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Alyssa Gibbons, LCSW-R, BCD, US Navy

Alyssa Gibbons, LCSW-R, BCD graduated from UNC Charlotte with her MSW in 2003 and has been in clinical practice since June 2003. She has worked with a variety of populations, mainly adults in various stages of recovery from MH/SUD issues. She served 6 years as an active duty Navy Medical Service Corps Officer from 2009 – 2016 as a social worker. She currently works for the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center in outpatient substance abuse and has a passion for spirituality as a recovery focus.

Amanda L Matteson, PhD, MSW/ Army National Guard

Brent Russell, LMSW, Army Veteran

Brent Russell is a Desert Storm veteran who served from 1990 to 1992 with the 369th communication Battalion. He was released with an honorable-medical discharge out of Fort Dix N.J. Brent graduated with a Masters in Social work from Adelphi University in 2014 and now is a LMSW working on getting certification for his practice. Brent Russell is the Director of Veterans Services at the Mental Health Association of Nassau County which houses “The PFC Dwyer Peer Support Project of Nassau County” and also “The Veterans Health Alliance of Long Island”. He oversees 14 Veteran peer support groups and coordinates different events geared to engage the Veteran and family member to connect them with positive resources if needed. Ultimately leading Veterans and family members to good health and wellness.

Dani Koulermos, US Army Disabled Veteran, LCAT-P

Jeremy Duers, Marine Corps Veteran

Mary Jo Gibson, LCSW, Retired Military Spouse

Mary Jo Gibson is a licensed clinical social worker and completed coursework as an addiction specialist. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Catholic University and her Masters of Social Work from Adelphi University.

Mary Jo presently serves as an adjunct professor at SUNY Empire State University, where she teaches a course on “Crisis Intervention.” She previously taught “Grief and Loss.” She most recently finished serving as a clinical social worker with the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program at the Albany Veterans Administration hospital, a position she held for close to eight years.

Earlier in her career immediately after completing graduate school, Mary Jo previously served as a social worker at both Bronx Municipal Hospital and Catholic Charities Mental Health Clinic in Woodside Queens.

After marrying her husband who was an officer in the US Army, Mary Jo gained significant experience leading military family readiness groups. During that time period, her volunteer responsibilities included facilitating communications between the deployed Soldiers and families, providing resources to families in need, visiting and supporting wounded warriors, coordinating training programs, and mentoring family readiness advisers. It was also during this time that she co-led workshops on general wellness and healthy eating.

Mary Jo is a founding co-chair of the U.S. Congressional Spouses Group on Suicide Prevention and Education, on which she served during the time her husband Chris Gibson served in the U.S. House of Representatives following his retirement from the Army. She continues to support local chapters of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Since 2012, Mary Jo has served on the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Veterans Mental Health Training Initiative Advisory Committee. Veterans Mental Health Training Initiative supports the professional development of mental health providers through conferences and programs to better serve our returning veterans and their families.

Mary Jo lives in Kinderhook, NY, with her husband. They have three adult children.

Ward Halverson, Retired LCSW-R Private Practice, Captain/US Army

Anthony Rabasca, LT.Col., USAF, Retired, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Lieutenant Colonel Rabasca retired from the United States Air Force after 20 years of service. He is graduate of four military institutes including: Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, Armed Forces Staff College and the Air War College. His military experience was divided between two Air Force specialties: For eleven years he served in North American Air Defense (NORAD) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He was chosen to attend the Defense Race Relations Institute(DRRI) from which he graduated in 1972. For eight years of his career he served as Social Actions Specialist. The Social Actions mission focused on Equal Opportunity and Treatment, Drug/Alcohol Abuse and Rehabilitation, and Race Relations. His duties included conducting group sensitivity training that focused on race relations and sexism in the Air Force. From 1976-1980 he served as an instructor at the Department of Defense Race Relations Institute(DRRI) where he was in charge of curriculum development of subjects that included racism and sexism in the military. In 1978 he earned a Masters Degree in Human Relations from Oklahoma University. From 1980 to 1983 he served as Deputy Commander of the ROTC Detachment at Rutgers University. His last Air Force assignment was as Director of Training at the NORAD Operations Center located at Griffiss Air Force Base, Rome, NY. After retirement in 1988 earned a clinical degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Syracuse University. He was President of the New York State Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (NYAMFT) from 1999-2002. In December of 2001he served at the World Trade Center, ground zero, as a Red Cross Mental Health Specialist. In 2013 he retired after 25 years in private practice as an LMFT. He has been a member of the VMHTI Advisory and Curriculum Development Committees since 2016. He is currently working as a consultant to the Sitrin Outpatient Military Rehabilitation Clinical Development Program, New Hartford, NY and is a sponsor and participant in Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing in Twin Bridges, Montana. He resides in Rome, NY with his wife, Jane.

MAJ Michael Varmette, Lt.Col. USMC, Retired, MSW, MSSM

Lieutenant Colonel Varmette, USMC (Ret) hails originally from upstate New York. He applied and was accepted into the State University of New York at Albany where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During his time at SUNY he joined the Marine Corps in 1982 under the Platoon Leaders Commissioning Program. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May 1984 and July 1984 attended The Basic School, Fox Company. At the Basic School he was assigned as an Infantry Officer and upon graduation attended the Infantry Officers Course. His first assignment was to Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, where he was a Platoon Commander, Weapons Platoon Commander, and Executive Officer to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines. After this tour Lieutenant Varmette was assigned to the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Center in Bridgeport California. He held various billets of Mountain Leader, Unit Operation, and Chief Instructor. He was promoted to Captain and attended Amphibious Warfare School. Completing the mid-level career school, he was assigned to Hawaii as a Company Commander, Weapons Company Commander for 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. He was promoted to Major and was reassigned as the Plans Officer for III Marine Expeditionary Forces, Hawaii.

Major Varmette was assigned in 1996 to Marine Corps Systems Command as a Project Officer for Individual Weapons. Finishing that tour, he attended Marine Corps’ Command and Staff College and obtain a Master of Science in Systems Management from Capitol College. He received orders to Headquarters Marine Corps, Manpower and Reserve Affairs. As Division Head for Distribution of Manpower Management Officer Affairs he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. In 2002, Lieutenant Colonel was assigned as a Professor of Program Management and Leadership at the Defense Acquisition University. While there he was assigned to the Office of Military Cooperation Afghanistan as a military consultant. He retired out of Headquarters Battalion in Quantico, 1 July 2006. Lieutenant Colonel Varmette served on Unit Deployments to Okinawa, deployments with Marine Expeditionary Unit Special Operations Capable to the Mediterranean, including Somalia and Afghanistan. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Varmette was a program manager and consultant for Intelligence Systems from 2006 to 2016. He recently completed his second graduate degree from the Graduate School of Social Welfare, University at Albany in May 2020. He resides in Lake Luzerne New York.

MAJ Robin MacHattie, Behavioral Health Officer and Sexual Assault Response Coordinator/Army National Guard

MAJ MacHattie has been a commissioned officer in the New York Army National Guard since 2015. She serves as a Behavioral Health Officer (social worker) and Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. Her passion is helping Service Members understand the nuances of behavioral health and wellness, providing psychoeducation, support, and appropriate resources. She also dedicates herself to raising awareness of sexual assault: what it is, how it thrives in certain unit cultures, bystander intervention, prevention efforts, and resources available. Prior to commissioning, Robin had worked as a civilian contractor for the New York Army National Guard from 2011-2015. Her civilian profession is in higher education, holding the position of Assistant Professor of Social Work.

Tim Scott, U.S. Army Active Duty, LICSW