Board of Directors

Board Members

● President

David LeVine, LMSW

Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Specialist, Rensselaer Co. Dept. of Mental Health

In October, 2010, I spoke in Schoharie County to service providers from the local mental health clinic there, the County DSS, and representatives from RSS. I had been invited to speak about the successes of people moving from participation in public mental health programs to competitive employment as someone who has worked in the public mental health system since 1995. A significant part of my presentation covered what I had been part of as Director of the Consumer Drop-In Center from 1997-2001.

I spoke about the sense of community that we have that makes people feel connected and supported to peers in recovery. I also mentioned the variegated cultural backgrounds of members of CDIC, the fact that differences are accepted and that those differences make the Center welcoming to everyone. I mentioned the people that I knew who had secured competitive employment in the community but yet kept coming back to CDIC to reconnect with friends. In addition, CAPS in general has always been a place that has given people many second chances. People are not turned away because of a bad moment or bad day. We have always understood that everyone makes mistakes.

CAPS has also always been an agency in which the employees go a little further than is expected to assist others. The employees have always expanded their job roles in an attempt to facilitate success for those individuals who have received services from our agency. We have always been very person-centered. In other words, we always put the goals of the people whom we serve first as a priority.

All of the above is not to say that we have not had our problems at CAPS. The agency has weathered some tough times but we continue to survive. In fact, I would say that after a tough few years we are showing marked improvements in financial health, organization, quality of services, and leadership.

I think that we all should take this time during May is Mental Health Month to reflect on what this agency has always stood for and what we hope for CAPS for the future. We are making our future as we speak, and as a peer-run agency it is important that we all take on responsibility for positive change. We will be what we make it.

● Vice-President

Anne Masters

● Secretary

Susan Sobel

● Member

Angelo Christo

Meetings

Board meetings are open to the general public.
Board meetings are scheduled at 4:30 pm on the last Monday of each month unless this falls on a holiday when the best alternative is decided at a previous meeting.
Board meetings are run with Robert’s Rules of Order.
Meeting minutes are public documents.
Draft minutes of the previous meeting are mailed or emailed prior to the next meeting. It is expected that they are read and any comment noted so that approving them goes quickly at the next meeting.
Normally the President sends out an agenda prior to a meeting. Additions and comments should be addressed to the President.
Any questions during meetings are encouraged.
An executive session may be called. Anyone who is not a board member will be asked to leave and minutes are suspended.

Becoming a Board Member

Send a resume and a cover letter to:

Membership Committee
Capital Area Peer Services
354 Central Avenue
Albany, NY 12208-2311

Names of potential board candidates can be submitted by anyone, including an interested third-party.

When a name is submitted for candidacy as a board member, the Membership Committee initiates a series of contacts that include

An application
A tour
An interview with the Membership Committee
Consideration by the Membership Committee in light of the current board goals and needs
Attending a general meeting
Board election
Orientation, if elected

If a prospect is not interested currently or if we do not need new members at the time an application is made, we have developed a Candidate Bank where we keep track of prospects’ skills and experience. The Candidate Bank allows us to recruit interested persons who have skills and experience we may need at specific times.

A CAPS board member commits to one meeting a month, committee meetings as agreed upon by committee members, and other activities as needed.

Prospective CAPS board members do themselves, the CAPS board, and CAPS a service by asking questions prior to joining. Many answers can be found in this material or from the Membership Committee. The following information addresses questions often asked by prospective board members.