APA Foundation Administration

Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq. is the Executive Director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APA Foundation), Before joining the APA Foundation, Rawle held several progressively responsible management positions with AARP over 15 years, including most recently as a vice president and a member of the AARP national leadership team. He was in the private practice of law before joining AARP. Rawle holds a JD, with honors, from the Howard University School of Law, a BA in Psychology from Texas Southern University, and a management certificate from AgL executive leadership program at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. Rawle also serves as President of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.

Amy joined the APA Foundation in 2012. Her tenure at APA began in 2000 as the Director of Finance and Administration in the APA Division of Research and American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education, the former research subsidiary of APA. In this role, she provided support to the development of DSM-5 and research grant projects. As Deputy Director, Amy directs and oversees the financial, operations, governance, and compliance functions for the Foundation. She has advanced the initiatives and goals of the Foundation by managing major projects including the reestablishment of the Melvin Sabshin, MD Library & Archives in APA’s new headquarters and the Mental Health and Faith Community Partnership. Amy received an M.B.A. degree from University of Massachusetts and B.A. from Carleton College.

Dr. Hodzic joined the Foundation as Director of Fellowships, Mentorship and Medical Education in 2023. She served as the service chief of Psychiatric Urgent Care at Sheppard Pratt – Towson. She also served as associate training director for the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt Psychiatry Residency Program, where she completed her residency. Dr. Hodzic earned her MD at the University of Maryland. She previously served as medical director of Psychiatric Emergency Services at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Angela Jones, M.B.A. leads Development for APAF. Prior to joining APAF, Angela was Vice President, Global Enterprise Client Partnerships, at Bright Horizons with responsibility for the growth of the largest and most complex clients across the Workforce Education, Family Care and Centers lines of business. She previously spent 15 years at AARP in various roles including Senior Vice President, Lifestyle Products and Senior Vice President, Business Development overseeing strategy, marketing and development of products and services for AARPs 38 million members. Prior to AARP, Angela was an Executive Marketing Director at AOL propelling the growth of the subscription business and digital advertising and acquisition strategy accounting for $1.5B of AOL’s annual operating revenue. She began her career at Sallie Mae as a data analyst. Angela holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Gerontology and an MBA from the University of South Florida.

Prior to joining the APAF, Rachel served as Assistant Program Director at the Catalina Island Marine Institute. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Education. During her time at UC Santa Barbara, Rachel served as a Research Assistant at the Koegel Autism Center, an outdoor guide for the Excursion Club, and a volunteer for the student-run radio station, KCSB 91.9. With a passion for people, Rachel seeks opportunities that allow her to educate and empower the local community. Most of her work experience post-graduation has been with non-profit organizations. Rachel’s interests include mental health awareness, ocean conservation, and early childhood education.

Don joins APAF from The George Washington University, where he served as the Assistant Director in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, where he counseled and advised prospective students and families; and planned and engaged in recruitment activities representing GW at high schools, community colleges, and community-based organization events. Don was the liaison for the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and The Department of Naval Science - NROTC unit. Don also administered the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Scholarship and developed outreach for admitted underrepresented students to connect them to the university and student resources. Don earned a B.S. in Communications Studies from Towson University.

Lilia joined the APA Foundation in September 2016 and has held multiple Development roles in her time here. She oversees corporate and foundation partnerships, development campaigns, events and general public outreach. In her past roles, Lilia helped manage the American Registry of MRI Technologists' Annual Meetings and worked in wine sales and as executive assistant at Schneider's of Capitol Hill. Lilia holds a B.A. from Purchase College at the State University of New York.

Emma Jellen is the Associate Director for the Center for Workplace Mental Health at the American Psychiatric Association Foundation where she develops innovative, high impact web-based educational content and resources for employers to advance workplace mental health. Emma builds external relationships with corporate leaders, and produces the Center’s monthly Mental Health Works publication. Prior to her current role, Ms. Jellen was the Program Manager for the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI) Support and Alignment Network (SAN) Grant awarded by CMS. Over the 4-year grant period, the APA more than exceeded its goal for the Support and Alignment Network, training over 3,500 psychiatrists in the collaborative care – and worked with Practice Transformation Networks (PTNs) to provide resources and technical assistance for implementation of the model. In that role, Ms. Jellen managed trainings, and coordinated with outside agencies, partnering organizations, and PTNs in promoting the Collaborative Care Model. Prior to joining the APA, Ms. Jellen served as the Director of Communications and Member Relations for the DC Hospital Association (DCHA), where she focused her efforts on hospital-wide population health and value-based purchasing initiatives and programming for DCHA’s 14 hospital members. To date, Ms. Jellen has worked for several healthcare non-profit associations, including the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Ms. Jellen found her passion for mental health policy working early in her career at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) as Policy Associate in the department of Government Affairs and Clinical Practice. Ms. Jellen earned a B.A. in psychology from Clemson University.

