Team
Megan Davidson
Program Director
Dr. Megan Davidson is the program director of the Stepping Up initiative, the national effort to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in the justice system. Megan has over 10 years of experience leading complex stakeholder engagement, research and evaluation, and technical assistance projects at the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice. She has supported many jurisdictions with the implementation and evaluation of systemic efforts intended to improve outcomes for individuals touched by the behavioral health and criminal justice systems. Megan earned her PhD in public affairs with a concentration in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida.
Elise Simonsen
Associate Program Director for Behavioral Health and Justice
Elise is NACo’s associate program director for behavioral health and justice. Elise oversees NACo’s behavioral health and justice portfolio which provides thought leadership to counties related to mental health, justice, and public safety. She will oversee all strategic aspects of the portfolio, including identifying current and near future priority areas of county needs, emerging trends and best practices in local behavioral health and justice. Before joining NACo, Elise served as a senior policy analyst at National Governors Association (NGA). Elise holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Florida.
Christopher Chun-Seeley
Program Director School and Justice Initiatives
Christopher Chun-Seeley, MSW is the Program Director of School and Justice Initiatives for the APA Foundation. Prior to his appointment at the APAF, Chris served as the Direct Therapy Intern at Michigan State University Counseling Center. He provided short-term therapy to a diverse client population while also assisting in weekly multicultural and racial awareness trainings. Chris was also the Assistant Community Director supervising and coaching resident directors at Michigan State. Christopher facilitated social skill building groups for at-risk high school students at Starr Commonwealth Detroit, along with delivering individual and family therapy. He also has experience as an advocate and field instructor for the Michigan State University Adolescent Project, was a Program Director for a Support and Education Group for low-risk Juvenile Sex Offenders, a Juvenile Detention Specialist for the Ingham County Youth Center, and a case manager for a national youth mentoring organization. Christopher earned BA’s in Psychology and Criminal Justice as well as a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Michigan State University.
Jeri Thuku
Program Director School and Justice Initiatives
Jeri Thuku, MPH, is the Program Manager of School and Justice Initiatives. Prior to joining APAF, Jeri was a Senior Program Coowrdinator with Jhpiego, a non-profit organization, where she supported programs in East Africa. Her primary role was monitoring and tracking projects, including ensuring project timelines and scopes were adhered to. In past roles, Jeri has worked in the domestic and international global health space, with organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, HealthHIV, and the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. In those roles, Jeri primarily focused on capacity building, HIV/AIDS, and research and evaluation. Jeri has published two journal articles in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS), including “Providers PrEP: Identifying Primary Health Care Providers’ Biases as Barriers to Provision of Equitable PrEP Services” and “A Landscape Analysis of Prevention of Vertical Transmission Program Data and Interventions from Fiscal Years 2019 to 2021”. Jeri earned her B.S. in Community Health from George Mason University and her Master’s in Public Health from George Washington University.
Risë Haneberg
Deputy Division Director
Risë Haneberg serves as Deputy Division Director, Behavioral Health Division, for the Council of State Governments Justice Center. In this role Risë leads the Stepping Up Initiative, the national effort to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in the justice system with partners National Association of Counties (NACo) and the American Psychiatric Foundation (APAF). Additionally, Risë provides oversight to county systems improvement projects and technical assistance to Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) grantee sites. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Risë served as the criminal justice coordinator for Johnson County, Kansas, from 2008 to 2014. Risë previously served as the chief court service officer in Johnson County and began her career in criminal justice as a juvenile probation officer in 1979. Risë holds a BS in criminal justice from Wichita State University and an MA in public administration from the University of Kansas.
Mark Stovell
Deputy Program Director
Mark oversees the delivery of broad-based technical assistance products and tools to assist counties in their Stepping Up efforts. Mark has also provided technical assistance to Second Chance Act and Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantees that serve people with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental illness, and he has coordinated additional projects designed to advance practices at the intersection of the criminal justice and behavioral health. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Mark worked for the Partnership to End Addiction in New York City where he developed educational tools for state decision makers on improving addiction prevention and treatment through health policy. He also worked for Families USA in Washington, DC and for Hunger Free Vermont as part of the Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship. Mark earned his BA in political science and sociology from Ohio University and his MPA at Baruch College.