Dr. Spaniol retired in 2004 as Senior Director at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. He holds a doctoral degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has over 40 years of experience in the mental health field as counselor, advocate, program developer, administrator, and educator.  Dr. Spaniol was the Founder and Executive Publisher of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. He taught as an Adjunct Full Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at Boston University. He also founded and taught in the Recovery Center, a rehabilitation program for people with psychiatric disabilities at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. He was President of NAMI of Cape Cod and served on the Affordable Housing Committee for the Town of Wellfleet, MA. Dr. Spaniol has published 18 books and many book chapters and articles about psychiatric rehabilitation, recovery, and families.

Dr. Zipple was the Chief Executive Officer for Thresholds. Dr. Zipple has worked with community mental health programs for almost 30 years as a clinical manager, public administrator, consultant, teacher, researcher, and executive. Dr. Zipple holds a Doctor of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from Boston University, an MBA from the University of New Hampshire, and MS and BA degrees from the University of Notre Dame. He is a licensed psychologist and has authored over 60 articles, book chapters, monographs and books on topics related to community mental health. He served on the Editorial Boards of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal and Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Previous positions held by Dr. Zipple include Chief Operating Officer for Vinfen Corporation (Cambridge, MA), Director of Doctoral Studies for Boston University’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program, and Senior Research Associate at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Dr. Zipple was the winner of the 2004 John Beard Award of the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services (now PRA) for outstanding contributions to the field of psychosocial rehabilitation.

Dr. Marsh was Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The author or editor of 12 books, she has many years of experience as a therapist, consultant, and trainer. Dr. Marsh served as chair of the American Psychological Association Task Force on Serious Mental Illness and Serious Emotional Disturbance and as APA representative on the American Bar Association Task Force on Mental Disability and the Death Penalty. She received the Catherine Acuff Congressional Fellowship for 2003-2004 and worked in the office of Sen. Jeff Bingaman

Dr. Finley is a Licensed Psychologist and former Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Healthcare Education at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) where she taught for 15 years. Currently, she is on the faculty of the PRIME Institute (Partners Reaching to Improve Multicultural Effectiveness) at Drexel University, College of Medicine, Behavioral Healthcare Education. Dr. Finley has been recognized as a cultural competence consultant and trainer within psychiatric rehabilitation and behavioral healthcare organizations.  She served as Project Director for a 3-year, Workforce Research and Training Grant to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities funded as one of four national models by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Dr. Finley has received special recognition from the Pennsylvania Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services for her outstanding state contribution to the development of cultural competence in psychiatric rehabilitation and the distinguished career award. She served on the editorial board of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. She’s been a member of the USPRA Certification Committee and published professional journal articles and chapters in multiculturalism, psychiatric rehabilitation and mental health. She is a frequent workshop presenter.