Amy Hilliard is an active member of NAMI Albuquerque Board of Directors. She has a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Florida State University. Her specialty is learning strategies. She loves working with all ages. As a Director of Education at Huntington Learning Center, she developed educational programs and tutored reading and math skills to kindergarten through high school students. Next, she was a Senior Enrollment Representative and Psychology Instructor at the University of Phoenix. The last several years she worked in Accounts Payable for private industries. She also has a mental illness. She was diagnosed as bipolar while writing her dissertation. She feels lucky she received the help she needed to graduate and go into a career in education and finance. Not everyone has that chance. There are some staggering statistics about suicide in the United States. She is passionate about helping others with mental illness reach their full potential. When she moved to Albuquerque in 2024, she decided to focus on volunteering. She made it her goals to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, raise awareness of mental health resources available in New Mexico, and help hard-to-reach populations get the resources they need to build better lives. She started her journey as a NAMI volunteer tabling at events. Then, she trained as a NAMI support group peer facilitator and started co-leading the in-person NAMI Albuquerque support group. She presented at organizations in the social, non-profit, prison, and military sectors to introduce them to NAMI and what the organization has to offer. In December 2024 She became a NAMI Albuquerque Board Member. Her goals in 2025 are to advocate for behavioral health legislature, write grants for NAMI Albuquerque, and help hard-to-reach populations get the resources they need. She partners with the military community, organizations who help the unhoused, law enforcement, and spiritual/religious organizations in Albuquerque. She is part of the NAMI New Mexico legislative committee. She spoke to legislators at the 2025 Disability Rights Awareness Day, Military and Veteran Day, and Behavioral Health Day. She was elected as a Precinct Chair for the Democratic party. She started new in-person support groups. She trained to offer the NAMI Peer-to-Peer education class. Her hope for the future is a world in which those with mental illness see their diagnosis in a positive light, and those without one no longer stigmatize mental illness. She hopes those with suicidal thoughts reach out for help and get it. She hopes people learn about the signs of crisis and how to de-escalate a situation to maximize a beneficial solution. She is already seeing positive changes in her community. She wants to thank those who see behavioral health as an important issue and are providing resources and knowledge to improve mental health.