Frances S. Priester
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Frances S. Priester, J.D. – Frances is currently the Director of the Washington, DC Department of Mental Health, Office of Consumer and Family Affairs. Frances S. Priester received an M.S. in Urban Education from Chicago State University and her J.D. degree from the Law School of the University of Buckingham in Buckingham, England. Prior to that, she served as an advocate for 300 consumers at Elgin Mental Health Care Center, a state psychiatric hospital located in rural Illinois. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2001 Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award from the American Association of Persons with Disabilities. She now serves on the federal Center for Mental Health Services National Advisory Council, as a member of the Subcommittee on Consumers/Survivor Issues. She was elected to the Board of NAMI Greater Chicago in 1995, and is a certified Family to Family instructor who has worked with several NAMI affiliates to ensure high quality care for consumers in nursing homes and institutions. Ms. Priester also served on the Community Development Board of Madison County, Illinois, increasing the federal community block grant for this area to over one million dollars and conducting a successful five-county voter registration campaign. Ms. Priester’s mental health advocacy efforts focus on ensuring access to mental health treatment options including alternative services as well as treatment under the medical model. She continues to advocate for decriminalization of those with mental illness in the criminal justice system and for the training of law enforcement personnel. Ms. Priester is a frequent guest lecturer and public speaker at universities and national conferences.
Page last updated: 11/06/2006