Shayla Gerity joined the American Psychiatric Association Foundation in 2022 as Program Manager for the Center for Workplace Mental Health. In her prior role, Shayla was a Well-being Specialist with Adventist Healthcare in Maryland. Her primary role was designing and implementing well-being programs for the hospital staff across three regional hospitals. In past roles, Shayla has worked as both a government and private contractor working in the Employee Health field. Shayla earned her B.S. in Kinesiology at Penn State University.

Dr. Camille Bryan joined the APA Foundation in 2018 as a Senior Program Manager where she directs the daily operations for the APA/APAF Fellowships team, the programming for the APA/APA Foundation Fellowships and SAMHSA-funded MFP grants, and serves as the lead APA/APAF contact with MFP SAMHSA external partners. Before joining the foundation, Dr. Bryan served as the founding manager for the National Scholarships Office at the University of Maryland and the Associate Director for Workforce Development for the government of the District of Columbia. Dr. Bryan has extensive experience preparing students for nationally competitive scholarships and has served as a scholarship reader for the U.S. Department of Education Jacob Javits Fellowship, the James Madison Fellowship, and the Orphan Foundation to name a few. Dr. Bryan has also worked as the Director for Programs for the National Bar Association and Senior Program Manager for the Council for Professional Recognition. Dr. Bryan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the West Indies and her Masters and Doctorate degrees from the George Washington University.

Christian Sosa serves as the Program Manager for the Fellowships administered by the APA Foundation. Prior to this position, Christian served as the Program Manager for the Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship, a program administered by Howard University and funded by the United States Agency for International Development with the goal of diversifying the USAID Foreign Service. Before focusing in on the intersection of Workforce Development and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access, his previous work experience included working on internationalization programs for NAFSA: Association of International Educators and study abroad advising and recruiting for the Council on International Educational Exchange. He earned a Master’s in International Training and Education from American University, and a B.A. from Gordon College in Communication Arts and Business Administration.

Lynsey first joined the American Psychiatric Association as Temporary Administrative Assistant for the Division of Diversity and Health Equity. She was then hired full-time as Program Coordinator for the SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program under the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. She attended Bowie State University for a Bachelor of Business Administration and plans to return for her Bachelor of Science in Human Resources. Prior to working at APA, Lynsey worked in Finance at a bank and a credit union.

Christopher Seeley, MSW is the Program Director of School and Justice Initiatives for the APA Foundation. Prior to his appointment at the APAF, Chris served as the Direct Therapy Intern at Michigan State University Counseling Center. He provided short-term therapy to a diverse client population while also assisting in weekly multicultural and racial awareness trainings. Chris was also the Assistant Community Director supervising and coaching resident directors at Michigan State. Christopher facilitated social skill building groups for at-risk high school students at Starr Commonwealth Detroit, along with delivering individual and family therapy. He also has experience as an advocate and field instructor for the Michigan State University Adolescent Project, was a Program Director for a Support and Education Group for low-risk Juvenile Sex Offenders, a Juvenile Detention Specialist for the Ingham County Youth Center, and a case manager for a national youth mentoring organization. Christopher earned BA's in Psychology and Criminal Justice as well as a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Michigan State University.

Jeri Thuku joined the APA Foundation in 2023 as the Program Manager of School and Justice Initiatives. Prior to joining APAF, Jeri was a Senior Program Coordinator with Jhpiego, a non-profit organization, where she supported programs in East Africa. Her primary role was monitoring and tracking projects, including ensuring project timelines and scopes were adhered to. In past roles, Jeri has worked in the domestic and international global health space, with organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, HealthHIV, and the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. In those roles, Jeri primarily focused on capacity building, HIV/AIDS, and research and evaluation. Jeri has published two journal articles in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS), including “Providers PrEP: Identifying Primary Health Care Providers' Biases as Barriers to Provision of Equitable PrEP Services” and "A Landscape Analysis of Prevention of Vertical Transmission Program Data and Interventions from Fiscal Years 2019 to 2021". Jeri earned her B.S. in Community Health from George Mason University and her Master's in Public Health from George Washington University.

Deena Gorland has a BFA in photography from San Francisco Art Institute and MSLIS from The Catholic University of America. Her 20 years of experience as a professional photographer landed her a career working for the National Geographic Society on multiple digitization projects such as: Image Collections, Save the Archives and Electronic Magazine Archives (EMA). In addition, her time with National Geographic, she digitized the Smithsonian Institutions, National Postal Museums certified stamp plate proof collection. More recently, she contracted at National Museum of African American History and Culture as a museum technician, which inspired her to pursue an advanced degree focusing on preservation and digitization of special collections.

Prior to joining the APA Foundation in 2023, Abby served as the Communications Associate at the Council on Foundations. At APAF, her work includes managing the blog, supporting media relations, managing social media accounts, and other auxiliary communications. Her other past roles include communications internships at the Partnership for Public Service and the Atlanta Women’s Foundation. Abby holds a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from the University of Georgia, and she is currently studying towards her M.A. in Political Communication at American University. Outside of work, she enjoys long runs in Rock Creek Park and doting on her tuxedo cat.