Keris Jän Myrick, MS, MBA, is a leading mental health advocate and executive, known for her innovative and inclusive approach to mental health and substance use reform and the public disclosure of her personal story. Ms. Myrick is the developer and host of the podcast Unapologetically Black Unicorns, which focuses on mental health, race equity, and lived experience. She is an in-demand national trainer and keynote speaker, and has authored several peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters on the peer workforce, as well as the inclusion of lived experience and digital therapeutics in mental health. She is known for her collaborative “whole person” approach to mental health care and is a proven national expert in management, program development, evaluation, policy formulation, communications, and strategic planning.
Ms. Myrick has more than 20 years of experience in mental health services innovations, transformation, peer workforce development, and addressing race equity through her work at the local, state, and national levels. She currently serves as vice president of partnerships and innovation at Inseparable, a mental health advocacy organization working to reform mental health policy at the federal and state levels. Ms. Myrick is also co-editor of the “Lived Experience Inclusion and Leadership” column for the Journal of Psychiatric Services.
In addition to CHCS, Ms. Myrick also serves as a board member for Mental Health America and Disability Rights California. She is an inaugural member of the Lived Experience Council of the Global Leadership Exchange. As an early adopter, self-identified “geek” with interest in leveraging technology to aid in behavioral health recovery and well-being — especially as it pertains to ensuring access for communities of color — Ms. Myrick serves as a clinical Advisor for Harvard Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Digital Psychiatry Program, has led the development of a peer designed and delivered Digital Health Literacy Curriculum for Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and serves on the American Psychiatric Association’s App Advisor workgroup. Ms. Myrick is a certified personal medicine coach and received a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. Her master’s degree in business administration is from Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management.