We are the local Chicago South Suburban affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, also known as NAMI South Suburbs of Chicago.
Our organization was formed on June 14th of 1984.
For Local Resources or Inquiries about Support Groups or NAMI Signature Programs, please contact us at 1-708-852-9126
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm
NAMI SOUTH SUBURBS OF CHICAGO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Marianne Bithos
Marianne Bithos is the president of NAMI South Suburbs of Chicago and the parent of an adult daughter who lives with schizophrenia.
Marianne first became involved with NAMI when she attended a Family to Family class to help her understand her daughter’s increasingly emerging symptoms and to learn about the various aspects of her daughter’s mental health condition. From that point forward, Marianne repeatedly found involvement with NAMI to be a saving grace for both herself and her daughter, especially with NAMI’s strong emphasis on the recovery aspect of living with a mental illness.
Vice President: Lisa Guardiola
Ms. Guardiola has a BA in psychology and studio arts from St. Xavier University. She has worked for Sertoma Centre for 9 Years and been a Community Outreach and Education Trainer for the last 7 years. She is certified in Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid, QPR, safeTALK, and ASIST, and earned her WRAP certification and is currently seeking her CRSS credential to become a Peer Support Specialist.
Lisa also serves as Vice President of the NAMI Illinois Board of Directors and NAMI Illinois Alliance of Peer Professionals. Lisa has been living with schizophrenia for the past 19 years. Passionate about helping others with mental illness, she writes a blog for WebMD on her experience of living with schizophrenia.
Secretary: Threasa Kluever
Threasa “Tee Kaa” Kluever is a person with lived experiences of mental health concerns/disorders and a professional in the field of Mental Health. She first became involved in NAMI in college, when she served as an intern at her college’s local NAMI branch.
Tee Kaa’s personal recovery and professional endeavors have led her to her current career position, severing as the Alumnae Program Coordinator at Timberline Knolls Treatment center. Tee Kaa is excited to give back to the community in the South Suburbs of Chicago through her board position at NAMI South Suburbs of Chicago.
Education Coordinator:
Michaelyn Sloan
Michaelyn Sloan coordinates the affiliate 's Ending the Silence program, providing mental health education to youth, staff and parents in schools and community based programs. She is also a trained facilitator for NAMI Family and Friends, NAMI Basics, NAMI Home Front and NAMI Support Group. Michaelyn is a retired international social worker, and educator.
Consumer Affairs Director:
Nick Sundberg
Nick is a member of NAMI’s In Our Voice and is a speaker at various NAMI public functions which includes sessions with police and prison guards so they can make better decisions in dealing with the mentally ill. For Nick, this is all part of “giving back to the community” and most of all “to calm down the stigma against mental illness.” Nick speaks from experience, dealing with his own bipolar illness.
Nick grew up in Park Forest and got an associate degree in graphic design from the Illinois Institute of Art. He is employed full time by Thresholds, an organization that helps people with “mental illness and substance use disorders.”
Membership Director: Eric Cotton
Board Member: Ron Balsewich
Ron is an accomplished Human Resources executive and consultant, retired from Health Care Service Corporation. Not one to “sit on the sidelines” for long, he recently began providing human resources consulting services. Ron has a BS degree, cum laude, in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. He lives in Evergreen Park, IL.
One of Ron’s passions is supporting people with disabilities, based on personal family matters. In his later years at HCSC, he chaired the company’s “In-Abled” resource group, providing outreach and services to current employees with disabilities as well as promoting the HCSC’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. He continues these efforts today for people with psychological disabilities and sits on the board of a Chicago Suburban chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).
Board Member: Troy Siewert
Troy is a former police lieutenant, retired from the Orland Park Police Department after 30years of service. He is a certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officer, CIT Coordinator, Crisis Intervention Specialist, and trained crisis negotiator.
In recognition of all his efforts supporting CIT, Troy was selected as CIT International’s 2021 CIT Coordinator of the Year.
Despite now being retired, Troy continues teaching both law enforcement officers and members of the community about mental health awareness and crisis response through several training classes, including Mental Health First Aid.
Board Member: Allison Jordan
Allison Jordan is a trailblazing entrepreneur and entertainment professional with a diverse and impressive career. She made history on April 6, 2021, as the first African American woman to promote a professionally sanctioned boxing fight with the UBO. She is founder of Allison Jordan Promotions and Epic Arts & Entertainment, LLC Studio in Calumet City, IL.
In addition to various achievements in the entertainment and sports world, Allison is a certified chef who studied International Cuisine at The Art Institute of Chicago. Jordan won the International “Name That Sauce Competition by Sara Lee Corporation” and had her winning sauce added to their product line. She is also the National Executive Producer of Real Men Cook.