Gail Stern

President

I have had several past lives – from working in child development for national Head Start to producing corporate special events; from designing commercial office space to founding Mandala, an international adoption agency. I’m now proud to represent my clients as a real estate broker in the Triangle. As the mother of five children and one grandchild (about time!), I’ve been involved with mental health services both professionally and personally for many years. Josh’s Hope has a thoughtful proven approach to the needs of its clientele and I’m privileged to be a part of it.

Jordan Shamp

Vice-President

Jordan is an educator, having spent the last 10+ years teaching elementary physical education.  He's directed the after school program at Lerner Jewish Community Day School, and currently coaches middle school basketball at Carolina Friends School, where he graduated in '99.  He also recently helped co-found a contract management software company based in Durham.  Jordan has served his entire adult life on his family's charitable foundation board, and brings passion, energy, and unique vision and skills to Josh's Hope.

June Minton

Secretary

June has shared an interest in mental health issues since about 2010 after struggling to secure consistent and adequate treatment services for a family member in need of help. After joining the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), June participated in the Family-to-Family training and gained immense knowledge about the lack of available mental health services for individuals and family members searching for ways to help their loved ones. With this understanding and life experiences, which included the suicide of a sister at age 22, she became an advocate for improving access to treatment services for everyone. June has lived in Hillsborough since 1990, and works as a Real Estate Broker. She is the mother of two adult children who also live in the area. Besides her volunteer work on the Josh's Hope Board of Directors, June spends her free time hiking trails along the Eno River and Triangle Land Conservancy, as well as enjoying gardening, family time and playing with her dogs.

Julie Jarrell Bailey

Co-Founder and Board Member

Julie Jarrell Bailey
Co-Founder & Board Member
Julie brings decades of experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors, having worked
primarily in public relations and community program development. Among her achievements, in
2000 she established the Family Advocacy Network (FAN) program at Mental Health America of
the Triangle which provided advocacy, training and support to parents raising children with
mental health issues. Julie was also a recipient of the 2009 Heroes in the Fight Award
presented by the NC Coalition for Persons Disabled by Mental Illness and, along with husband
Steve, is the 2017 co-recipient of the NC Lifetime Achievement in Mental Health Advocacy
Award presented by the NC Annual Legislative Breakfast on Mental Health. Julie has also
worked as a freelance writer and is author of “The Adoption Reunion Survival Guide: Preparing
Yourself for the Search, Reunion and Beyond,” (New Harbinger, 2001).

Steve Bailey

Co-Founder and Board Member

As its co-founder and Executive Director, Steve is a guiding force in leadership at Josh's Hope. What started as a way for him to cope with grief over the loss of his beloved son, Josh, has grown into a vital program helping hundreds of individuals in the community who live with a mental health condition and their family members since the organization incorporated in 2010. Steve has worked in business management and accounting practices for over 40 years. In addition to his lived experiences as the parent of children with mental health diagnoses, he has also been trained in mental health related topics, such as Mental Health First Aid, QPR, Transitions to Adulthood, Legal Guardianship 101, Mental Health Advocacy, Navigating the System of Care, and others. He has served on two task forces for NC Department of Health and Human Services representing the parent voice for the mental health population and has been the Fiscal Manager of the Annual Legislative Breakfast on Mental Health since 2011. Along with his wife, Julie, he is the co-recipient of the 2017 NC Lifetime Achievement in Mental Health Advocacy Award presented by the Annual Legislative Breakfast on Mental Health.

Linda McDonough

Board Member

is an administrator, educator, mental health advocate, writer and founder of Hope Creek Academy (formerly Just Right Academy), a K-12 private school for special needs students who have struggled without success in the public school system. She is no stranger to the nonprofit sector, having started the Augustine Project, Cedardell, Inc., and others in her lifetime, all in service to help disenfranchised populations. Linda is also the parent of a young adult child who has experienced lifelong struggles with mental health issues, which resulted in her developing great understanding of the mental health treatment system and gaps in services.