Kate Gaston
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As Vice President for Affiliate Services at the National Mental Health Association, Ms. Gaston coordinates affiliate membership strategy and development both within the national office and throughout the affiliate field. Concurrently, along with the other NMHA departments, Ms. Gaston and her department support the health and wellbeing of the 340 existing affiliates, and provide development opportunities for new affiliate markets.
Prior to coming to the NMHA in 2006, Ms. Gaston’s roles in the mental health field included experiences as executive directors for multiple mental health associations, private consultant on juvenile justice and human services systems, grant consultant for university research teams, regional manager for a home-based services corporation, regional planner for a children and youth commission, assistant director for an offender aid program, senior staff for emergency services, and coordinator for Virginia’s comprehensive services act for children, youth and families. During her tenure in the field she was instrumental in creating new systems of care, expanded partnerships, and greater inclusion of individuals in the development of critical crisis responses. As an ASIST specialist, her focus on suicide prevention led to the creation of support groups, community advocacy organizations, and creative outlets in poetry and art. While conducting research on juvenile justice systems, she created new models of mapping community resources, and successfully developed community conversations around difficult topics. Her work has included a variety of applications of logic and program development models, as well as outcome evaluations of non-statistical fields. Her professional history and personal experiences with friends, family and peers as consumers drive her passion to make a difference in the lives of others, to create opportunities for inclusion and leadership.
She can be reached at kgaston@mentalhealthamerica.net or (703) 838-7536.
Page last updated: 04/27/2007