About Christina Bickelmann – Executive Director
Her goal is to continue to expand programs and services to everyone in the community, reduce stigma and reach our youth earlier with mental health information, education, and support.
Christina Bickelmann, MLA, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Southern Arizona
Prior to becoming the Executive Director of NAMI Southern Arizona, Christina had been serving as their Communications and Events Director for nearly seven years.
One of her major responsibilities in that role was to plan, execute and handle all activities related to Southern Arizona’s largest annual fundraiser NAMIWalks.
She has collaborated with the media to promote the Walk and NAMI’s mission to improve the quality of life for all those affected by mental illness.
Prior to becoming the Executive Director of NAMI Southern Arizona, Christina had been serving as their Communications and Events Director for nearly seven years. One of her major responsibilities in that role was to plan, execute and handle all activities related to Southern Arizona’s largest annual fundraiser NAMIWalks.
She has collaborated with the media to promote the Walk and NAMI’s mission to improve the quality of life for all those affected by mental illness.
Christina Bickelmann, MLA, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Southern Arizona
NAMI Southern Arizona
cbickelmann@namisa.org
520-622-5582
www.namisa.org
Twitter.com/namisoutheraz
Facebook.com/namisouthernarizona
Youtube.com/namisaz
About Shelly Jernigan
If I can ultimately help one parent not go through what I went through with my child dealing with the system, I will have accomplished what I set out to do.
My name is Shelly Jernigan and I am the Communications and Event Director as well as the Family Support Group Coordinator for NAMI Southern Arizona. I have my Ph.D. in Psychology with a Bachelor in Journalism. I have volunteered for many years at NAMI until I was hired as an employee last year. I was a single mom to 2 boys for most of their lives.
My youngest son has battled numerous mental health issues including schizoaffective disorder. This has caused him a lot of grief and in and out of the system.
I have been on a crusade for many years trying to get Juvenile Mental Health Court put into our system here in Pima County. This mental health platform has proven in 52 other counties throughout the U.S. that it keeps our children out of detention centers and placed with the appropriate mental health assistance they truly need.
I vow never to give up on our children and to show all who will listen that they deserve the best just as our adults do when it comes to mental health. If I can ultimately help one parent not go through what I went through with my child dealing with the system, I will have accomplished what I set out to do.
Shelly Jernigan
Communications & Event Director
mjernigan@namisa.org
Family Support Group Coordinator
supportgroups@namisa.org
About Jessica Mitchell
Knowing that so many children were being injured or dying due to something that was 100% preventable was disheartening.
Jessica started working for Safe Kids Pima County back in 2014 just after having her second child.
She knew of the importance of keeping kids safe when in the vehicle, at home, and at play, but did not truly realize just how important injury prevention in these areas are.
Within her first year as the coordinator for Safe Kids Pima County, Jessica’s passion grew around child passenger safety and she became a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST).
Jessica continues today as one of two lead instructors in Pima County for Child Passenger Safety Technician certification courses. Jessica has not only educated over 5,000 families on car seat safety but has also given them car seats to use for their children.
Jessica remains focused on other areas of injury prevention as well. This includes collaborating with local schools to provide water safety and bike safety messaging in the classroom, medication safety at parent meetings, and free swim lessons to children who need them.
Jessica’s passion for keeping kids safe shows in the work that she has done and the lives she has touched.
Jessica.mitchell@tmcaz.com
Safe Kids Pima County
https://www.tmcaz.com/wellness-and-prevention/kids-safety/safe-kids-pima-county/
About the Host
Barbara McClure, Executive Director
IMPACT of Southern Arizona
3535 E Hawser Street
Tucson, AZ 85739
Phone: 520-825-0009
barbara@impactsoaz.org
www.impactsoaz.org
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter |
Barbara McClure wakes up each morning passionate about going to work at a place that improves lives and inspires futures every day! She has been the Executive Director of a Tucson social service nonprofit called IMPACT of Southern Arizona, for ten years. What is it that keeps you passionate about your role Barbara?
