Convenings

The Foundation welcomed more than 250 participants to discuss the role of the built environment in decriminalizing mental illness. We were honored to host speakers S. Rebecca Neusteter, PhD, Executive Director of the University of Chicago Health Lab; Katya Fels Smyth, Founder and CEO of Full Frame Initiative; and Clyde Valentin, Co-Artistic Director of One Nation/One Project, in conversation with Melissa M. Beck, Esq., Executive Director of the Sozosei Foundation.

The Foundation convened over 60 funders to preview a sizzle reel of a new documentary, COMMITTED. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmakers Ken Rosenberg, MD, and Peter Miller then engaged in conversation with Melissa M. Beck, Esq., Executive Director of the Sozosei Foundation. Set in Akron, Ohio, the film centers on Judges Elinor Marsh Stormer and Alison Breaux, who preside over civil courts working to ensure people with mental illness have access to care in the community. Learn more about the film here.  

Centered on themes of (Re)Imagining, (Re)Considering, and (Re)Framing, the Summit asked: what is essential to decriminalize mental illness while exploring how to increase access to mental health care in communities throughout the United States.