DeKalb County Community Mental Health Board Executive Committee met Feb. 10.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
Committee Members Present: Perry Maier, Meghan Cook, April Chmara
Committee Members Not Present:
Staff Present: Deanna Cada, Heaven Allen
Other Persons Present: Marilyn Stromborg via Zoom
1. Call to Order
Ms. Cook called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m.
2. Agenda
Ms. Cook moved to approve the agenda1 seconded by Ms. Chmara. The motion passed unanimously. 3. Approval of Minutes
Ms. Cook moved to approve the minutes of the January 61 20261 meeting1 seconded by Ms. Chmara. The motion passed unanimously.
4. Office Report
Updates for Funded Agencies
• NAMI DeKalb County (NAMI KDK):
Executive Director Luisa Cicero is leaving NAMI KDK. She will be transitioning to a position with state-level NAMI leadership. The Board President will serve as Interim Executive Director. A development staff member has been hired to oversee grant writing and quarterly reporting. The agency has been proactive in managing the transition.
• IRIS Coordinator Position:
Hillary Cali has resigned. Further discussion will occur with agency leadership regarding the plan for the IRIS role moving forward.
• DeKalb Police Department:
Jason Leverton, Deputy Chief and key collaborator in launching the Police Social Worker Program, will retire in May.
County Administrator Search
Ms. Cada participated in interviews for the County Administrator position. An offer has been extended to a candidate.
Grief Support Roundtable
Scheduled for February 24, 2026.
Survey results included:
• 35 provider responses
• 19 community member responses
Grief support was among the highest-priority areas identified for the one-year and three-year planning process.
988 Marketing ,
Marketing materials related to the 988 crisis line continue to be received and distributed through regional and local collaboration efforts.
ACMHAI Spring Conference
The Association of Community Mental Health Authorities of Illinois (ACM HAI) Spring Conference will be held March 26-27 in Springfield, Illinois. Attendance is planned; board members are welcome to participate.
AHEC Advisory Board Invitation
An invitation was received to serve on the Northeast Illinois AHEC Advisory Board. The purpose of AHEC is to connect students from underserved communities with health profession pathways in underserved areas, including behavioral health. The position would involve two meetings per year. The Committee discussed potential conflicts of interest and determined no conflict exists, as participation would not involve scholarship selection or funding decisions.
5. Public Comment
There was no public comment.
6. Old Business
A. 2026 Executive Director Performance Review Tool and Process Discussion
The Committee discussed making the process more formal and data-informed while preserving mission-focused and qualitative elements, and affirmed that performance concerns should be addressed throughout the year, not only at the annual review.
B. Conflict of Interest Forms -Action Needed – The committee reviewed the conflict-of interest forms
Ms. Cook moved to approve the 2026 conflict-of-interest forms; Mr. Maier seconded. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.
7. New Business
A. May Mental Health Awareness Month Activities -Activities were reviewed during the Finance Committee
B. Funded Agency Executive Director Meeting – Networking and Discussion – A collaborative meeting with Executive Directors is scheduled for March 10. Agenda items include: i. Development of a community response pathway related to adult children with severe mental illness and safety concerns.
ii. Discussion of frequent utilizers and potential collaborative strategies.
111. Exploration of cooperative funding and partnership opportunities among agencies. The goal is to strengthen coordination, innovation, and system-building within DeKalb County’s behavioral health network.
8. One-Year/Three-Year Plan update –
A. One-Year Plan Draft -Action Needed –
The Committee reviewed the draft 2026 One-Year Plan, developed through:
J/Board- Committee Minutes- Exec/2026/02-10-2026 Page 2 of3
• Community survey results
• Integration of regional planning documents
• Board voting process
Top priorities identified:
1. Maintain and strengthen DeKalb County’s behavioral health care system.
2. Strengthen grief support services.
3. Support enhancement of comprehensive behavioral health crisis response. Discussion included consideration of the impacts of Al and social media on youth mental health as a professional development focus in 2026.
Ms. Cook moved to forward the One-Year Plan draft to the full board for approval, seconded by Mr. Maier. The motion passed unanimously.
9. Next Executive Committee Meeting Date: March 10, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
10. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned.
Ms. Chmara moved for adjournment, seconded by Mr. Maier. The motion passed unanimously.
https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/agenda-mhex-03102026.pdf
