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our minds matter

The Team

 

 

(she/her/hers)

Lauren Anderson co-founded Our Minds Matter, formally the Josh Anderson Foundation, in 2012 following the death of her youngest brother, Josh, by suicide at the age of seventeen. As Executive Director, Lauren keeps the “lights on” and guides OMM toward its north star of preventing teen suicide. Lauren has 10+ years in executive leadership, nonprofit management, fundraising, and program development, all while forging and growing relationships with a wide range of stakeholders – from teens to partners to funders.

Lauren was named a 2022 Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine and her work has been featured in print and broadcast news, including The TODAY Show, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping Magazine, NBC4 Washington and WUSA 9. Furthermore, Lauren was interviewed by Deepak Chopra for his One World news show that features international thought leaders from both the public and private sector. 

Lauren is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she majored in Finance and International Business at the McIntire School of Commerce. Prior to co-founding Our Minds Matter, Lauren worked as an analyst at a boutique investment bank in Atlanta, GA. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her fiancé, son and two rescue pit bulls. 

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Gillian Anderson has an MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia. She grew up in Northern VA and is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (’08). She is passionate about universal youth mental health care and keeps her late brother Josh in mind every day.

Gillian taught English to children in Guangzhou, China for three years before returning to the states to complete her master’s degree in Austin, TX. She trained as a school psychologist and worked in elementary, middle and high schools in the Austin area for three years.

She has recently relocated to the DMV area with her dog and enjoys traveling, reading, listening to audiobooks, watching movies, playing on her Nintendo switch, and completing the daily NYT crossword.

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Dallas is a native Virginian and a former educator in the Northern Virginia area. She has been a passionate advocate for mental health since college and is currently studying for her Master of Social Work and L.C.S.W certification through Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). While initially pursuing her Criminal Justice degree at George Mason University, she became interested in research on crime prevention through public and mental health services to at-risk youth. In the future, she hopes to pursue research and practice in providing Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training to neurodivergent children to improve their long-term outcomes.

After graduating with her Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University, Dallas was accepted into Teach For America (TFA) where she could better pursue her passion for equity in the public school system. She taught elementary school for 2 years and centered inclusivity and social emotional learning in the classroom. During this time, she worked for OMM as a part-time contractor, providing programming support to teen centers in Fairfax County. She joined OMM full time in June of 2024 and is excited to impact mental health culture in education on a broader scale.

In her free time, Dallas is an artist primarily working in acrylic and illustration. She enjoys playing board games, crafting, reading, and hanging out with friends and family. She currently lives in Fairfax, VA with her partner, dog and 2 cats.

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Rachel grew up in the Philly area and proudly obtained her BSW and MSW from Temple University. She uses her social work background to ground her work in equity & the belief that all people deserve to thrive with dignity, and lives by the quote “Do it with passion, or not at all.”

Rachel joined Our Minds Matter in May 2021 as a Program Coordinator, became a Program Manager in 2022, and as of July 2024 is honored to serve as the new Director of Program Development. After piloting the now-robust Middle School Program and Teen Advisory Council, Rachel also led the launch of OMM’s Teen Center Pilot Program, and is excited to continue building on this work. In addition to developing & executing pilot programs, Rachel also oversees the creation & improvement of all programmatic content and is committed to ensuring that OMM produces only the highest-quality, inclusive, and engaging mental health materials for the teens we serve.

Rachel lives in DC with her partner and their frenchie, Bruce. She loves being a dog mom, joyful movement such as indoor cycling and lifting, and trying out new pescetarian recipes in the kitchen. You can also find her lost in a good romance book, listening to podcasts on walks, and shamelessly bingeing reality TV in the name of self-care.

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Lauren is a dynamic builder and innovator, driven by a passion for creating meaningful impact with thoughtful systems and processes. With a knack for asking the “why” before the “how,” she excels at improving workflows and fostering environments that empower teams and communities to thrive. Her journey into operations began at a fast-paced startup, where she honed her skills in process development and organizational efficiency.

