The Institute Team

Executive Director, Danya Institute & Project Director, Central East ATTC & Central East MHTTC

Duties:

Oscar has the overall responsibility for the management, growth, and development of the Institute, guiding all administrative, fiscal, training, and programmatic activities, and have primary responsibilities for supervision of the Institute's personnel. He also serves as the Project Director for the Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) and is responsible for the programmatic and administrative coordination of all training and technical assistance (T/TA) for the MHTTC. He is the spokesperson and liaison to federal, regional, state and local entities, academic institutions, and mental health agencies, etc. Oscar also recommends and develops other training/workforce initiatives.

Co-Project Director, Central East ATTC

Andrew is a learning and development leader with ten years of experience in the mental health and substance abuse field. Before coming to the Danya Institute, Andrew worked for the State of Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), serving as the Deputy Hospital Director for the Delaware Psychiatric Center. He also served as an organizational development consultant, where he oversaw strategic planning efforts and change management. Andrew provided leadership as a Workforce Development and Education Administrator, providing evidence-based, continuing education opportunities for a wide range of mental health and substance abuse professionals. When Andrew’s not working, you’ll find him cycling, cheering for any/all Philadelphia sports teams (Go Birds!), traveling, or spending time with family and friends.

Duties:

Andrew is the Co-Project Director for the Central East Addictions Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) and is responsible for the programmatic and administrative coordination of all training and technical assistance for the Central East ATTC Region. He is the spokesperson and liaison to federal, regional, state, and local entities, academic institutions, mental health agencies, etc. Andrew also supports the development of other training and workforce initiatives.

Project Director, Central East PTTC

Duties:

Deborah Nixon-Hughes, LCSW-C, is the Project Director for the Central East Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC). She is responsible to use proven technology transfer strategies and practices to promote the adoption and implementation of evidence-based prevention and early intervention approaches. Debbie will be the spokesperson and liaison to federal, regional, state and local entities; academic institutions; and prevention, treatment, and/or recovery agencies. Deborah is responsible to identify prevention needs through engaging and collaborating with primary care providers; individuals experiencing behavioral health challenges and their families; and other community stakeholders/systems. As a result, she recommends and coordinates workforce trainings and technical assistance initiatives that can address the needs identifies, and thus reduce the effect of mental and substance use disorders on the health of individuals, their families, and their communities.

Director of Operations

Tamara Moreland has worked for the Danya Institute for more than 20 years. She oversees human resources, finance, communication, and grant management for the cooperative agreements. Her responsibilities also include technical assistance to staff and participants on virtual platforms as well as providing assistance to key staff on budgeting.

Duties:

Tamara provides day-to-day oversight of current grants/contracts and assists the Executive Director in ensuring all project deliverables and reports are completed on time. She is responsible for human resource management and works with the accountant to process accounts payable for the Institute. She supports senior staff to ensure development and production of required projects and is responsible for handling the coordination, logistics, development of registration, conference brochures, and educational materials for all meetings, trainings, and conferences. She oversees the marketing system to support the internal and external marketing of the Institute’s products and services using various social media techniques and works with senior staff on completing closeout on all administrative, operational and fiscal aspects on all contracts.

ORN Regional Coordinator for HHS Region 3, and Senior Communications, Central East ATTC & The Danya Institute

Debbie is a senior communications specialist with leadership experience in healthcare and education. She has more than 25 years’ experience providing communications expertise in an effort to reduce health disparities nationwide in such conditions as behavioral health and addictions, HIV, hepatitis, STDs, and TB. Her experience includes outreach, marketing, writing, editing, and proofreading all forms of communications, including social media posts and web content. Her career has spanned international lines and she maintains demonstrated expertise implementing knowledge management, developing partnerships, teaching, and training. When not working, she enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her family, which now includes five beautiful grandchildren.

Duties:

Debbie is the Regional Coordinator for the Opioid Response Network (ORN) in HHS Region 3, where she provides supervision and management for the ORN project. She is also responsible for all aspects of communications for The Danya Institute and the Central East ATTC including, but not limited to, the bi-monthly e-Newsletter, bi-weekly training bulletin, social media, updating and posting content on both websites, and writing and designing collateral materials and guidelines.

Sr Technical Assistance Coordinator, MHTTC

Michael Thompson brings a multi-faceted background with 20 years of experience in information dissemination, technical assistance, data analysis and reporting, marketing, and inventory management services. Over this period, he has supported the planning and organization of strategic activities and initiatives focused on prevention, treatment, health equity, and crime victim assistance. He has done work on behalf of SAMHSA, the Department of Justice, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Duties:

Michael will work closely with the Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Project Manager to plan, coordinate, design, and deliver T/TA in support of strengthening the skills and knowledge of the behavioral health and primary care workforce that provides prevention, treatment and recovery support service to individuals who have or are at risk of developing a serious emotional disturbance, a serious mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorder.

