Board Members

Beth Epps, President

Beth has been Chief Community Solutions Officer at Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. since January 2014. Prior to Cascadia, she served as Senior Director of Solutions Development for Optum, conducting a project in collaboration with Yale University’s Program for Recovery and Community Health. She worked on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Financial Alignment Initiative, building solutions in several states for Medicare/Medicaid dual eligible demonstration grants. Beth also served as Executive Director for Adapt of Texas with services including medication and therapy clinics, supported housing, case management, and child & family interventions.. Her work in Dallas included mobile crisis design and implementation, peer support capacity building, and participation at the state in advocacy and policy development. She holds a Master of Education.

Tony Leineweber, Treasurer

Tony brings decades of experience as a board member in nonprofit and for-profit enterprises with roles of director, treasurer and chair. In his professional career, he has also served in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations as manager, vice president, senior vice president, president and CEO. Tony’s motivation for joining the NAMI Multnomah Board includes legislative and regulatory advocacy. He’s interested in improving how mental health is addressed and how people living with mental health needs are treated. He hopes to aid in lessening the stigma associated with mental illness. Tony is involved with NAMI Oregon’s Advocacy Committee, and strives to become a stronger advocate and source of support to his family member living with mental illness.

Sylvia Zingeser, Secretary

Sylvia got involved with the mental health community fifteen years ago by seeking assistance for a family member through the NAMI Multnomah HelpLine. Since that time, she has been highly involved in advocacy. She served on the Portland Police Bureau’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Advisory Board beginning in 2004, which has since been replaced with the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) and the Training Advisory Council (TAC). A charter TAC member, Sylvia continues to sit on the Council to explore ways to improve police/community interactions when people are experiencing a mental health crisis.  

Chris Burley

Chris was appointed as a Portland Police officer in 2005 after a stint as a high school physics and math teacher in the Chicago area. He worked patrol and was a member of the Gang Enforcement Team before being promoted to sergeant in 2014. Assigned to the Behavioral Health Unit, Chris worked with community partners to identify gaps in the system involving people with chronic and persistent mental health issues. He also oversaw the Bureau’s Behavioral Response Teams, a collaboration between officers and mental health professionals. When people experienced mental health issues and had frequent interactions with law enforcement, they were linked with appropriate resources. After serving as PPB’s Information Officer, Chris now leads the Crisis Negotiation Team.

Lorena Mosqueda

Lorena works as an Education and Wellness program manager at Latino Network, a culturally specific non-profit in Portland with the mission to positively transform the lives of Latino youth, families and community. She holds a B.A in Family and Human Services from the University of Oregon and a Masters in Behavioral Health from the University of San Francisco. Lorena’s academia focused on understanding and analyzing the social, physical and mental factors that influence behavioral health. She is studied on how behavioral health intersects with physical well-being and an individual's overall holistic health.Throughout her career, Lorena  has developed a fervent passion to address and improve health disparities that impact marginalized communities.

Felesia Otis

Felesia Otis is married and raising two foster sons, age six.  She currently works at Volunteers of America, Oregon Inc., providing services to young men transitioning from prison to the community, and supporting young black men and their families who are impacted by gang violence.  She also works as a part-time instructor with Portland Community College in the Addiction Counseling Program. Mental health has been a core issue in Felesia’s life personally and professionally. As a result of her family’s experience and struggles with mental illness, Felesia became involved with NAMI support groups during a very dark time. The support she found there was critical to her own well-being.  It allowed her to not feel alone, and to have a safe place to be with others who were also grappling with a loved one’s mental illness. After the death of her son, she looked for a way to make sense of her experience as a family and eventually came back to NAMI.