Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Mental Health Resource of Texas is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation that operates publicly as Via Hope. It was chartered by the Texas Secretary of State in 2014 and is governed by a Board of Directors.

Via Hope is looking for board members!

For more information about the Board, click HERE.

Download a membership application HERE.

Michele Bibby – President

Michele Bibby

PRESIDENT

Michele Bibby is President of MAB Consulting Services. As President of MAB Consulting Services, Michele is a person with lived experience of mental health recovery. Michele provides mental health education, advocacy, and policy analysis to public and private entities. Michele designs and delivers mental health workshops and training.  Michele delivers public speeches and presentations on mental health policy matters. Michele Bibby previously enjoyed a successful career in Human Resources Management in the Private and Public Sector.  Michele has a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Certification. Michele is a Certified Peer Specialist and a certified mediator. Michele previously held legislative positions with a Texas State Representative and Texas State Senator.

Michele’s previous civic leadership engagement include:

  • Via Hope Board Member (2019 – Present)
  • Texas Exes Black Alumni Network Board Member (2018 – 2019)
  • Appointed to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Behavioral Health Integration Advisory Committee by HHSC Executive Director (2013 – 2015)
  • Appointed to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Medical Care Advisory Committee by the HHSC Executive Director (2015)
  • Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Recovery Oriented System of Care Work Group, Co-Chair (2015)
  • Hogg Foundation Mental Health Policy Academy Fellow (2012 – 2014) Co-Hort
  • Leadership Texas, Graduate, 1998
  • Leadership Austin, Graduate, 1990
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Austin, Board member, January 1987 – 1989

Michele holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin (1984). Michelle is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Michelle has two children. Her son, Julian is studying  in the Computer Network field. Michele’s daughter Jordan will attend Wellesley College in the Fall of 2021.

Sam Shore, LMSW – Vice President

Sam Shore, LMSW

VICE-PRESIDENT

For more than 40 years I have been active in community mental health and psychiatric rehabilitation. My work has coalesced around the promotion of self-determination, independence, and recovery for people living with serious mental illness. For the past five years, I have been a Principle for TriWest Group, a small behavioral health consulting group. I serve as the Director of the Academy of Policymakers for the Center on Integrated Health Care & Self-Directed Recovery at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Prior to joining TriWest, I was Director of various programs within the Texas Department of State Health Services, including Community Mental Health Services, and the Center for Policy and Innovation. Also, as the Director of Mental Health Transformation and Behavioral Health Operations for the State of Texas, I was directly involved in initiatives to explore novel ways to organize, deliver, and finance public mental health services. These initiatives included, for example, successful leadership for the state’s Mental Health Transformation Grant, Project Director for the state’s Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery Grant, implementation of statewide veteran’s mental health services, implementation of Medicare Part D, and implementation of behavioral health services in the STAR+Plus Medicaid Managed Care program. I was directly involved in the Texas Self-Directed Care research project in Dallas. On that project I helped convene community stakeholders in the Dallas metropolitan area to design, implement, and study an SDC program from the ground up.

Eric Glenn – Secretary

Eric Glenn

SECRETARY

Eric Glenn is a 36-year veteran of the Texas Legislative and regulatory process.  In 2003, Eric formed TxLobbyAssist, Inc., a legislative and public affairs consulting group.   Prior to his new venture, Eric was the V.P. for Regional Affairs for the health insurance company, Humana, Inc. where he managed and tracked legislative issues relating to the managed care industry and coordinated political action committee activities for Humana employees in Texas. Eric was also responsible for development and management of Humana’s grassroots network comprised of employers, agents, brokers, physicians and member champions.

Glenn also served as the V.P. for Government Affairs for the Texas Association of Business, leading TAB’s efforts on Workers’ Compensation and Tort Reform. He also served as director of Governmental Relations for the Texas Workforce Commission and as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director and Chief Committee Clerk to state Rep. Ron Wilson (D – Houston). In 2017 he shifted his focus and became V.P. Business Development for Superior Health Plan of Texas.

During his 13 years working in the Texas House of Representative, he was instrumental in the passage of landmark legislation, including the Texas Lottery, and recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday as a state holiday.  He served as Chief Committee Clerk for the Texas House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures, as Chief Committee Clerk for the Texas House Select Committee on Rules, as Chief Committee Clerk for the Texas House Committee on Liquor Regulation, and as Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms for the Texas House of Representatives

Glenn is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and attended the University of Southern California- School of Theatre.  He lives in Austin with his wife of 33 years-Lisa. They have one daughter Riley, who is a graduate of Baylor University.

Elliott-Phillip Niblack

Mental Health & Recovery Peer Specialist (MHPS, RSPS)

Elliott Phillip Niblack is Chief Equity & Education Officer and Director of Peer Services at The D. Wood Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting mental health advocacy and suicide awareness in minority communities. Elliott has lived experience navigating the diagnoses of Bipolar type II, Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder and a history of opioid misuse; he is dual certified as a Mental Health and Recovery Peer Specialist and an Empathetic Communication Specialist. 

Before stepping into the professional mental health arena, Elliott’s second home was the classroom, nurturing students from Early Childhood education through High School. His career as teacher, school administrator, and Social Emotional Learning Support Provider made Elliott’s transition into youth and young adult Peer Support as natural as breathing. He leads a dedicated team in the foundation’s Near Age Peer Support program which aims to embed certified peer support services in both Historically Black Colleges & Universities and traditional community colleges. The nationally recognized program has been awarded grants by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Innovative Healing Centered Projects. 

Elliott holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His achievements and experience as a program developer, published reentry and SEL curriculum writer, and diversity, equity and inclusion consultant inform his presence as a leader. As a sing member of the Texas Empowerment Initiative Peer Leadership Advisory Group, Elliott collaborates to establish accreditation standards for peer operated service providers in Texas. His public speaking engagements have included co-MC of the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference and facilitator for Together We Will Heal, a monthly online forum held by the mental health provider Integral Care. 

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