Our Leadership

Carmen Martinez is a graduate of the University of Houston with a concentration in business management and marketing. In 2013; Carmen was introduced to Latrece Bell while attending North Harris Community College. Over the years, the 2 developed an unbreakable friendship. In 2011, Latrece died due to suicide after her battle with bipolar disorder. After her best friend’s passing, she found NAMI GH and started dedicating her time as a volunteer and a family to family teacher facilitator. Ms. Martinez continues as an advocate on suicide prevention and mental health awareness, sharing the story of her bond with Latrece and provides education and support with women with some similar experiences. In her spare time, Carmen enjoys modeling, acting and has competed in local and national bodybuilding shows. She is a caregiver to her mother and enjoys spending time with close friends and family.

Angelina Hudson has served as NAMI Greater Houston’s (NAMI GH) Director of Programs since 2011. In this capacity, Angelina supports earlier identification of those facing a mental health condition, removing barriers to mental health services & supports, and de-criminalizing those living with mental health conditions by advocating for appropriate treatment options. Angelina leads the operations of the psychoeducation programs servicing family members of loved ones diagnosed with a serious mental health condition, parents of children diagnosed, military family members reeling from deployment-related challenges, and those searching for their own recovery path. Angelina also oversees the organization’s support groups for peers in recovery, family members, veterans, and signature program training opportunities.

In addition, she serves on the national NAMI training team as a trainer for the signature NAMI Family Support Group model and as a state trainer certifying new NAMI Basics teachers for parents and caregivers of children. Angelina also contributes to the team as a Director for the organization’s warm line service and cultivates partnering organizations who refer clients searching for mental health service linkages. Under her direction, the program offerings throughout Greater Houston have grown from four locations in one county to more than 29 program sites located in three counties with additional fee-for-service contracts serving 3 area school districts. In her latest endeavor, she launched an initiative to raise awareness and promote mental health interventions targeted toward our society’s youth and young adults. Currently, Angelina collaborates with Texas’ Workforce Commission to connect adults disabled by their mental health diagnosis to supported-employment opportunities, cross-training, and entrepreneurial development.

Shannon Emerick has served in non-profit communications and marketing in Houston for nearly 20 years, working with mental health, health & human services, and arts organizations. She is driven by the power of sharing stories and human connection. Ms. Emerick is also a professional actor, working locally and nationally on stage, in commercial work, and in voiceover. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and is the proud mother her 15 year-old son, Rowan.

Kern F. Vanderburg manages NAMI Greater Houston’s Warmline/Sea Center and brings to NAMI Greater Houston a background of 35 years of dual diagnosis counseling as an LCDC along with recovery and community advocacy in Texas and also around the country.

Kern is currently a state certified Mental Health Peer Specialist. Acting as peer support specialist to bring “lived experience” and training in supporting those who struggle with mental health, psychological trauma, or substance use. My personal experience of these challenges provides me with empathy, understanding, and insight that professional training alone cannot duplicate. I promote and encourage resilience along with SEA Center Peer staff to engender that innate capacity people possess to recover from difficulties and challenges in today’s very difficult times.

My ideals flow from cultivating mindfulness that is essential in the effort to see myself and others clearly and to bring compassion and caring to my efforts to be of service. I am an artist of life and a proud loving father and brother. A song I have on repeat is “Ain’t No Cure for Love”

-Coordination of our SEA Center operators and resource directory

NAMI SEA Center: The Support Education & Advocacy (SEA) Center is a peer-run operation dedicated to providing support, education, and advocacy through opportunities and resources for individuals to help them find their own path to mental health recovery.

Brenda Broussard-Maatsch comes to NAMI GH as Program Manager of Community and Education. Brenda has a long history, 20+ years, of developing and maintaining partnerships and programs, event implementation, and supervising volunteers and interns in the non-profit sector. Brenda has an innate ability to create programs, solicit partnering organizations and community businesses participation, ability to coordinate conferences, and implement events. She is very passionate about helping others. Brenda resides in Baytown, Texas. Her joys include road trips with her husband, entertaining at the lake, refabbing furniture, and spending time with her daughter, currently a senior at Texas State University. Brenda is very excited about the prospective impact she can contribute to NAMI GH and has hit the ground running…. WALKING…as she is excited for the upcoming NAMI WALK on May 22.