Training and Technical Assistance Manager, PTTC

Princess graduated with a dual degree in Psychology and Health Administration and Policy Program with a concentration in Public Health from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a results-oriented public health professional passionate about community health education. Specifically, she serves underprivileged communities to address health disparities in high-risk groups. She has worked extensively at both the community and state levels developing strategic prevention/behavioral healthcare plans. Princess is proficient in qualitative research and analysis, program/project management, and public health issues. Currently advancing her degree as an MPH candidate with a concentration in Epidemiology. She hopes to advance community-level monitoring and evidence-based interventions and training to improve health outcomes produced by Substance used disorder and other communicable diseases.

Duties:

Under the direction of the Project Director of the Central East Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC), the Training and Technical Assistance Manager (TAM) serves as the point of contact for all training/technical assistance (T/TA) activities for the PTTC. The TAM will work closely with directors to lead large-scale and specialized consultation, training, and coaching efforts on substance abuse prevention interventions and other topics relevant to substance use disorders (SUDs). Responsibilities include implementing quality assurance processes to ensure the provision of training and technical assistance and contract deliverables; identify key trainings to implement, design the most complex curricula, evaluate, and develop tools to better assess training and other workforce development activities; and assisting with wide-ranging project activities including, research, manage data collection, and virtual hosting.

Sr Associate, School for School-based Health and Behavioral Health Equities at the Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center

Dave Brown is the Executive Director of Echo Resource Development, INC a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Baltimore City whose mission is to empower communities and the organizations that serve them with the knowledge and resources necessary to build safe, healthy and successful communities. Echo’s work is primarily focused on developing the inherent strengths within communities related to mental health and education.

Duties:

In addition to his work with Echo Mr. Brown is the Sr Associate, School for School-based Health and Behavioral Health Equities at the Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (CEMHTTC ) funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and managed by the Danya Institute, supports resource development and dissemination, training and technical assistance (TA) to the behavioral health and primary care workforce in HHS Region 3, which includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia that provides prevention, treatment and recovery support services to individuals who have and/or are at risk of developing a serious mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorder.

Technology Transfer Specialist (TTS), Opioid Response Network (ORN) Region 3

Adrian's experience includes working for more than a decade in behavioral health, particularly in areas related to helping individuals with disabilities to understand the impact of employment on their state and federal benefits so that they can achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Duties:

Adrian is a Technology Transfer Specialist (TTS) for the Opioid Response Network (ORN) in SAMHSA Region 3, where she provides coordination on ORN technical assistance requests to develop strategies and programming to address the opioid crisis.

Central East ATTC Project Coordinator

She spent the summer of 2021 partnering with the University of Miami's Minority Health Research Training (MHRT) program, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to research health disparities in the Dominican Republic. Her interests are public health research focusing on economic stability and public health among underserved populations.

Duties:

De'Asia Harris is currently the Project Coordinator for the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) and a research assistant for the Central East Region Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC). She earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and a Master of Public Health, Public Health Practice and Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park December.

Technology Transfer Specialist, ORN

David has dedicated nearly a decade of his professional career to the field of Substance Use and Mental Health. Before coming to Danya, David focused primarily on facilitating training, project management, and fostering collaborations with various agencies within the State of Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services.

Duties:

David is a Technology Transfer Specialist (TTS) for the Opioid Response Network (ORN) in SAMHSA Region 3, where he provides coordination on ORN technical assistance requests to develop strategies and programming to address the opioid crisis.

Charmaine Smith, Administrative Assistant

Charmaine worked two years as an office assistant and 18 years in the stress-filled world of tax preparation, after which time she decided she needed a career change to something less stressful, so she decided to join the Danya team. Boy did she miss the mark – Ha! Charmaine graduated from Strayer University in 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting. Hobbies are watching the HGTV and Hallmark channels and exercising.

Duties:

Hernitte Altido

Hernitte Altidor is a current student at Howard University. She is in her 2nd year of the MSW/MPH dual degree program. Her goal is to bring change and educate communities and others with both degrees of knowledge once received. She has worked as a lead educator and program manager for a nonprofit that provides equitable health education for students in school, pregnant parents, and those in the juvenile justice system. She has a passion for service and is committed to serving in roles that uplift marginalized communities. In addition, she enjoys traveling, dancing, fitness, and having fun in her spare time.

Duties:

Tenisha Jones

Tenisha Jones, M.Ed is a third-year doctoral student in School Psychology at Howard University. Prior to attending Howard, she obtained a Master of Educational Policy & Leadership from the University of Michigan. Her primary research interests include the mental health, well-being, and education of Black Girls. while her current research projects address issues of diversity embedded in the practice of school psychology under the direction of Dr. Celeste Malone. Additionally, she has research experience investigating Youth Participatory Action Research Programs in Michigan and Preschool Quality Assessments at the High Scope Educational Research Foundation. In tandem with her research, she has also given national conference presentations and training on her work. Tenisha has extensive professional experiences in education ranging from a Middle School Behavioral Interventionist, High School Director of College & Career to Collegiate level Success Coach.

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