Barbara has been a visionary and planner with decades of experience as a small business owner and in nonprofit leadership; her innovative ideas and strategic thinking, along with a talent for bringing the community together, has helped grow IMPACT five-fold in a very short time. Her talents and interests are diverse but all center around helping people, improving the community, bolstering education, building capacity and sustainability, being vocal about the rights and conditions of others, experiencing art, nurturing all inhabitants of your garden, and enjoying life to the fullest.
And now Barbara is about to experience another exciting chapter in her life with hosting a brand-new Radio Show Podcast here on the Tucson Business RadioX Network starting in November.
IMPACT of Southern Arizona is a 20 – year old social service nonprofit stabilizing families and seniors, and moving people out of poverty. IMPACT’s programs are designed to stretch household budgets so earned income can be spent on necessities such as improved housing conditions, fuel to get to work, utilizes, and needed medical attention and prescriptions. Its clients are your neighbors! People come to IMPACT because it is a welcoming place where they are always treated with dignity and respect, and where they find resources, referrals, coaching, and help to attain the skills that can move them forward into self-sufficiency.
Barbara grew up in Pasadena CA, moved to Long Beach for college, got married and started our family then moved to Seattle area ten years later. Took our youngest son on an 11-month motorhome trip to get to Tucson – Homeschooled for 10th grade.
We vacationed at a rustic cabin when I was growing up, where we had no phone or television; and spent all our time outside fishing, hiking, horseback riding, listening to old radio shows, playing pool, reading comic books from the local small grocer, and using our imaginations all day long. I always admired the superheroes who defended people and cities like Gotham and Metropolis, so when our three boys were born, we named them after familiar character: Colin (Bryce for an overlay of Bruce Wayne, Kent, and Parker. Our first grandchild was born last year, and as in the family tradition, named Logan, after the Wolverine. I used to always tell them they were my superheroes – and they still are today!
Barbara loves working with numbers and has always loved math and the organization of things, so accounting seemed perfect, but I soon realized that I if I became a CPA I would have to spend many months inside doing tax returns, and that did not appeal to me as a long–term career! I have a great imagination and enjoy creating things, so thought I should find a better path that might nurture that side of my personality. I was working in the shipping industry in SoCal at the time and fell in love with import and export, so shifted my majors to Marketing and International Business. Those were wonderful fits, and I imagined graduating and moving to the largest port on the planet, in Germany; then, I met my future husband and things took a different turn.
A little bit about how Barbara got into Nonprofit work:
All along with my husband and I were always involved in nonprofits and community volunteer opportunities, and often said it was too bad we could not make a living doing those things we loved so much. Leadership roles in PTO, Boy Scouts, Historical Societies, Junior League, Elks, Rotary and more. Then when we moved to Tucson I looked for a local opportunity to impact my community. A Board position was about to open at IMPACT, and my local bank branch manager, Peggy Smoot, suggested I would be very passionate about getting involved in the mission work there. I worked in the Food Bank.
There are thousands of nonprofits in Tucson. What makes IMPACT Unique is that they bring the community together to stabilize families and move people out of poverty. Our true success lies in partnering with a large number of businesses, agencies, social clubs and other nonprofits. We invest $2.5 million in the community each year, and we do it all with a lean staff of amazing professionals supported by more than 170 volunteer shifts each week! We have put great systems in place to run efficiently, effectively and with a commitment to sustainability and integrity, protecting the community’s investment in our work, striving for perfect audits, being innovative, building capacity and most importantly – treating everyone with dignity and respect. We are an award-winning nonprofit with numerous nods to incredible customer service. Our clients are your neighbors… We improve lives and inspire futures of people living in Southern AZ.
So, IMPACT is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and you have been at the helm half that time. Share with me the things IMPACT has accomplished over the years, and the things you have planned for this celebratory year.
