Meet Our Team
The National Federation of Families (NFF) employs individuals dedicated to fulfilling the organization's mission with their skills covering a wide range of areas including social marketing, policy, leadership, and technical assistance. The majority of the team has lived experience as an individual or a parent/caregiver or family member who has navigated mental health and/substance use supports and services.
Lynda Gargan, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Dr. Lynda Gargan is the Executive Director of the National Federation of Families, the nation’s largest advocacy organization dedicated to children, adolescents, and adults living with mental health and/or substance use challenges. A psychologist by training, with extensive expertise in behavioral health systems, workforce development, and health policy, Dr. Gargan brings decades of senior leadership experience to her work advancing integrated, community-based care across the continuum.
Dr. Gargan’s career spans clinical practice, federal technical assistance, litigation oversight, and executive leadership—positioning her as a nationally recognized authority on behavioral health access, reimbursement policy, and peer support workforce innovation. Her work is highly relevant to healthcare organizations, managed care entities, and insurance stakeholders seeking to improve outcomes and reduce long-term costs associated with untreated mental health and substance use disorders.
Gail Cormier, MS
Director of Technical Assistance
Gail Cormier, MS is the Director of Technical Assistance for the National Federation of Families. Here she served as the Director of the National Family Support Technical Assistance Center (NFSTAC), the nation’s first SAMHSA‑funded Family Center of Excellence dedicated to supporting families and caregivers of children—of any age—who experience serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders. Throughout her career, Ms. Cormier has provided national and statewide technical assistance, elevating the voices of families, youth, and young adults. She is a recognized national family leader with both professional expertise and deep family‑lived experience. Her work has contributed to the development of federal programs serving at‑risk and vulnerable individuals, families, and youth. Prior to joining the National Federation of Families, she spent 14 years as Executive Director of North Carolina Families United, the state chapter of the National Federation of Families. There, she led statewide efforts to build and strengthen both the Family Peer Specialist workforce and the Youth Peer Workforce.
Kelsey Engelbracht
Marketing & Communications Consultant
Kelsey Engelbracht is a seasoned nonprofit professional with diverse expertise in project development, organization and management, event/campaign planning and execution and technical proficiencies. She has nearly 20 years of experience in strategic planning to support institutional goals and brings a unique blend of creative vision and analytical thinking to every project.
Angela Radzevich
Business & Digital Marketing Consultant
Angela comes to us with over 20 years of experience in Project Management, Marketing, HR, Digital & Website Design roles from England, Belgium and the U.S along with a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management & French from Northumbria University in England. Angela wholeheartedly advocates that all families and their loved ones should receive person-centered mental health support.
Michelle Covington
Senior Project Manager
For over 30 years, Michelle has been a dedicated advocate for children and families experiencing behavioral health challenges. She brought her life and professional experience to the Federation in 2017. Michelle believes firmly that every family should have access to the services they need for both their mental health and physical health. This commitment to parity shows in the work she does on behalf of the Federation in the evaluation of legislation, policy and advocacy at both the national and state level.