National Council to Honor 4 Awards of Excellence Winners at NatCon

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 1, 2026) — The National Council for Mental Wellbeing will present the 2026 Awards of Excellence to four recipients during NatCon, the biggest industry event in the behavioral health field, taking place in Denver April 27-29.

“The Awards of Excellence recognize individuals each year who have achieved distinction in this amazing field,” said Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO of the National Council. “While so many National Council members fit that category, I’m honored to recognize four colleagues who have distinguished themselves.”

Jermaine J. Williams and Marc Palmer, MS, BA, LPC, will each receive the National Council’s Peer Specialist of the Year Award, which recognizes people with lived experience who work in substance use and mental health treatment to assist clients with their own recovery.

Williams, a peer recovery specialist at CDAC Behavioral Healthcare Inc. in Pensacola, Florida, works directly with individuals navigating substance use and mental health challenges. He is also a Mental Health First Aid Instructor with the Cypress Resilience Project. His journey from addiction to advocacy embodies the transformative power of lived experience. Williams has been in recovery for more than nine years and has turned his personal story into a force for hope, resilience and community change.

Palmer is a behavioral health housing specialist at WellSpan Philhaven in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. He is also a certified recovery specialist, certified recovery family specialist, certified peer specialist and certified peer specialist supervisor. With lived experience and a passion for serving the community, he brings a unique and empathetic perspective to his work. He assists clients with housing stability, while also providing guidance and connecting them to resources to help them overcome challenges, achieve their goals and find lasting success in their recovery journey.

Michele Reid, MD, and Bonita Schrock, LCSW, will each receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes health care leaders for their tireless efforts and commitment to improving the lives of those living with mental health and substance use challenges.

Dr. Reid is vice president and chief operating officer at CNS Healthcare in suburban Detroit. CNS is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic serving more than 8,600 children, adolescents, adults and seniors with mental health and substance use challenges. Dr. Reid, a Detroit native, has been in the field for more than 35 years. She is also a clinical assistant professor at the Wayne State University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences and is on the Board of Regents of the American College of Psychiatrists.

Schrock retired at the end of 2025 after a stellar career lasting more than 30 years. She ended her career as the chief clinical officer at Oaklawn Psychiatric Center, in northern Indiana. Schrock became Oaklawn’s first chief clinical officer in 2019, providing steady and visionary leadership to guide the organization through transformational change. She led Oaklawn’s transformation into a trauma-informed organization, helped the Elkhart County System of Care become a state and national model and helped Oaklawn become one of Indiana’s first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.

“I cannot wait to present these four great people with the recognition they so richly deserve,” Ingoglia said. “They have worked so hard and truly deserve this distinction.”