911±¬ÁÏÍø

Subject Matter Experts

911±¬ÁÏÍø Subject Matter Experts

USF Department of Behavioral Health Science & Practice

Amanda Sharpe, PhD, MPH, Root Awakening Farm

Expertise: Amanda Sharp, PhD, MPH is the Executive Director of Root Awakening Farm. She earned her Master of Public Health from Boston University, her PhD from the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at the 911±¬ÁÏÍø, and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School in the Health Equity Research lab and The Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, where she now holds a teaching associate position. She has extensive experience in behavioral health research and implementation. She is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and a trainer in Adult Mental Health First Aid. She has designed and implemented behavioral health interventions based on the application of person-centered care and evidence-based practices (EBPs) for behavior change. Her research focuses on health equity through the incorporation of individual needs and worldviews into the operations, culture, and policies of behavioral health delivery on both an interpersonal and systems level.

Annette Christy, PhD, Associate Professor

Expertise: Dr. Christy focuses on the interaction of the behavioral health and criminal justice systems. She has directed the Baker Act Reporting Center since 1998. This Center focuses on statewide reporting on civil commitment. This includes reporting for Florida's Baker Act and, more recently, for the Marchman Act. She is an expert in obtaining large volumes of documents, coordinating data entry, utilizing administrative data, and developing systems for collecting high-quality data in real-world settings. Her work has also included studies of incompetence to proceed assessments and criminal justice system diversions for persons with behavioral health disorders (including a focus on Veterans).

Eryka Marshall, MA, LMHC, Research Project Manager

Expertise: Ms. Marshall is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 10 years' experience of working with youth and families in community settings. Ms. Marshall is a clinician with the Tampa Housing Authority Youth and Family Services Program, a prevention program funded by the Department of Juvenile Justice. She earned a Masters in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, with a certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy at USF. Ms. Marshall also works in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy on various research projects and as a guest lecturer in Behavioral Healthcare courses.

Kimberly Johnson, PhD, Research Associate Professor

Expertise: Dr. Johnson earned her PhD in population health from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her research has focused on quality improvement and implementation science in behavioral health. She has received funding by NIDA, AHRQ, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the California Endowment to study adoption of process improvement practices, adoption of Medication-Assisted Treatment in addiction treatment programs, adoption of other evidence-based practices and the barriers and facilitators of change.

Kristin Kosyluk, PhD, Assistant Professor

Expertise: Dr. Kosyluk received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology’s Rehabilitation Counseling Education program in 2014. Dr. Kosyluk’s research agenda focuses on understanding and addressing negative perspectives among various populations, including people living with mental illness and addiction, and people living with HIV, using community-based participatory research methods.

Nicoleta Zenn, Ed.S, NCSP, Associate Professor of Instruction

Expertise: Mrs. Zenn teaches courses in the Behavioral Health Science & Practice Behavioral Healthcare Major. She received her Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in School Psychology. Mrs. Zenn served as the Executive Director of the Multiagency Network for 911±¬ÁÏÍø with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities and the Youth Mental Health Awareness and Training Administration Projects. Mrs. Zenn also served as a member of the Task Force on Involuntary Examination of Minors, the Governor’s Roundtable on School Safety, the Children’s Mental Health System of Care State Advisory Team, the Statewide Multi-Agency Review Team, and the Florida Youth Justice Commission. Mrs. Zenn has over 20 years of combined experience working in the education and public health arena. 

Cary Hopkins Hall, MA, Visiting Assistant Instructor

Expertise: Ms. Hopkins is a certified addictions professional with 20 years of experience in the field of substance use disorders. After graduating with a master’s degree in criminology from the 911±¬ÁÏÍø, she became a counselor at a non-profit treatment center working with families and children. In that non-profit organization, Cary moved into leadership roles and managed the Residential and Criminal Justice related programs. She has also supervised outpatient and pre-trial diversion programs.

Edelyn Verona, PhD, Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Justice Research & Policy (Courtesy Faculty in Department of Criminology)

Expertise: Under Dr. Verona, her lab approaches the study of psychology and crime through an interdisciplinary lens and collaborates with scholars in other social sciences and with community partners to study and address crime, justice, aggression, and violence prevention. Our current focus is on applied and policy research. 911±¬ÁÏÍø apply science to understand psychological and structural pathways to incarceration, improve reentry for returning citizens, uncover intersections between mental health and criminal justice system involvement, and prevent violence. As an example, our group runs a large collaborative grant funded by the National Institute of Justice to implement and evaluate interventions to reduce recidivism among persons incarcerated in a county jail. Her expertise also includes the processes of implementing policy, such as firearm risk protection laws, and evaluations of police reform programs, such as alternative crisis responder models.

