MEET OUR AMBASSADORS:

Bryan Abrams is an internationally-recognized, two-time Grammy-nominated, American Music Award and two-time Soul Train Award-winning, R&B/pop singer-songwriter with over 12 million albums sold worldwide, three Billboard #1 Hot 100 and R&B hits and is an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee.

Bryan is best known around the world as the original lead singer, front man and founding member of the 90’s crossover hit group Color Me Badd. Having faced many public challenges including substance use disorders, a life-long battle with obesity and tensions within the group he founded, Abrams is painfully aware of the toll that being self-sacrificing can take on a person’s mental health.

Abrams found himself at rock bottom due to his addictions, and was inspired to take his power back only by the desperation and disappointment he witnessed in the eyes of his wife and daughters. Having lived with addiction for over 25 years, Abrams has now put his focus on his mental and physical health, and is proudly in his third year of recovery. Abrams’ zest for music has returned and prompted him to dive into the vault of songs written and set aside over the decades.

Kimberly Abrams is an alumna of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and a Honors graduate with a degree in Diversified Studies from Oklahoma City Community College. Kimberly spent her early career working as a national educator for a Fortune 500 company and, eventually, as business manager to her husband, R&B/ pop singer-songwriter Bryan Abrams.

As a young girl, Kimberly was already familiar with what mental illness can look like. She witnessed the many struggles certain family members suffered as a result of being unfortunate recipients of antiquated mental health treatments, while others simply fell through the cracks of a broken, mental healthcare system. Later, as a married woman, Kimberly saw yet another ugly manifestation of untreated mental illness as she watched her husband battle substance use and eating disorders. She realized she would have to do something different than she ever had, that is, if she expected her husband to survive. She would need to become an active participant in his recovery, rather than wait for a sick person to get well alone . . . . and, it worked.

Mentally stronger than ever, Kimberly and her now-recovered husband Bryan reside in Oklahoma with their two daughters. Kimberly is a proud tribal citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a documented descendent of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Dr. Celestine LaVan is a member of the International Board of Directors of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated, where she serves as the Regional Director of the Southeastern Region. Dr. LaVan oversees the operations and membership activities of over 170 chapters in the United States, the Bahamas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Celestine holds a Psychology degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Liberty University.

As part of her executive leadership training, Celestine had the privilege of attending the BB&T Leading Change Executive Institute and Closing the Achievement Gap Institute at Harvard University. As a public educator, Dr. LaVan considers herself a servant leader passionate about advocating for marginalized and underserved populations.

Uniquely situated as a Navy veteran and daughter, wife, and sister of combat service members, Celestine understands the importance of attending to the socio-emotional well-being of military families. Through leadership role within Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Dr. LaVan engages with over 400 active duty, retired, and prior servicewomen.

Shawn Moore serves as the Program Manager, Financial Wellness for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation where she supports financial and employment related initiatives, to include the Employer Task Force and emergency financial relief offerings. Shawn is an Alumna 2017 Dole Caregiver Fellow for Missouri, and has also assisted with the Foundation’s Respite Relief program.

Prior to becoming a caregiver to her husband who served for 23 years in the U.S. Army, Shawn served as a police officer for nearly 15 years with Kansas City, Missouri. She then obtained a Master of Social Work degree from Park University and is a Licensed Master Social Worker in both Missouri and Kansas. Prior to joining the Foundation, Shawn founded Caregivers on the Homefront where she stood up for mental health programming for veteran and military caregivers and their children.

Shawn is passionate about advocating for military and veteran caregivers and utilizes both her lived experience and education by presenting to national audiences on how communities can best support the family members of our veterans.

Allen’s published collection of poems titled Can I Speak? tells of stories from the lives of characters who face different adversities. He has evoked empathy and has inspired his readers to reflect on their own unique story. His motto has moved the hearts of those who desire motivation as they journey through life; it is a lifestyle and a mindset. “Never Stop, Never Quit, Repeat!”

Bob Stead earned his Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio.  Prior to earning his Master’s Bob served proudly in the United States Army as a Combat Medic.  A combination of life experience and academic endeavors have allowed Bob the ability to interact with people from all walks of life.

Bob has a unique perspective in today’s divided world in that he sees all people equally and works hard to maintain openness and honesty in all his relationships.   His passion is working with children that come from difficult places, and those struggling with trauma.  However, Bob has experience working with children, adolescents, teenagers, and adults.

Bob enjoys helping individuals overcome the myriad of conflicts they deal with in today’s ever evolving society.  Bob also has extensive training and experience in Crisis and Trauma with training in Disaster Response, Psychological First Aid, and Individual and Group Crisis Intervention.

Stephanie Szostak is a French-American actress you may know from the ABC hit series A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, The Devil Wears Prada or Iron Man 3 (amongst other projects). Stephanie got a late start on the acting scene and had the willingness to disrupt her life, leaving her career in the corporate world behind to seek an authentic life.

Stephanie took her first acting class when she was 29 years old. It was a theatre class in NYC. It was there that she realized acting was her passion and knew she had to do it because for the first time in her life, while pretending to be someone else, she felt more like herself than she ever had, she felt ALIVE, connected to all of herself, including pieces she’d buried a long time ago.

From being told “your career should have never happened” as her roles got bigger so did the pressure, causing her performance to be negatively affected by feelings of unworthiness and fear. This pushed her to address mindset and discover its interconnection with performance. Stephanie acts, writes, speaks and tells stories of challenges and transformation.