Workplace Mental Health Competency 2

Keita M. Franklin, PhD, LCSW

Dr. Keita M. Franklin was Psych Hub’s, Chief Clinical Officer from 2019 to 2020.  In this capacity, she served as a key member of the executive team overseeing the development and production of all clinical content for Psych Hub’s ever-expanding repository of educational videos and informational materials. A nationally-recognized expert, Dr. Franklin, ensures all clinical content is on the cutting edge of the intersection between health care and information technology. Key to Psych Hub’s goal of revolutionizing how mental health care education and training are delivered, Dr. Franklin leads the esteemed Psych Hub, clinical team, ensuring all Psych Hub products are evidence-based and trauma-informed.

With over 25 years of progressively responsible experience, Dr. Franklin is spearheading efforts to improve mental health literacy across the Nation by championing the development of specialized evidence-based training for providers thereby improving mental health care outcomes for at-risk population groups.  A public health expert and transformational leader, Dr. Franklin has spent her career driving complex organizational change in the federal sector, always improving the systems that provide care for our Nation’s military, family members, and veteran populations. 

Before joining Psych Hub, Dr. Franklin served as a senior executive at both the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Defense.  In these roles, Dr. Franklin served as the principal advisor to Department leadership for all matters on suicide prevention, and she is widely credited with leading a transformative, enterprise-wide shift from a crisis intervention posture to an upstream, broad public policy approach focused on continuous surveillance and early prevention.  Dr. Franklin was also responsible for leading a multi-disciplined team of experts in advancing evidence-based prevention practices for over 20 million Veterans and reaching our Nation’s heroes wherever they live, work, thrive, and receive care. A poised and articulate communicator of strategic messaging, Dr. Franklin has been frequently asked to testify before committees in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and led numerous caucus roundtable discussions with members of Congress.

While serving as a senior executive within the Department of Defense, Dr. Franklin was responsible for suicide prevention policy, programs, and oversight. During her tenure, she conducted a first-of-its-kind comprehensive, program review and authored new DoD policy directives and instructions, optimizing higher headquarter guidance for all military service branches. She also chaired several DoD senior leader committees charged with developing solutions for vexing mental health issues impacting our service members and their families. 

Adept at building partnerships and coalitions, Dr. Franklin was singularly responsible for bolstering relationships with both the private and public sector in the advancement of key suicide prevention initiatives.  An experienced manager of large programs, she proved critical during congressional-level advocacy for budget and programming activities while simultaneously directing a multi-million dollar research and evaluation program.  Her efforts resulted in high-quality service delivery for active duty, reserve, and National Guard members and their families.

Dr. Franklin is a licensed social worker with a specialization in children and families. She earned a Ph.D. in social work with specialized training and certifications from the Center for Advancement of Research Methods and Analysis (CARMA). Dr. Franklin began her career in child welfare and has dedicated much of her work to researching the impact of wartime trauma and post-traumatic stress on families. She serves on several national panels, including the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Franklin has received numerous federal and civilian awards for her efforts leading military, family, mental health, and suicide prevention programs.  Dr. Franklin has published work in the areas of military social work, child abuse, domestic violence, suicide prevention, and substance abuse. She and has served as an adjunct professor in the graduate programs at Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University.  Dr. Franklin holds certificates from Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education on “Leading Large Organizational Change” and Women in Leadership” as well as the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School course on “Executive Leadership.”

Emily St. Amant, MA, LPC-MHSP

Emily served as a Clinical Manager at Psych Hub from 2019 to 2021, helping to bridge the gap between research and academia to the practical real-life application of theory and therapeutic interventions. She assisted the team throughout the content development process by reviewing and creating content to ensure it will resonate with her fellow clinicians and be beneficial to all audiences.

Emily is a licensed professional counselor, mental health service provider. She completed her Master’s in Counseling with an emphasis in Mental Health at MidAmerica Nazarene University. She is a Tennessee counseling licensure board approved supervisor and has been designated as a mandatory pre-screening agent.

Before joining Psych Hub, she gained many years of experience in the mental health and substance abuse treatment field, much of which was spent serving as a therapist to a diverse caseload in a community mental health setting. She also has experience in crisis counseling and assessment, intake evaluations for level of care placement, outpatient and inpatient treatment, and utilization review.

