Founded in 1977, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the largest non-profit grassroots mental health organization in the United States. NAMI-UW is one of a hundred NAMI on Campus Clubs dedicated to bringing the NAMI mission to colleges around the nation. We are an all volunteer student run organization consisting of about 50 members primarily serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
National Alliance on Mental Illness at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a growing student organization comprised of student advocates, student consumers, and student supporters! We provide resources, education, support, and promote advocacy for all things mental health related on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and in our community. Please explore our website for all things NAMI-UW!
National Alliance on Mental Illness at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a growing student organization comprised of student advocates, student consumers, and student supporters! We provide resources, education, support, and promote advocacy for all things mental health related on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and in our community. Please explore our website for all things NAMI-UW!
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
SKYLAR BUTENHOFF: Co-President. Skylar is a junior majoring in Human Development and Family Studies with a certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies. She hopes to pursue a degree in Nursing in the upcoming semesters. In her free time, Skylar enjoys watching Criminal Minds, and camping with her family and friends! Skylar joined NAMI with the hopes of educating students on campus in regards to mental illness. “Mental illness isn’t something to be ashamed of, in fact needs a great deal of attention in order to end the stigmas surrounding it!”
LILY FRANTZ: Co-President. Lily is a junior pursuing a degree in nursing. She's always had a passion for serving others and loves getting to know new people. Her hobbies include spending time with loved ones, being around animals, and finding new things to do in Madison. Lily has always found support and advocacy for mental health to be extremely important, so she is thrilled to be a leader in NAMI and give support to her campus.
NATALIE HAMEISTER: Vice President. Natalie is completing her Psychology and Social Welfare double major in her third and final year at the UW. She plans to attend grad school for Clinical Psychology and has taken a special interest in substance abuse treatment. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, listening to crime podcasts, playing with her cats, and volunteering as a crisis counselor. The sense of community that NAMI offers and the club's desire to make an altruistic difference has driven Natalie's involvement in NAMI. She looks forward to connecting with more people over the subject she's most passionate about: psychology.
AMELIA DOW: Chief Communications Officer. Amelia is a junior studying psychology. She loves photography, watching movies, painting and spending time outdoors. She likes lending support to people when they need it, and wants to become a counseling or school psychologist. She joined NAMI to learn ways that she can become a better resource for mental health to friends and members of her community.
ELLIE BRUESS: Marketing Director. Ellie is a junior double majoring in Accounting and Human resources. She enjoys going thrifting, traveling, and spending time with her friends in her free time. Ellie joined NAMI in hopes to be an extra resource for others and to educate as many people on mental illness as possible. "There just aren't enough people out there that are properly educated on mental illness in proportion to the number of individuals that are affected by mental illness. We need to learn how to be there for ourselves and our loved ones."
JULIANA BRANDT: Treasurer. Juliana is a junior double majoring in Math and Statistics. She loves all the organizations she is apart of on campus, some including UNICEF, Wisconsin Admissions Volunteers, and Iceberg Improv. She joined NAMI because she has always been very interested in mental health awareness, and believes everyone deserves to have a safe place & NAMI provides that and proves to continue to be an inclusive and supportive space for everyone. "I am so excited to work with the organization and the people wanting to be a part of our club."
KENIA LINK: Bandana Project Director. Kenia is a junior who loves hunting, traveling, trying new foods, making playlists, and going to concerts! Kenia is involved with NAMI because she is passionate about being there for people and she sees mental illness as such a prominent issue in our world; "I think the stigma associated with mental illness needs to be diminished, and the best way to do that is to get involved with NAMI.. to advocate, educate, and support those with mental illness."
BHAVINI PERSAUD: Workshop Coordinator. Bhavini is a senior majoring in Retail & Consumer Behavior with a certificate in Public Policy. She loves writing poetry, baking, seeing friends, and trying new restaurants. Bhavini joined NAMI because she wanted to learn more about mental health due to dealing with her own struggles. In addition, "I found NAMI as a welcoming support system on campus, and I hope to continue fostering a sense of community to others. Talking about mental health is important and needed more than ever. By ending the stigma, we can give support to others dealing with mental illness."
BRETT PONTELANDOLFO: Volunteer Coordinator. Brett is a Junior studying Biology with a certificate in Public Health and an aspiration to attend medical school after graduation. In his free time, he likes to listen to music, try new foods, and spend time with both friends and his yorkie. Brett got involved with NAMI to be an advocate for student mental health and to learn about and help promote the many resources UW offers. "I believe that many people try to deny mental illness rather than seek help. I want people to talk about mental health as any other issue a person may face."
JAMES SIPPEL: Event Coordinator. James is a Junior on the pre-pharmacy track with hopes of getting admitted to pharmacy school in the coming years. He enjoys going hammocking, going for walks, watching YouTube, and playing video games with his roommates. James joined NAMI-UW because he believes that issues relating to mental health are critically unrecognized in society, even more so among college students. He hopes that by being in NAMI, he can help more people get the help that they need.
AARON ANDRIS: Internal Event Coordinator. Aaron is a junior from Miami, FL majoring in psychology. He enjoys playing basketball, doing yoga, meditating, traveling, and meeting new people. Aaron joined NAMI because he wants to do something and take initiative in counteracting the stigmatization of mental illness around the country and world that leaves so many suffering and silent. He wants to normalize mental illness in the same way physical illness is normalized.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
333 East Campus Mall Suite 3196
Madison, WI 53715
nami.wisco@gmail.com
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
333 East Campus Mall Suite 3196
Madison, WI 53715
nami.wisco@gmail.com