Department of Child and Family Studies

Anna Abella, PhD, Assistant Research Professor

Expertise: Dr. Abella is an applied anthropologist and Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Child & Family Studies in the College of Behavioral Community Sciences at USF. Dr. Abella has conducted numerous studies involving mental health services, child welfare systems, and early childhood education programs, investigating both family/consumer and professional experiences in implementing interventions or systems change initiatives.

Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute

Courtney Whitt, PhD

Expertise: Courtney L. Whitt, PhD is the executive director of the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce and a leader in providing integrated primary care within traditionally underserved populations. A licensed psychologist, Whitt most recently served as the director of behavioral health for the Healthcare Network, a federally qualified health center in Immokalee. There, she was a champion for the evolution of an effective and sustainable model of behavioral health integration and team-based care. Whitt worked with community partners and stakeholders, along with organizational leadership, to oversee integrated primary care behavioral health services for nearly 50,000 people.

External Subject Matter Experts

Brie Reimann, Vice President of Practice Improvement and Consulting, National Council for Mental 911±¬ÁÏÍøllbeing

Expertise: Brie Reimann provides leadership and oversight on initiatives that aim to increase access to quality mental health and substance use services. She is a passionate change leader who believes that all individuals and families should have equitable access to quality health care services.

Cindy A. Schwartz, MBA, Senior Consultant, Policy Research Associates and SAMHSA’s GAINS Center

Expertise: Mrs. Schwartz has a wide range of experience in behavioral health and criminal justice. As the Project Director (retired 2022) of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida Criminal Mental Health Project- Jail Diversion Programs (The Miami Model) she developed and implemented systems of operation to better serve individuals with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use involved at all points of contact with the justice system. Her career goals have been focused on improving public safety and public health outcomes. She is a passionate advocate of recovery and community integration for individuals who experience behavioral health disorders. Cindy has a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a master’s degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University. She is a National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Certified Court Manager (CCM), Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and Advanced Level Facilitator of WRAP (911±¬ÁÏÍøllness Recovery Action Plan). Cindy is a Senior Consultant to the Policy Research Associates (PRA) GAINS Center (SAMHSA) and provides training and technical assistance on How Being Trauma Informed Improves Criminal Justice Responses, SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) and Sequential Intercept Model. 

Leah Vail Compton, MA, MBA

Expertise: Leah Vail Compton has more than 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field at the provider, state leadership, and national leadership level. She most recently served as a Public Health Provider and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic State Coordinator at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She specializes in forensic mental health and substance use  services and is currently the Associate Director at A.M. Crawford Nonprofit Management.

Marilyn Leake, MSW, Council of State Governments Justice Center

Expertise: Marilyn Leake is a Senior Policy Analyst with extensive experience in the field of mental health and criminal justice reform. With a Master of Social Work degree in Mental Health Management and Community Organization, Marilyn has worked in various roles such as Problem-Solving Courts Coordinator, Case Manager/Resource Specialist, and Care Coordinator. Marilyn's dedication to supporting individuals with mental illness is evident through their work at organizations like Mental Health and Drug Courts, Prince George's County District Court, and Cornerstone Montgomery. Currently, Marilyn continues their impactful work at The Council of State Governments, focusing on policy analysis and reform initiatives.

Micah Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine at UCLA Geffen School of Medicine 

Expertise: Dr. Johnson in trauma, behavioral health, and community-driven research. He is an award-winning scientist and activist who has trained over 20,000 individuals worldwide on topics related to trauma, mental health, and peacebuilding. Dr. Johnson has authored 30 scientific articles and multiple books. He was awarded five million dollars in research grants from the National Institutes of Health to study community mental health. His work has been cited by the New York Times, ESPN, and others. He is the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Research Achievement Award at the 911±¬ÁÏÍø and the 2023 Community Peacebuilder of the Year Award from the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding. Dr. Johnson’s research and advocacy have helped reduce decades of prison sentences and overturn death penalties for individuals with mental health needs in over 100 capital and felony cases nationwide.

Michele Merritt, JD, President of New Futures

Expertise: Esq. Merritt is the President of New Futures, a policy-oriented nonprofit located in New Hampshire established to improve the health and well-being of all Granite Staters through public policy change and civic empowerment. Michele leads the organization’s work and serves as the primary coordinator on policy and legislative issues important to the agency, such as public funding for treatment services and improving access to community-based support for children and families. Prior to assuming the role of President, Michele served as New Futures Senior Vice President and led the organization’s expansion into the areas of health and early childhood policy. In addition to overseeing and managing numerous grant initiatives related to New Futures’ mission and goals, Michele provided leadership, direction and expertise on access to treatment policy priorities including the development of the Resource Guide for Addiction and Mental Health Care Consumers: Answering Questions about Insurance Coverage and Parity for Addiction and Mental Health Care Services, participation on the New Hampshire Insurance Department’s Advisory Committee on Behavioral Health and Addiction Services, which reviews parity violations and concerns, and experience as an attorney with an intimate understanding of the parity law and the intricacies specific to providers supporting patients in accessing coverage. Before joining New Futures, Michele received her Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Public Administration from Clark University and her Juris Doctor from Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law.

