law, specializing
in mergers, acquisitions and corporate governance areas, at the
law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP. Before practicing
law, she worked as a legislative and policy aide on Capitol Hill
and at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for nearly six
years. Suzanna graduated from the University of Virginia with a
Bachelor’s degree in Government and a law degree from Georgetown
University Law Center.
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Harry A. Jessell
Treasurer
Harry Jessell is a freelance writer and editor
and television industry expert. For more than 25 years, he worked
at Broadcasting & Cable, the leading business magazine for the
TV and radio industries. He was editor in chief from 1997 to 2004.
Jessell has appeared on TV and radio, lectured at universities and
moderated numerous panels at TV industry conferences. In 1999, he
was profiled in (and appeared on the cover of) MIN Magazine
as editor of one of "The Year’s Top 12 Magazines."
Jessell is a volunteer for the Friends of the Blind of Morris County,
N.J. He is a 1976 graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh,
PA.
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James Dee, M.D., DPh,
Director
James Dee is board certified in adult psychiatry
and has been in private practice in the Mount Vernon, Va., area
for 17 years. He is the chairman of the Psychiatric Department at
Mount Vernon Hospital. He is a past president of the Washington
Psychiatric Society. Dee is currently the President of Allied Behavioral
Services. He was listed in the Summer/Fall 1998 Washington Consumer’s
Checkbook as one of the area’s outstanding Physician Specialists
and also listed in Washingtonian magazine’s April 1999 and
November 2002 issues as one of the area’s “Top Doctors.”
Dee received a B.S. in zoology from the University of California
at Los Angeles in 1973, a doctorate in pharmacy (magna cum laude)
from the University of the Pacific in 1976, and a medical degree
from the Universidad Autonoma de CD Juarez in Chihuahua, Mexico,
in 1983. He was a resident in psychiatry at the National Institute
of Mental Health (St. Elizabeth’s Hospital) in Washington,
D.C., from 1984 to 1987.
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Barbara Witten
Director
Barbara Witten is vice president of Hayes
& Associates, an award-winning public relations firm based in Northern
Virginia. Witten has more than 15 years of experience in strategic
planning, non-profit management, organization, fund raising, development
and board and donor relations. As CEO of the National Tuberous Sclerosis
Association, Witten oversaw exponential financial growth; the first
NIH-sponsored consensus conference; the first international conference
for families, physicians and researchers; and the establishment
of a $1 million endowment fund. Witten was instrumental in developing
the honorary and corporate committees for the Hospices of the National
Capital Region’s 25th Anniversary Gala that brought that organization
past its $1.5 million fund raising goal. She has provided structure
and organizational support to the Marshall Legacy Institute, the
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and the University of Southern
Mississippi. Witten is a past member of the board of directors of
the National Health Council and the National Organization for Rare
Disorders.
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Oscar E Padilla
Director
Oscar Padilla has devoted the last 15 years
to business development, general management and marketing of Internet
technology services and products. As Managing Director of Mindshare
Interactive Campaign’s Hispanic cultural marketing arm, Redes (“Networks”),
Oscar directs business development and the day-to-day operations
of Redes.
Oscar comes to Mindshare from IAPPS, an Internet consulting firm
specializing in online solutions for the philanthropic sector. His
efforts helped secure strategic accounts, including the Woodrow
Wilson Presidential Library and Oprah’s Angel Network. Oscar honed
his Internet and marketing skills at Blackboard Inc., managing a
$3.0 million account base in the western United States.
As part of the start-up team at Bixler, Inc. Oscar oversaw new business
development and strategic initiatives leading the company to a 700%
growth over a five-year period. His leadership was instrumental
in leading the development of projects for United Cerebral Palsy,
The Bond Market Foundation, Verizon, the California Medical Association,
DNet.org, International Youth Foundation and the Inter-American
Development Bank. Oscar led consulting engagements at Hitachi Consulting
and was founder of Venci Group, an Internet consultancy firm. Throughout
his career, he has been responsible for the successful strategic
launch of nearly 100 Internet-based projects.