Jennifer Currence, MBA, SHRM-SCP, PCC

CEO OF WITHIN LEADERSHIP; CREATOR OF THE LEADING FOR REAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM; CONTENT CREATOR FOR SHRM’S PEOPLE MANAGER QUALIFICATION

Jennifer Currence is the CEO of WithIN Leadership in Tampa, Florida, where she delivers results through customized training and coaching programs for leaders and HR. She is the creator of the Leading for RealTM  leadership development program and content creator for SHRM’s People Manager Qualification (PMQ).

Jennifer earned her MBA with an emphasis in management and holds a nationally accredited certification in coaching (PCC) and an international senior-level certification in human resources (SHRM-SCP). She has been recognized as a Thought Leader by the International Society of Performance Improvement, a Subject Matter Expert by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and was named Tampa Bay’s HR Consultant of the Year for 2017.  She has over 25 years of experience in Human Resources and training in organizations, and is a faculty member for SHRM as well as a professor at the University of Tampa’s award-winning Sykes school of business.

Jennifer has been published in HR Magazine and featured in Fast Company magazine, USA Weekly, and HR.com. She is a professional member of SHRM, the National Speakers Association (NSA), the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and the author of three SHRM-published books on business behavioral competencies.

Carolyn Barley

As SHRM’s Instructional Design Manager, Carolyn Barley leads the team responsible for the development of the Specialty Credential, eLearning and Seminar products portfolio. She oversees the curriculum by creating and enforcing curriculum development standards, templates, and procedures, while ensuring the use of good instructional design processes and adult learning methodologies. She is responsible for overseeing the development of new learning solutions across media, with a focus on face-to-face, live virtual, eLearning. Working closely with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and partnering cross-functionally, she works on new initiatives, refines and evolves current products, while also advising organizational leadership on educational trends and best practices in adult learning. 

She was instrumental in the development of SHRM’s People Manager Qualification (PMQ), SHRM’s Talent Acquisition Specialty Credential, SHRM’s People Analytics Specialty Credential, SHRM’s CA HR Law Specialty Credential, SHRM’s Inclusive Workplace Culture Specialty Credential, SHRM’s HR Department of One Specialty Credential and SHRM’s Workplace Investigations Specialty Credential. 

Prior to SHRM, Carolyn worked as a corporate university consultant. During that time, she architected corporate university blueprints, conducted content reviews and completed instructional design projects. She has worked with over 50 organizations identifying operational processes and procedures to standardize how global learning should occur across the enterprise. 

Carolyn is a lifelong learner. She is focused on making a difference in the lives she touches through education and raising awareness. She is committed to elevating HR through her involvement with curriculum to contribute to creating better workplaces. 

Andrew Morton

As SHRM’s Director of Certification and Veteran Affairs Andrew Morton works with the military and veterans' organizations to develop workforce readiness pathways for veterans and military-families. As part of SHRM’s Speaker’s Bureau Andrew informs and empowers organizations in their inclusion-hiring efforts across many populations including Veterans and military spouses, individuals with disabilities, and Returning Citizens as part of SHRM’s Getting Talent Back to Work Initiative.  He is the contributing author to Justin Constantine’s SHRM published book “From We Will to At Will- A Handbook for Veteran Hiring, Transitioning and Thriving in Today’s Workplace.”  Andrew has and continues to serve on several veteran and military community employee related initiatives to include serving on the board of the non-profit “Hiring America Serves” as well as an ambassador to the American Legion’s and Lumina Foundation’s Military Credentialing Advancement Initiative (MCAI). 

Andrew, a retired Infantry-Officer, served in several leadership roles during multiple overseas and combat tours (Iraq, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Egypt) in his 21-year Army career. He also served as the Chief of Marketing and Advertising and the Chief of Digital and Social Media for the Army Reserve.   After his transition from the military and prior to his arrival at SHRM, Andrew served as a digital media director for a leading PR firm in Alexandria, VA.  

Andrew is passionate about awareness and resources in support of mental health within our workforce and society at large and has written extensively about breaking through the challenges of mental health stigma and accessibility (I Want My Dad Back).  He’s currently completing his Masters in Mental Health Counseling with the College of William and Mary.  Andrew resides in Alexandria, VA. with his three teenage children, his wife Emily, and far too many dogs and cats to manage effectively.