The Pro Bono Counseling Project (PBCP), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that Marylanders with limited resources requesting mental health care are provided access to volunteer licensed mental health professionals and other necessary supportive services, announces the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Roxanne Melgar and Kimya Nuru Dennis.
“It is a pleasure to welcome these new members to the Pro Bono Counseling board,” stated PBCP Board President Gilbert Bliss. “We will benefit greatly from their experience and dedication to the community as we work to meet the mental health care needs of Maryland residents and achieve Pro Bono Counseling’s short and long-term strategic priorities.”
Kimya Nuru Dennis, PhD, is an activist, sociologist and criminologist, educator, evaluator, and researcher. As founder and owner of 365 Diversity, Dr. Dennis provides results-based services for decision makers in schools, businesses, and organizations that include medical health and suicide prevention organizations and facilities. Emphasis is placed on identities and experiences shaping every aspect of people’s lives and how people are treated. A range of demographics and cultures captured consist of religion and spirituality, race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, language and communication, mental health, physical health, disability, reproductive decisions, and sexuality.
Roxanne Melgar, LCSW-C, is a clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience providing direct services to survivors of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence. For the last 15 years, Ms. Melgar has held the position of Clinical Director at TurnAround Inc, providing oversight of all clinical services including the Intake coordination and providing direct supervision to all clinical staff. Ms. Melgar is bilingual/bicultural and is a primary resource in the community for the Spanish speaking survivors.
PBCP’s Board of Directors is led by Board President Gilbert Bliss, LCSW-C, First Vice President Mark Smolarz; Second Vice President Eboni Barksdale-Smith, CRCCPA; Treasurer Dan Morrison, CFP; Secretary Alex Ebstein; and Past President is Peter A. Kahn, MD.
PBCP is currently commemorating its 30-year milestone anniversary with a year-long celebration, including special recognitions each month to highlight its history and partnerships. several fundraisers throughout the year to further strengthen and support the organization. On June 1, PBCP kicked off the “30 Days of Giving” campaign, a month-long fundraiser.
Since its founding in 1991, the Pro Bono Counseling Project (PBCP), a non-profit 501c(3) corporation, has helped over 30,000 individuals and families throughout Maryland connect with volunteer counselors and obtain the mental health care they could not otherwise afford. Presently, PBCP has over 850 volunteer clinicians all over the state of Maryland who give over 16,000 hours of their time each year.
If you’d like to support PBCP, please click here to make an online, tax-deductible gift.