Lauren was raised by parents who have given over 20 years to the Public School System. Her mother, a licensed clinical social worker, has supported students’ mental health for decades. Inspired by their stories and dedication, Lauren is grounded in her belief that the students, teachers, and mental health professionals know best what will meet their needs. At Our Minds Matter, Lauren develops systems that foster a cultural shift to care for young people’s mental health. 

Beyond her professional life, Lauren is deeply connected to her D.C. community. She organizes with local groups to mobilize housing support and food security initiatives, building a network of reciprocity and kindness.

 

(she/her/hers)

Laura Beth holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia Tech, graduating cum laude. While at Virginia Tech, she was a research assistant at the Center for Applied Behavior Systems (CABS), where she contributed to developing, implementing, and evaluating school-based training programs and prevention-focused interventions. Her dedication to youth and public service inspired her to earn a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University in 2016.

Before joining Our Minds Matter, Laura Beth gained extensive experience in various dynamic roles, including Human Resource Specialist at the Department of Defense, Service and Volunteer Coordinator at Averett University, and Director of Outreach and Philanthropy at Promote Care Prevent Harm.

In November 2018, Laura Beth became Our Minds Matter’s first full-time program staff member, tasked with building and growing the program and its impact. Now, as the Chief Program Officer, she oversees all program initiatives’ development, implementation, and evaluation, ensuring that OMM’s programs are impactful, scalable, and aligned with the organization’s mission and goals.

Laura Beth’s drive to change school culture around mental health stems from being deeply affected by the school shootings at Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook when she was a young person. Now, with young kids and siblings of her own, she has made it her life mission to create caring and safer school climates so all children can grow up and have a chance to thrive.

Outside of her professional life, Laura Beth is a devoted mother of two. She loves spending her free time by a body of water—the ocean, a pool, or a lake—enjoying the company of her family, friends, and her golden retriever, Ranger.

(she/they/them)

A DC native, Morgan (better known as Mo), is a writer, multimedia artist and postpartum doula who studies and imagines ecosystems centered around care. Her work is amplified through curriculum development, workshop facilitation, digital strategy and creative direction. She holds over ten years of experience in education, specializing in creative writing and youth development.

For three years Morgan worked as a facilitator during SMYAL’s Activist Summer Camp, facilitating social justice workshops and supporting youth as they launched GSA (Gay/Straight Alliance) clubs at their schools, before transitioning into education as a teaching artist alum for Split This Rock and the DC Youth Slam Team. She later went on to serve as the Director of Poetry Programming for Words Beats and Life, helping young writers publish (and later on perform) their own manuscripts. She has most recently migrated into public health, with a focus on socio-emotional wellness and family-centered advocacy.

Mo is an internationally-recognized poet and performer, a two-time Harvard Alumni of Color Conference facilitator, TEDx speaker, Loft Literary Center Immersion Fellow, and was awarded by the mayor’s office as one of 2020-2021’s 40 Under 40 Queer Women of Washington. When not building new worlds, Mo can be found snuggled up with her Nintendo Switch and shamelessly binging Survivor.

(she/her/hers)

G Wei Ng, Ph.D. is a licensed counseling psychologist in the state of Maryland and her professional expertise is in the intersection of mental health and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Dr. Ng earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from University of Missouri – Kansas City. She completed an APA-accredited internship and a diversity-focused post-doctoral fellowship at Towson University Counseling Center. 

Prior to joining OMM, Dr. Ng was the Staff Psychologist and the Diversity Coordinator for Towson University Counseling Center where she oversaw a peer education program whose mission is to educate young adults on how the intersection of one’s social identities can influence their mental health, and was widely recognized as a fierce social justice and mental health advocate on-campus and beyond! Dr. Ng is also the owner and founder of G Psychological & Consulting Services, LLC. Her clinical interests include BIPOC and immigrant mental health, intersectionality and identity development, cross-cultural concerns, and decolonizing mental health. On these topics and others, she has served as a manuscript peer-reviewer, panelist, keynote speaker, and workshop presenter in the US and abroad. Throughout her career, Dr. Ng has worked tirelessly to help eradicate the stigma around mental health and help-seeking especially in marginalized communities. 

Dr. Ng lives in Ellicott City, MD with her partner and their son. She loves traveling, spending time in nature, exploring good locally-owned coffee shops and restaurants, and binge watching K-dramas.

