Mental Health in the Workplace Panel Discussion

Robert has enjoyed over thirty-years of local government experience in the fields of Human Resources, Risk Management, Community Development, Economic Development, Redevelopment and Administration. He has had the honor of serving some great communities, currently the world-class community of Rancho Cucamonga. As the City’s Human Resources Director, he feel it is his role to develop and maintain a high-quality workforce that encourages and supports employee engagement through a culture of continuous learning, diversity, equity, inclusion, innovation, collaboration and excellence. He enjoys being able to work with and support the dedicated, hardworking, knowledgeable, and fun employees who make up Team RC. He is a Certified Executive and Senior Professional by IPMA-HR; a certified Senior Professional by the SHRM; a Certified Labor Relations Master by the CALPELRA; a Certified Labor Relations Professional by the NPELRA; and a certified League Cycling Instructor by the League of American Bicyclists.

Jill Hamilton has led a nationally recognized employee health and wellness program for Hennepin County for over a decade.  Hennepin County, the largest county in Minnesota, has more than 9000 employees working in diverse environments, from service workers, to professionals; from snowplow operators to prison guards.  Jill brings a hands-on approach to addressing wellbeing of the individual that begins with the workplace environment and extends to personal behaviors, creating opportunities and incentives for a happier and healthier workforce.  Jill earned her M.Ed. in Health Promotions and Exercise Physiology from the University of Cincinnati

Dr. Debra Lerner is Associate Director of Organizational Impact for the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Director and founder of the Program on Health, Work and Productivity, Tufts Medical Center and Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry of Tufts School of Medicine and Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Science. She has dedicated her career to reducing the human and economic burden of illness and disability, and translating research results into evidence-based workplace policies and practices that enable all adults to remain productive throughout their lives. She is a national thought leader on health and work productivity improvement as well as workplace mental health. Her major accomplishments include developing both a cost-effective program to improve the functional performance and mental health of employees with depression and the well-known Work Limitations Questionnaire, which is used worldwide. She is currently engaged in several innovative projects aimed at improving policies and programs to support family caregivers.

Dr. Lerner has authored over 80 refereed publications, has been the recipient of numerous research grants and contracts, and received the prestigious Mark Dundon Research Award from the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) and President’s Award from the Institute of Health and Productivity Management (IHPM). She has consulted on employee health and productivity improvement for many organizations including the US Veterans Benefits Administration, Social Security Administration Disability Programs, the Assistant Secretary’s Office for Planning and Evaluation within the Department of Health and Human Services, One Mind, the World Economic Forum, and many private-sector health insurers and employers and government agencies.

Bill McPeck earned a Master’s degree in social work specializing in Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and the treatment of substance abuse disorders. Bill was a licensed social worker for 42 years, with a 35 year career in Maine State Government. He spent the last 15 years of his career as Director of Employee Health and Safety. As director, Bill led the state’s initiatives in employee safety, health/wellness, EAP and employee drug and alcohol testing.

Since retiring, Bill has focused his efforts on writing, the application of workplace related research and working with small employers with generally less than 50 employees. Today, Bill considers himself to be a thought leader as an employee wellbeing and sustainable workplace architect. For the past couple of years, Bill has focused his efforts primarily on employee and workplace mental health. Bill views mental health broadly. Bill considers mental health to include not only mental illness (clinical), but also mental distress (sub-clinical) and mental wellness.

In addition to his MSW degree, Bill holds national certifications as a Work-Life Professional, as a Worksite Wellness Program Consultant and in the specialty area of organization culture.

As the employee benefits manager for the City of Saint Paul, Nance Lee is responsible for delivering quality benefit plans that attract and retain great employees in the most cost effective manner possible. Part of this role is vendor management - ensuring the City partners with quality service providers at competitive prices. Additionally, she focuses on ensuring compliance with federal, state and local laws as well as bargaining contracts. Nance Lee branded and manages a City wellness program which incents employees to make healthy choices and improve their lives.

Prior to joining the City, Nance Lee spent nearly 25 years in the private sector, with deep experience in the health insurance industry.