Award Winners: NAMICon 2025

Vesper Moore serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Kiva Centers. As an Indigenous activist and leader, Vesper is deeply committed to promoting mental health and disability rights through activism, leadership, organizing, public speaking, and education. Their work focuses on cultivating social movements and raising public awareness to foster lasting social change.

Vesper has contributed to the establishment of mental health organizations worldwide and has been an advocate for civil rights in the United States. Through their advocacy, they have brought the perspectives of people with mental health challenges and disabilities to both national and international platforms.

Collaborating with the United States government and the United Nations, Vesper helps shape strategies around trauma, intersectionality, and disability rights. They have been featured on NBC News, PBS NewsHour, Politico, and at The White House. Vesper is at the forefront of legislative reform, striving to shift the societal paradigm surrounding mental health.

I'm Eeman Nadeem, a huge mental health advocate who has a Bachelor's in Arts of Human Services and a CRSS. I have been with NAMI DuPage since 2023, first as an Intern, now as an Independent contractor. I love making a difference/impact in people's lives. Did I mention that I am an animal lover and have a cute Cat named Cinderella, who is also known as Cinder, and she is my Emotional Support Cat. But I would not be where I am today if it weren't for my family and friends, and extended chosen Family at NAMI DuPage.

Violet Newborn is a survivor, artist, author, and mental health advocate who transforms trauma into healing through her nonprofit, Color Your Story Onto Mine (CYSOM). As a certified peer recovery specialist and founder of a faith-based recovery initiative, Violet uses social artistry to foster emotional literacy, resilience, and community connection. Her workshops, journals, and creative curriculum empower individuals affected by trauma, addiction, and mental health challenges to reclaim their stories and stand in their truth. Based in Tennessee, Violet's work uplifts marginalized voices and creates brave spaces where healing and inclusion thrive.

"And when my brush meets the canvas, I'm not just painting-I'm praying, I'm purging, I'm planting healing where fire once grew wild."-Violet Newborn

Ezequiel Lafont is a passionate advocate for mental health equity and education. Originally from Argentina, he earned his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, where he was inspired by the country's cultural emphasis on accessible mental health care. Now based in New York, he conducts research at Mount Sinai Health System and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and has served as an Inpatient Psychiatry Clinical Observer at BronxCare Health System, Mount Sinai Morningside and SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dedicated to breaking stigma in Latino communities, he helped create Hablemos, a NAMI-NYC program providing mental health education in Spanish to parents with children who are experiencing mental health struggles. Through his advocacy and clinical work, Ezequiel strives to make mental health care more accessible, compassionate, and culturally responsive.

Northern Virginia is a highly diverse region, home to individuals representing over 200 countries and speaking more than 181 languages. This makes it one of the most culturally diverse regions in the U.S. Since our founding, NAMI NoVA has fought for families and individuals impacted by mental health conditions. We promote community wellness, break down barriers to mental health care, and provide support and expertise for families, professionals, and individuals throughout Northern Virginia. At NAMI Northern Virginia, we have the courage to believe that healing is possible and to believe in the power of hope.

Sita Diehl serves as Public Policy & Advocacy Director for NAMI Wisconsin (National Alliance on Mental Illness). On behalf of NAMI Wisconsin, she co-facilitates the Mental Health Action Partnership (MHAP), a statewide coalition gathered to advance ongoing improvement of Wisconsin’s mental health service system and staffs the Criminal Justice workgroup facilitated by Specialist Sunny Schneider (Waukesha PD). Ms. Diehl has previously worked as Director of Policy and State Outreach for NAMI national in Arlington Virginia, and as Executive Director for NAMI Tennessee. She is a social worker focused on public policy, systems design and implementation. She earned her MSSW from the University of Tennessee and Master of Arts in Community Psychology from Antioch University.

Ms. Diehl has co-authored reports on mental health caregiving, mental health parity, mental health legislation, supported employment, the state mental health budget crisis, military mental health, and Medicaid expansion. She has developed mental health curricula for peers, families, providers, and criminal justice personnel. Her research experience includes a two-state comparison of women and children in public managed behavioral health care, the SAMHSA multi-site study of consumer-operated services and a longitudinal study of mental health services in Tennessee county jails.

Laura Yanez is the Executive Director for NAMI Western Nevada. She is the lead volunteer on NAMI Western Nevada in Corrections Program, a partnership with Nevada Department of Correction to bring mental health support into Northern Nevada Correctional Center since 2017. The program includes NAMI Connection Peer Recovery Support Groups lead by inmates, suicide prevention, officer wellness, and addressing mental health stigma in the instiutions community. The program also has had 2 Mental Health Walks in the institution, a first for NAMI. She has been very involved in CIT Trainings throughout rural and frontier Nevada as well as the implementation of NAMI Western Nevada's 40 hour Youth Crisis Training. As a peer, family member and professional, she brings a valuable perspective to the dialogue of mental health dialogue.

Michelle Abdon is an award-winning mental health advocate, creative, design strategist, and cultural changemaker. She has led national and state-wide mental health initiatives for nonprofits and social enterprises alike, co-designed trauma-informed-curricular for governmental agencies and school programs, and facilitated cross-cultural dialogues throughout the world. Her life's work is an extension of the journey that began with her grandparents who dedicated their life to public service as barangay captains in Bulacan, Philippines. She is a 2023-25 Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar for Public Service, a 2023-24 Women's Foundation Innovator, a previous NAMI-Multicultural Advisory Board member, NAMI Young Adult Expert Advisor, and a 2020-21 FINNOVATION Fellowship alum. She believes the greatest transformation happens at the intersection of design, healing, and creative arts - where imagination meets empathy, and new systems for wellness can take root. In addition to her advocacy work, she enjoys volunteering as a peer ambassador for a mental health writing circle and creating art as a hospice volunteer. As the 2025 Young Adult Leader awardee, she carries this honor not alone, but with deep gratitude for the community who has nurtured her vision and supported her in her growth and transformation - reminding her that healing is never a solitary act, but a shared journey toward liberation.

2025 NAMI Award Winners

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