For over 30 years, Corey consulted to the national electric utility industry on environmental matters. His speciality: the design and development of pollution prevention methods, policy and practices. Married for 40 years, the father of three adult sons, not until 2011, when a family member was impacted, did he become fully aware of serious mental illness and its consequences. Since then, Corey has worked with others to investigate care alternatives. He currently serves as Secretary of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Williamsburg (501)(c)3) and co-facilitates weekly NAMI Family Support Groups. Of note, Corey is the start-up lodge coordinator for the first Fairweather Lodge in Virginia, a major Hope Family Village initiative. Corey holds a BS degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary and MS degree in Urban and Environmental Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Until her retirement,  Lisa R. Thomas worked for Child Development Resources, a children's nonprofit, for over 30 years serving as Deputy Director. When she and her husband became legal guardians of a young man with mental health issues, they found many gaps in the system of care. Lisa's focus has always been on how to maximize potential and independence for all individuals and their families. Lisa serves on the Hope Family Village Board and is active in the community with variety of organizations related to children and families. Lisa holds a BS in Psychology from the College of William and Mary, her MSW from the Rutgers University School of Social Work, and her Ed.S. from the School of Education at W & M.

Carmen is a regional sales manager for Constellation Energy (a subsidiary of Exelon Energy). For 45 years, he has served the energy industry, often in executive management positions with profit and loss responsibilities. Throughout Carmen’s career he has sought innovation in energy provision. With Hope Family Village, his interest is to trigger a paradigm shift in the status quo of longterm care for families coping with mental heath issues. Carmen's motivation stems from a family member's ongoing challenges associated with mental illness. He also serves as Treasurer of NAMI Williamsburg. Carmen earned a BS degree in Accounting from St. Francis University and an MBA from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Allen had a 39-year career as an aerospace engineer and project manager at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. In his early years, he conducted basic research on hypersonic aerodynamics. His career culminated in the management of several national, multi-agency projects on advanced aircraft and space vehicles. Allen has been married for 52 years. He and his wife are the proud parents of three children and grandparents of four. Allen became aware of the devastating effects of mental illness when a family member was struck with schizophrenia. He is a board member of NAMI Williamsburg. He holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University and a MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Sandra is the current 1st Vice President of VA National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Affiliate leader/Program Director for NAMI Mid-Tidewater.  Sandra is an experienced Rehabilitation Counselor and holds an MS in rehabilitation counseling with a specialization in special education from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BS in Psychology. Married 33 years, Sandra and husband received their child’s diagnosis of severe mental illness at young age of 13, they became highly involved in advocacy. Sandra worked as a rehabilitation counselor for 10 years on a specialty caseload serving individuals with severe mental illness.  She has been involved in outreach for over 20 years in rural communities helping to arrange disability awareness events, served on Governor’s Crisis Response workgroup and Center for Behavioral Health and Justice among others. Sandra is a state licensed Certified Rehabilitation Provider, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Offender Workforce Development Facilitator and Global Career Development Facilitator.