Letter from the President of the Board

I am thrilled to be writing my first newsletter article as your new Board President! Let me briefly introduce myself. I retired from Ole Miss as Director of Institutional Research and Assessment six years ago, ran a higher-education consulting business for the next four years, and now am focusing on nonprofit volunteer work. NAMI is an important part of that focus.

When my now-32-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a mental illness at age 13, I was completely unprepared to deal with it and felt I was the only person in Oxford facing this challenge. Then, on a friend’s advice, I took NAMI’s Family-to-Family class. I don’t think it’s an understatement to say it changed my life. I learned so many coping and coaching skills, and found solace as we shared our experiences. Some of the people I met in that class a decade ago remain some of my closest friends.

Needless to say, I am a huge NAMI fan!

We all faced challenges this year because of the pandemic, and NAMI was no exception. But I’m proud of the way the staff and our members rose to this challenge. Despite transitioning the Walk to a virtual platform, we set a record for funds raised. When face-to-face classes had to be cancelled, we transitioned both classes and support groups to an online format.

Our NAMI-MS organization is strong, committed, and resilient. I’m convinced we can do even more in the upcoming year to share NAMI’s message of support and hope. My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for the important part you play in our success!

Best regards,

Mary Harrington, President

NAMI Mississippi Board of Directors