Recast Advisory Board

RECAST ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES Wednesday, February 26, 2025 Third Floor GwMA Conference Room 6:00 PM 70 S. Clayton St, GA 30046 Call to Order Before the meeting was called to order, Mayor Pro Tempore Victoria Jones joined the board to swear in newly appointed and reappointed members. Those being sworn included Taheerah Demby, Chanda Floyd-Bryant, Hector Sanchez, Marie Lafalaise, Lovetta Lewis, and Teonna Davis. The meeting was called to order at 6:17 pm, recognizing a quorum. PRESENT Board Member Taheerah Demby Board Member Chanda Floyd-Bryant Board Member Hector Sanchez Board Member Marie Lafalaise Board Member Tracy Joseph Board Member Nancy Martin Board Member Tawny Waltz Board Member Michael Davis Board Member Lovetta Lewis Board Member Teonna Davis ABSENT Board Member Constance Brown Approval of Agenda Motion made to approve the agenda by Board Member Waltz, Seconded by Board Member Martin. Voting Yea: Board Member Demby, Board Member Floyd-Bryant, Board Member Sanchez, Board Member Lafalaise, Board Member Joseph, Board Member Martin, Board Member Waltz, Board Member Davis, Board Member Lewis, Board Member Dorsey Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes Motion to approve minutes from the December 4, 2024 meeting made by Board Member Davis, Seconded by Board Member Joseph. Voting Yea: Board Member Demby, Board Member Floyd-Bryant, Board Member Sanchez, Board Member Joseph, Board Member Martin, Board Member Waltz, Board Member Davis Voting Abstaining: Board Member Lafalaise, Board Member Lewis, Board Member Dorsey Annoucements Board Members shared brief personal updates. New Member Introductions New board members Lovetta Lewis, Teonna Davis, and Marie Lafalaise provided brief introductions. Public Comments To participate in the Public Comment part of this agenda, you must register with the Advisory Board Secretary before the beginning of the meeting. Presentations will be limited to two (2) minutes per person, and the Board will not respond to comments. Dr. Erlange Elisme joined the ReCAST board meeting, sharing her passion for trauma-informed care and offering herself as a resource for ongoing ReCAST work. General Discussion Election of ReCAST Advisory Board Officers ReCAST Program Manager, Marcus Thorne, shared the roles and responsibilities of Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. He also offered to continue as Board Secretary. The board briefly discussed officer nominees. Nancy Martin and Hector Sanchez received votes for Chair, with Nancy being elected. Hector Sanchez, Nancy Martin, and Chanda Floyd-Bryant received votes for Vice Chair, with Hector being elected. Marcus was elected to continue as Secretary with no other members receiving votes for that role. The board took a moment to thank Chanda for her four faithful years of board leadership and service as Chair and to congratulate the new officers. Community Connections Report: Long Table Consulting Linnea Miller, President of Long Table Consulting, reported on the outcomes, impact, and overall strategy of the Community Connections workshops held in 2024. Her report included evidence that the workshops were well received and well attended. She encouraged board members to attend the workshops and share the invitation to join within their respective networks. She also encouraged board members to consider organizations that might serve as lunch sponsors for the upcoming summer sessions. For more information visit https://www.eventeny.com/ and search for "Community Connections." ReCAST Partner Update: Georgia Center for Opportunity Carolina Pachon, Better Work Gwinnett (BWG) Program Coordinator, shared updates regarding the outcomes and impact of their work since their last report in October 2024. She reported that:  * 62 referrals were received via the ReCAST referral platform, Pokket * 31 residents registered to receive help from BWG * 28 Lawrenceville residents became active program participants and received services like coaching, resume prep, interview practice, career assessment, and connections with both employers and resources. * 28 participants from Lawrenceville reported finding employment by February 2025 * Two (2) new organizations started collaborating with GCO due to the grant: Waste Management in October 2024 and Klean Girl with a Bucket in February 2025. Additionally, Carolina shared two significant stories of participant impact. For more information on the BWG success stories, visit https://tinyurl.com/3sc7459x. Note: Better Work Gwinnett is a program of the Georgia Center for Opportunity, a contracted sub- recipient partner of the ReCAST grant. ReCAST General Program Update Program Manager, Marcus Thorne, provided updates regarding: * Sustainability -- ReCAST grant funding appears stable for the remainder of this grant year (ending in September 2026) and into next year, the fifth and final year of SAMHSA's committed funding. Note: SAMHSA stands for the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration and is a Health & Human Services sub-department. * ReCAST Event Planning & Participation -- Board members offered helpful suggestions to increase training attendance, including broadening outreach to qualifying participants. Note: SAMHSA has specified which professions count toward grant deliverables for this training category (WD2); named professions qualify. For more information regarding WD2, view this link https://tinyurl.com/ywzz7wtx. * Appointment & Onboarding of New ReCAST Board Members -- New members Lovetta Lewis, Marie Lafalaise, and Teonna Dorsey were welcomed to this first board meeting * Mental Health Question Inclusion -- Marcus shared that sub-recipient partners Georgia Center for Opportunity and Impact46 have begun including a mental health support question in their respective intake applications, increasing collaboration and inter-organizational referrals to behavioral health sub-recipient View Point Health. View Point provided the language for this question; the language promises to reduce and/or remove the stigma related to seeking mental health support. * Continuation Award -- the annual application for continuing grant funding in ReCAST Year 5 was submitted on time. * SAMHSA Visit—Program Director Dr. Edward Valentin and Program Manager Marcus Thorne have been invited, along with key grant personnel from other ReCAST cities, to an in-person meeting in Rockville, MD, in April. General Discussion No other business was discussed. Final Adjournment Motion made for meeting adjournment at 8:17 by Board Member Sanchez, Seconded by Board Member Floyd-Bryant. Voting Yea: Board Member Demby, Board Member Floyd-Bryant, Board Member Sanchez, Board Member Lafalaise, Board Member Joseph, Board Member Martin, Board Member Waltz, Board Member Davis, Board Member Lewis, Board Member Dorsey Minutes Signature ------------------------------------------------------------ Nancy Martin, Board Chair / Date ------------------------------------------------------------ Marcus D. Thorne, Secretary / Date