Governance

Our Charter

We, the members of the aves Mental Health, affirm our commitment to promoting mental health and well-being worldwide. Grounded in the principles of human rights, empowerment, recovery, and peer support, we strive to create a world where individuals with lived experience of mental health conditions are valued, respected, and empowered to lead fulfilling and productive lives.

aves Mental Health Charter

Board of Management

Chairperson of the Board

Laura Van Tosh is a peer who has held policy positions at the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, University of Maryland, and the State of Oregon Health Authority. She is the founder of the Mental Health Policy Roundtable that met in Washington, D.C. and she started a local version of the policy roundtable in King County, WA. The roundtable brings newcomers and veterans of policy together in a neutral environment of learning. It is celebrating 25 years in 2023. Laura has written extensively about peer operated behavioral health care services and homelessness and has worked inside three state psychiatric hospitals. Her work is born from her experience as a patient turned activist and she has been involved with the peer movement since 1985. In December 2021, Laura was appointed to the Global Mental Health Peer Network (GMHPN) as a Country Executive Committee Member representing the United States. She has since been named a member of the GMHPN Alumni group and is currently a Mentor.

In 2024, Laura was invited to serve as a member of the GMHPN Board of Management. Laura has been recognized for her work in the behavioral health care field over many years and in 2022, she was awarded a Lifetime Advocacy Award from the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. In 2023, Laura was presented with a Sally Zinman Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alliance for Rights and Recovery (formerly NYAPRS) for her leadership in advancing the recovery and rights of people with mental health and trauma-related challenges across the nation. Serves as consultant with Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.

Laura Van Tosh (United States)

Member

Karina Stjernegaard is a Ph.D. student at the University of Southern Denmark and a Senior Consumer Academic at PsykInfo in the Zealand Region of Denmark. Karina is specialized in peer support and recovery-orientated practices within mental health services. As a researcher and consultant with lived experiences, she emphasizes social and structural factors in her approach to and definition of recovery and the important interpersonal elements in mental health in general. She is critical toward bio-medical understandings and categorizations of mental health problems and hopes to facilitate conversations and perspectives on mental health problems as problems of trauma, exclusion, stigmatization, and injustice. Karina is proudly representing Denmark in the Global Mental Health Peer Network since 2021.

Karina Stjernegaard (Denmark)

Member

Ruta Rangel is a health psychologist and global health specialist, currently serving as Program Manager for the Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Care (EQUIP) initiative at George Washington University. EQUIP aims to improve the quality of mental health service delivery for both non-specialist and licensed professionals worldwide. Ruta has served on multiple professional boards advocating for equitable mental health access for all and is a certified trainer in Problem Management Plus (PM+), a task-sharing intervention designed for both non-specialist and specialist providers. As a person with lived experience of mental health conditions, she is deeply committed to expanding culturally responsive, evidence-based care in low-resource settings.

Ruta Rangel (United States of America)

Member

Claire W. Kyalo is a Mental Health & Human Rights Consultant and Educator with lived experience. Claire's unique background in Human Rights, Development and Social Justice from the Institute of Social Studies The Hague, and International Diploma in Mental Health, Law and Human Rights (WHO/Indian Law Society) gives her a deep understanding of human-rights based approaches and inclusion. Mental Health, Inclusion and Human Rights Advisory is her forte. Claire also trains on how to safeguard mental health at the Workplace, NGO's, Schools, Churches and CBO's. Claire has further involved herself at the grassroots level with Mental Health Literacy training for teachers in schools, peer support for mothers of premature babies, in a bid to create mental health literacy in Kenya through the Heart of Humanity Foundation. She is equally affiliated with the Global Mental Health Peer Network, where she is committed to mental health advocacy at the global level.

Claire Kyalo (Kenya)

Member

Anto Agus Sugianto acknowledges his journey with the Global Mental Health Peer Network, which was driven by the aspiration to lend a voice to lived experiences and advocate for global mental health issues, nurturing the hope for meaningful change. In his view, GMHPN stands as an exemplary organization dedicated to upholding the rights and dignity of lived experiences while empowering individuals worldwide. Anto's professional trajectory boasts a rich tapestry of experiences, from volunteering for mental health initiatives since 2010 to serving on various steering committees for mental health research projects. It also brought him to actively engage with academic institutions both domestically and internationally, sharing insights as a guest lecturer and speaker on mental health issues. He received the Jim Birley Human Rights Awards, Australia Awards Scholarship and Fellowship for International Mental Health Leadership.

Beyond academia, he harnesses his artistic talents as a tool for advocacy, producing art that amplifies the voices of those affected by mental health challenges. Driven by his own lived experiences with mental health issues and having once experienced human rights violations by mental health services, he possesses a deep-seated commitment to addressing such violations. This drives his unwavering mission to effect positive change in Indonesia and beyond. He currently leverages his expertise as a mental health promotion specialist at an NGO in Indonesia while pursuing his PhD studies at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on understanding help-seeking behaviour for depression and anxiety in Indonesia, highlighting his dedication to advancing mental health outcomes and championing human rights in mental health advocacy.