Michele Saunders, MSW, LCSW, Private Consultant

Expertise: Michele is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years of community mental health service. Ms. Saunders is a clinician with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration in Orlando, FL. Prior to this, other positions she held include the Director of Community Services for Seminole County, the Executive Director of Florida Partners in Crisis, and the Executive Vice President of Lakeside Behavioral Healthcare. Ms. Saunders currently coordinates and chairs the statewide Florida CIT Coalition and provides technical assistance for CIT development for law enforcement and for corrections. Additionally, she promotes cross-system collaboration around criminal justice, mental health and substance use providers towards system changes that emphasizes jail diversion and improve services for people with serious mental illnesses. Ms. Saunders is one of the founding members of CIT International, Inc. and is the 1st Vice President for CIT International, Inc.

Monica Landers, PhD, Sheps Center Research Associate, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Expertise: Dr. Landers received her PhD in Behavioral and Community Sciences from the University of South Florida where she also worked for 10 years as a Social and Behavioral Health Researcher. Her research topics included behavioral health, improving child welfare systems, substance use, and police and behavioral health integration.

Nev Jones, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Expertise: Dr. Jones is a community-engaged mental health services researcher, with an interdisciplinary academic background in social and political philosophy (BA, MA, postbaccalaureate fellowship), community psychology (MA, PhD) and medical anthropology (postdoc). At Pitt she directs PathLab, featuring a majority of lab members with direct experience of psychiatric disability and public behavioral health systems. Prior to moving to Pitt, she was a tenure stream faculty member at the 911±¬ÁÏÍø in the Departments of Mental Health Law and Policy and Psychiatry, and prior to that worked in policy, direct service, quality improvement and evaluation roles in the public mental health system in California.

Randy Otto, PhD, MLS, Professor, Chief of the Division of Forensic Behavioral Services, University of New Mexico School of Medicine 

Expertise: Randy K. Otto, PhD, MLS, joined the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in May 2025, where he serves as Professor and Chief of the Division of Forensic Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Otto was a member of the faculty at the 911±¬ÁÏÍø between 1989 and 2022, and Nova Southeastern University between 2022 and 2025.

Risë Haneberg, MPA, Council of State Governments Justice Center

Expertise: Risë Haneberg serves as the Deputy Division Director, Behavioral Health Division for the Council of State Governments Justice Center.  In this role, Risë leads the Stepping Up Initiative, the national effort to reduce the number of people with mental illness in jails with partners National Association of Counties (NACo) and the American Psychiatric Foundation (APAF).  Additionally, Risë provides oversight to county systems improvement projects and Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantee sites that are focused on the reduction of people with serious mental illness (SMI) in jails.

Samanta Holcombe, MPH, National Council for Mental 911±¬ÁÏÍøllbeing

Expertise: Samantha Holcombe, MPH, serves as the Senior Director of Practice Improvement at the National Council for Mental 911±¬ÁÏÍøllbeing, where responsibilities include overseeing healthcare delivery and financing programs to enhance behavioral health providers' transition to value-based payment formats. Prior to this role, Samantha held several positions including Director of Practice Improvement, managing a significant CMS-funded initiative aimed at improving clinical outcomes for individuals with serious mental illness. Additional experience encompasses project management and program implementation across East and Southern Africa at Jhpiego, where Samantha led multimillion-dollar health programs, as well as roles at Mercy Corps, Sysco, and the U.S. House of Representatives. Samantha holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Maryland.

Sarah Wurzburg, MA, Council of State Governments Justice Center

Expertise: Sarah Wurzburg oversees technical assistance focused on behavioral health, diversion, and reentry and serves as the lead for projects related to substance use, mental illnesses, and housing. She leads the work on the development of community responder programs, including a toolkit that supports sites in development of non-police responses to people in crisis. Previously, Sarah was a research analyst at the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc., where she was the team lead for Youth and Women’s Services and was the primary author of research reports on youth substance use disorder treatment, driving under the influence, and Medicaid. Sarah has also worked as a juvenile court advocate and in community substance use disorder prevention. She received her BA from DePauw University in English (writing) and her MA in social services administration with a focus on policy analysis from the University of Chicago.