To address concerns around traumatic brain injury (TBI) and mental health, the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center has partnered with the National Association of State Health Injury Administrators to host a series of workshops focused on the intersection of TBI and mental health. This panel included state TBI leads from South Dakota, North Dakota, and Colorado. They answered questions from attendees and engaged in conversation around barriers they have experienced while addressing TBI and mental health, as well as promising practices and models that have worked well in their respective states.
View slide decks and recordings of previous sessions in this series on their product page.
Rebeccah Wolfkiel, MPP, National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
Rebeccah Wolfkiel, Executive Director National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) Rebeccah joined NASHIA as Executive Director in January 2018. She brings fifteen years of experience in promoting policies that provide resources for individuals with brain injury, and their families. In her role as Executive Director, Rebeccah is committed to representing the interests of State governments and supporting the unique and integral role they play within the service delivery system. Rebeccah has also worked with former Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Ridge, at the Ridge Policy Group, for ten years, where she formerly represented NASHIA as a government affairs advisor. She played an integral role in the successful reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury in 2014, paving the way for the federal TBI program’s move to the Administration for Community Living. Prior to her time at the Ridge Policy Group, Rebeccah worked on Capitol Hill for over six years where she served as Legislative Director to Congressman Todd R. Platts, Co-Chair of the Traumatic Brain Injury Taskforce. Managing the Congressman’s legislative agenda, she learned how to effectively navigate the lawmaking process and develop successful strategies. During her tenure on the Hill, Rebeccah became keenly aware of the importance of bipartisanship and developed strong Congressional relationships with Republicans and Democrats alike. She often bridged partisan gaps and facilitated communication between contrasting viewpoints. In her free time, Rebeccah enjoys traveling and spending time with her family, husband Ryan, daughter Anna (11) and son Jack (4). Rebeccah received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia.
Rebecca Quinn, MSW, LMSW, North Dakota Traumatic Brain Injury Network
Rebecca Quinn is a program director for the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Grand Forks. She manages the North Dakota Brain Injury Network providing brain injury education, outreach, and support across North Dakota.
Justine Ashokar, PhD, The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center at Black Hills Works
Justine Ashokar, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist, is the Director of Clinical Services at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center, Black Hills Works in Rapid City. Justine has a M.S. in Counseling, M.A. in Clinical Psychology and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with Clinical Neuropsychology Concentration. Justine is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and is a co-facilitator of the Brain Injury Support Group of the Black Hills. She has experience serving veterans, people with developmental disabilities, and people with brain injury. She is a member of the Mayo Clinic TBI Regional Advisory Council. She is a board member of the Brain Injury Alliance of South Dakota and is working to improve services for those with TBI in South Dakota. She is also an adjunct instructor at South Dakota State University.
Kate Kerkmans, LCSW, CBIS, The Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado
Kate Kerkmans has a Master's degree in Social Work. Before working at BIAC she worked as a family therapist. As Director of Client Programs, Kate manages client programs, budgets, and finances; oversees and supervises department staff; provides oversight for clinical services; and champions strategic plan goals.
Liz Gerdeman, MA, CBIST, MINDSOURCE Brain Injury Network
Liz has been in the brain injury field for over a decade, supporting individuals with brain injury, their family members, and professionals. Most recently, she worked as the Director of Professional Programs for the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado (BIAC). Her role included training community organizations about brain injury, building capacity within systems to better serve clients, and ensuring clients are connected to valuable resources. Liz received a Master’s Degree in International Disaster Psychology from the University of Denver and is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer. She has run support groups for family members, developed educational materials, provided resource navigation to individuals with brain injury, served on committees and workgroups with the goal of improving access to care, and she has worked in brain injury research at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Shawnda Schroeder, PhD, MA, Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
Dr. Schroeder conducts rural health research, serves as lead on statewide program evaluation, and serves on several national and statewide rural and oral health work groups. She is the director of the Rural Health Research Gateway, a federally-funded program dedicated to the dissemination of rural health research, and serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Rural Health. Under the Mountain Plains MHTTC, Dr. Schroeder provides training on rural mental health, leads web content development, and conducts research on stigma as well as mental health training needs.