Anto Agus Sugianto(Indonesia)

Member

Dr. Basma Tolba is a psychiatrist and mental health specialist based in Cairo, Egypt. With over seven years of experience in both governmental and private sectors, she has worked in various psychiatric hospitals and treatment centers, specializing in adult psychiatry, child psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, tele-psychiatry, and mental health awareness and training. Dr. Tolba is also a Harvard Medical School Associative Alumni and has received extensive training in public health with a focus on mental health. She is passionate about teaching and has provided lectures and courses on psychiatry, depression, and mental health resilience on both national and international levels. Dr. Tolba is an international speaker and has spoken at various conferences and events on topics related to mental health.

She is currently working as a Psychiatrist at the WHO Electronic Platform and General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment in Cairo, Egypt. Additionally, Dr. Tolba is involved in various professional organizations, including Psych station in Pakistan and the Global Mental Health Peer Network. As a person with lived experience, she also provides peer support for individuals dealing with depression.

Basma Tolba (Egypt)

Member

Taylor Locke is an award-winning mental health advocate and acclaimed public speaker. Their work stretches far and wide, from starting grassroots nonprofits in rural communities to contributing to high-level reports at the national and international levels. Taylor is the founder of New York’s student-led “Mental Health Week” movement and currently serves as a NextGen Advisor for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New York State. They also sit on the New York State Public Health Association’s External Behavioral Health Advisory Board, are a Lived Experience Focus Group Member for the PLOS Mental Health Journal, and are an Executive Contributor for Brainz Magazine. Before becoming an advocate, Taylor was enrolled in a military scholarship program to work on nuclear reactors for the United States Navy and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with honours in both mathematics and physics. At just 23 years old, Taylor is a powerful leader who is reshaping the face of youth-led advocacy.

Taylor Locke (United States of America)

Member

Arnaud Poitevin is the deputy director of ESPER Pro, a France based platform employing around 30 peer support workers in mental health in France and working around the stakes of professionalization of peer support, advocacy and anti-stigma initiatives. He oversees the association's areas of activity (support, professionalization, community mental health and innovation), supervises salaried peer helpers, helps manage partnerships and reception teams, develops the volume of activity and participates in missions to spread the practice of peer helping. He has good project management, fundraising and legal skills. He provides training in recovery-oriented practices, the integration of peer supporters and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) job coaching. He speaks at numerous symposia, conferences and webinars. He has several years' international experience, in particular with the United Nations and the OECD. Arnaud has been a member of aves Mental Health since 2021. He regularly carries out consultancy missions for WHO Europe on the themes of destigmatization, lived experience and peer support. In this capacity, he developed the WHO Mosaic Toolkit to end stigma and discrimination in mental health with research teams from King's College London and WHO professionals. Arnaud has a good knowledge of associations and boards of directors, and was previously a board member of AAJT, an association with over 110 employees and a budget of €4,600,000.

Arnaud Poitevin (France)

Member

Ernesto Isaac Lara is a youth wellbeing activist, lived experience researcher, and peer support advocate on a mission to create a happier, healthier global community. Rooted in his healing journey, Isaac has dedicated his early career to expanding access to peer support training and services. Currently, Isaac works at the Mental Health for All Lab at Harvard Medical School, where he leads the EMPOWER Peer Support Initiative. This endeavour aims to develop a digital, global peer support curriculum to equip those with lived experience of recovery to support others earlier in their healing journey. Beyond his full-time role, Isaac furthers his mission as an advisor and consultant to organizations such as the World Health Organization, Global Mental Health Peer Network, Mental Health America, NAMI, Flourish Labs, Stanford Psychiatry, and Lancet Psychiatry. In recognition of his advocacy and research he was awarded the 2024 Mental Health America mPower Award and 2025 NTTAC Young Adult Champion Award.

Ernesto Isaac Lara (United States of America)

Member

Rebecca Cherop is a dedicated youth leader in mental health research, advocacy, and lived experience. She collaborates with esteemed organizations like the Wellcome Trust, MQ Mental Health Research, and the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development. As a board member on the Inaugural Africa CDC Youth Advisory Team for Health, she ensures African youth voices are represented in health strategies. An alumna of the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy India, Rebecca advocates for quality mental healthcare for children and youth through her non-profit, ‘The Semicolon Nation’. She has authored numerous impactful articles and served on the Country Leadership Committee of the Global Mental Health Peer Network. Driven by a commitment to mental health advocacy, Rebecca envisions accessible mental healthcare for all and inspires youth involvement in this cause. Her journey highlights the power of lived experience in shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for mental health care.

Rebecca Cherop (Uganda)