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.

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.

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. 

Ashley Taylor

Ashley Taylor is a Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator with Portland VA's Suicide Prevention Team. She implements community-based interventions for suicide prevention in rural, tribal, and metropolitan areas. Before joining VA in 2023, Ashley worked in the non-profit sector for ten years specifically focusing on increasing access to mental health services for Veterans and their families. She has a passion for training community partners on facts surrounding Veteran services as well as Veteran suicide and suicide prevention. Ashley holds a Master of Science degree in General Studies in Human Behavior and a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences with a minor in Criminal Justice. She is a certified instructor for peer support and suicide prevention trainings. Ashley is an Army Veteran with two Iraq deployments and lived experience accessing mental health care through VA after transitioning out of the military. Ashley is an active member with the VFW and the American Legion. She currently resides in Columbia County, Oregon with her husband who is an Army Veteran and their son.