Oscar is a native of Caracas, Venezuela, and a graduate from the
University of Maryland where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration.
Oscar resides in Washington, DC, with his wife Megan and is an avid
mountain biker.
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Susanne Ollmann
Director
Susanne Ollmann is a consultant in international business relations, and a professional photographer specializing in portraits and wedding and event photography. Having experienced up close the impact of PPD on a close family member, she is dedicated to helping other women with PPD get the treatment they need. Ms. Ollmann served as Asst. Vice President, PhRMA, where she worked with the U.S. research-based pharmaceutical industry to implement government affairs strategies to positively impact reimbursement, regulatory, intellectual property policies, and healthcare system reform in Europe.
She communicated industry concerns directly to U.S. and foreign government officials, and succeeded in eliminating policies in numerous markets that had been detrimental to industry and patients. Recipient of the Robert Bosch Foundation fellowship, she conducted research in international trade at the German Ministry of Economics and the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers.
Ms. Ollmann was also awarded fellowships at the European Commission, where she published on EU legislative decision-making, and at the German Parliament, where she researched the political and economic impact of the move of the seat of government to Berlin. At CSIS, she conducted research on foreign policy for Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski. As a Syndicated Analyst with the Corporate Advisory Board, she contributed to a study on reducing turnover in Fortune 500 companies. She holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) from Georgetown University and a BA in English and German from Mount Holyoke College. She is fluent in German, speaks some Japanese, and is an avid traveler and mountain trekker.
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Marilyn Jerome, M.D.
Director
Dr. Jerome has practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Washington, D.C. since 1982. Upon completion of her residency at George Washington University Hospital she joined Foxhall OB/GYN Associates. Dr. Jerome is a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University and has enjoyed teaching medical students, residents and physician assistants throughout her career.
Dr. Jerome was born in Cleveland, Ohio and received her undergraduate degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati and moved to Washington, D.C for her residency training.
For the first seventeen years of her practice, Dr. Jerome managed and delivered thousands of obstetrical patients. Her practice in the last eight years has focused on gynecology, and she is especially interested in the hormonal changes that women experience throughout the various phases of their lives.
Dr Jerome is married and has two sons. She is involved in two organizations as a board member. The Children of God Relief Fund is an organization that funds three programs in Kenya for HIV infected orphans. The Jesuit Refugee Service administers and advocates for refugees around the world. In her free time, Dr. Jerome enjoys travel, gardening and cooking.
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Dr. Barbara J. Hatcher
Director
Dr. Barbara J. Hatcher is Director of the Center for Learning & Global Public Health at the American Public Health Association(APHA) and Secretary General , the World Federation of Public Health Associations ,whose Secretariat is housed at APHA. Dr. Hatcher is a nurse with extensive experience in nursing and public health. Dr. Hatcher has served in key positions in public health and has served on a variety of public and nonprofit boards. She has directed or co-directed several key federal and foundation grants and received more than twenty million dollars to support innovative infant mortality reduction efforts in the District of Columbia.
Dr. Hatcher has published in areas of maternal and child health and nursing and public health workforce. She is Editor -in-Chief of the peer-reviewed Journal of Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority (JOCEPS) and services on the editorial board of MEDICC Review, a peer-reviewed journal published in cooperation with Cuba. Most recently Dr. Hatcher served as the lead author of a commissioned white paper, Wisdom at Work: the Importance of the Older & Experienced Nurses in the Workplace. The results of this study have been widely quoted and discussed. The interview of Dr. Hatcher about the findings of this study was among the top 10 nursing stories for 2006 on WebMD. As a member of an interdisciplinary research group, also recently published the article, Determinants of Inadequate Prenatal Care Utilization by African American Women
Dr. Hatcher received her BS degree from the University of Connecticut, master's of public health from the University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill, and doctoral degree in nursing from George Mason University. Her current interests include global public health with emphasis on global health governance and human resources for health.
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