On November 5th at the BWI Hilton, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maryland celebrated the awarding of their executive director, Kate Farinholt, with the Daily Record’s 2018 Most Admired CEO Award.

Under Kate Farinholt’s leadership, NAMI Maryland has grown into a nationally recognized agency, and Farinholt is a highly sought-after consultant who is respected for creating tools and procedures adopted by NAMI affiliates across the country.

Farinholt has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving diverse communities in Maryland, including incarcerated persons, LGBTQ+, veterans, homeless individuals, and various ethnic groups. She has been instrumental in helping military veterans and their families and was a pioneer in delivering free educational programs, such as NAMI Homefront, for service members and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. Among her other accomplishments, Farinholt was instrumental in the development of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) initiatives in Baltimore City and Baltimore County and has been nationally recognized for her work on CIT/mental health crisis programs and criminal justice staff training. Within NAMI itself, Kate was instrumental in the development of the NAMI model and training for both the NAMI Family Support Group and NAMI Connection (support group for individuals with mental illness), and was, for many years, the volunteer national trainer and coordinator of the NAMI Family Support Group program. She co-developed the NAMI In Our Own Voice: Living with Mental Illness training for individual speakers which is available in all 50 states and beyond.

“She shows us every day by her own actions and encouragements how working at NAMI Maryland is not just a job but instead fulfills a critical need for so many without a voice in Maryland. She is innovative, dedicated, resourceful, and driven.”

Farinholt was selected by an outside panel of judges for her personal achievement, community leadership, and mentoring. The announcement was made in The Daily Record’s print publication, online at TheDailyRecord.com, and to The Daily Record’s subscribers. Farinholt and other honorees were recognized on stage at the BWI Hilton on Monday, November 5th.

About NAMI Maryland

NAMI Maryland is the NAMI state organization in Maryland. The mission of NAMI Maryland is to improve the quality of life for individuals with severe mental illnesses and their families. We are dedicated to providing education, support and advocacy for persons with mental illnesses, their families and the wider community. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.