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Angelica Peña, originally from Hamilton Heights in New York City, is a dedicated advocate for mental health, equity, and inclusive education. She earned her Bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in Education and Latin American, Caribbean, and Latine Studies, with a minor in Dance, from Bowdoin College in Maine. There, she deepened her connection to her Dominican roots and pursued various opportunities related to educational equity. For instance, during her tenure with the Maine Afterschool Network, she conducted equity-focused research and developed resources to support marginalized populations in afterschool programming.

Following this, she became a 9th-grade English teacher at DC International School while pursuing her Master’s in Secondary Education at NYU. As an educator, Angelica worked with a diverse student body, designing culturally responsive curricula to meet their needs. She also founded and led initiatives like the Youth Participatory Action Research Club, empowering students to identify and address school-wide challenges.

Angelica’s commitment to equity is deeply informed by her lived experience as a queer, Latina, and neurodivergent individual, as well as her work with underserved communities. Her passion for accessibility and advocacy inspired her to join the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship at Georgetown University, where she is developing leadership, advocacy, and culturally competent strategies to tackle systemic challenges affecting neurodiverse individuals. Her focus extends to creating supportive environments for marginalized populations in both educational and professional settings.

Angelica joins Our Minds Matter (OMM) with a strong dedication to DEI, accessibility, and sustainability. She is excited to build a long-term career that allows her to grow professionally and personally while continuing to make meaningful impacts in the lives of youth, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds. Through her work with OMM, she aims to advance education, mental health, and accessibility for the populations they serve.

In her free time, Angelica enjoys watching sitcoms and true crime documentaries. A creative at heart, she finds joy in singing, Latin and improvisational dance, poetry, creative writing, diamond art, watercolor, and attending live performances. Since moving to the DMV in 2022, she has enjoyed exploring the city and spending time with her partner.

 

(she/her/hers)

Ramona Plummer, a Jamaican-American born in the sunshine state of Florida moved to Maryland at a young age and was raised in Prince George’s County. As a first-generation college graduate, she received her Bachelor of Science degree from the first degree-granting HBCU, Lincoln University of PA, and her Master of Public Health degree from Howard University.

Throughout her career, Ramona has worked for non-profit organizations and served families in Wilmington, DE, Newark, DE, and Southeast DC. She has experience and a strong passion for working with teens directly and enjoys building connections. For her Master’s program capstone project, Ramona focused on adolescents, creating, #EndtheBS (Beauty Standards): A Toolkit for Mental and Physical Health Outcomes Associated with Social Media’s Beauty Standards. Ramona is passionate about changing the culture around mental health and working at OMM gives her that opportunity!

During her free time, she enjoys music, traveling, binge-watching TV shows/movies, and hanging with her friends and family!

He/him/his

Sean Roberts,  a native Washingtonian, is a passionate  HR/Talent leader and educator with over 11 years of experience serving the education and non-profit sectors in multiple capacities. Sean is an alumni of Morgan State University where he majored in finance and vocal music. 

As an educator, Sean worked with a deep commitment to arts advocacy and educational equity, providing arts programming to elementary and middle school students, with a specific focus on serving in low income communities. Additionally, Sean served the nonprofit sector with organizations like Arts for Learning, using the arts as a scaffolding tool to close gaps for retention-risk students and those with literacy challenges.

For the past few years, Sean has leveraged his experience as an educator, serving DC charter schools in the talent/people space. While he has worked over a wide range of people functions, his primary focus has been in the areas of DEI learning, creating equitable hiring processes, and new teacher & leadership development. Sean joins OMM as a People Operations Manager, overseeing all people and culture functions and is excited to support the OMM staff and partners in their deeply important and impactful work.

(she/her/hers)

Mikal Yemane was born and raised in Asmara, Eritrea before moving to the States in 2010. She is a 2019 graduate of Falls Church High School and recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Spring 2023, earning a Bachelor’s of Psychology. Her passion for mental health blossomed during an AP Psychology course in high school, leading her to join Jaguar Minds Matter, seeking out opportunities to learn more about mental health and how to use that knowledge to support others in her community.

In pursuit of her passion, Mikal has worked extensively with young children and teens of different backgrounds, including mental health and sensory issues, and holds experience as a Behavior Technician for children with autism and their families with resources. She has also volunteered and mentored middle and high schoolers for the Youth Life Foundation of Richmond, and has worked closely with Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS). As an Our Minds Matter alum, she is excited to continue the work of erasing stigma around mental health, building community, and identifying resources to support herself and others.

Mikal lives in Fairfax, Virginia with her twin sister. She enjoys reading, listening to podcasts and music, going on walks, spending time in nature, finding ways to grow and develop, and spending quality time with family/friends and loved ones.

(she/they/them)

Nijha (rhymes with “Elijah”) is a Jamaican American writer-journalist and mental health advocate born and raised on Long Island, New York. Since high school, she has developed a love for writing and storytelling, prompting her to hone her interviewing and editing skills — earning a BA in Journalism (with minors in Italian and Psychology) at Ithaca College, deepening their interest in mental health and the human condition. Their personal experience with mental health struggles as a student has made them passionate about teen and young adult mental health and suicide awareness/prevention.

Nijha hopes to combine her interests in personal and professional writing with mental health advocacy — whether through graduate work or journalism. Some of her areas of interest include clinical psychology, lifespan development and suicidology. She believes that sharing personal stories can be a uniting force, and is passionate about encouraging others to do the same.

In her free time, Nijha enjoys listening to music, journaling/writing, pen-palling, running, language learning, vision boarding on Pinterest, and long phone calls with friends 🙂

Part-time or contracted team members

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Sanice is a North Carolina Native who proudly graduated from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte in 2014 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communication Studies. She is an Operations Coordinator with a background that has spanned from the nonprofit sector to healthcare and financial industries. Sanice leverages her professional experience in operations and project management to provide daily operational support while collaborating with fellow team members to outline frameworks for strengthening internal systems and policies.

Sanice is a North Carolina native who in her free time enjoys completing epoxy resin projects, writing poetry, binging true crime shows and being outdoors whether that’s hiking or playing with her adopted beagle mix pup Rookie. 

(he/him/his)

Jordan Booker received his PhD in Developmental Psychology from Virginia Tech and he is currently faculty in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri. Jordan’s research centers on different forms of social development–the importance of emotions, personality, and identity in how young people and adults function day-to-day. His recent projects have addressed the lasting importance of parenting for adolescent and adult behaviors, how connections with family and new friends help with the major transition to college, and the ways college students’ life stories about the COVID pandemic help us anticipate their ongoing resilience. At Our Minds Matter, Jordan is helping with Our Minds Matters’ efforts to understand how students are making sense of their time in OMM clubs and how involvement with OMM may promote student functioning at school, at home, and with their classmates.

(she/her/hers)

Kaitlin Miller has a Bachelors in Spanish from Hamilton College and a Masters in Public Administration from Cornell University. She has over 15 years of experience streamlining and strengthening internal systems for businesses, nonprofit, and government organizations. She has served as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Operations for numerous organizations and spent 5 years managing the largest federal housing program for homeless veterans under the Obama administration. In addition to her operations experience, Kaitlin brings to OMM a deep commitment to supporting middle and high school youth, building upon her experience as a foster parent for 4 years and as a YMCA teen camp counselor for 3 summers while in college.

Kaitlin lives with her husband, daughter, and golden retriever in upstate New York.

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Kate Petty is a writer and fundraising specialist with 15 years of experience supporting social justice organizations and city government. Kate earned her bachelors’ degree in English at the College of William & Mary and a Master of Letters at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Kate has spent 15 years as a consultant working with nonprofit organizations and social justice projects, including Friends of the High Line, the design firm Reboot, Ashoka Changemakers, and the Mayor’s Office of the City of New York. She has taught writing in the Design for Social Innovation MFA Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York since 2020.

As Development & Communications Manager, Kate shares stories from our work with our community of support — including family foundations, corporations, institutional and government funders, and individual people who give what they can to drive our mission forward every day.

Kate lives with her family in Baltimore, where she is a passionate co-coordinator of the Lennox Street Community Garden.