The 1N5 Team

NANCY EIGEL-MILLER – Founder and Executive Director
Nancy founded the James W. Miller Memorial Fund in 2010 after losing her husband, Jim, to suicide in 2008. She spent her career in the marketing/market research arena but felt compelled to foster education about the mental health crisis among our youth population. Her mission is to normalize conversation about mental illness, especially among the area’s youth.

Email: nancy_miller@1N5.org
Phone: 513.607.7434

Favorite 1N5 Project: Working in the schools
What you like most about 1N5: All the people I meet; the passion for the work; the youth and working with them
Wish for 1N5: We are in all of the schools in Greater Cincinnati

How you start your day: Meditating
Favorite Sport:  Xavier University Basketball
Super Power You Wish You Had: Time Travel

Family: Two amazing daughters, Elizabeth who lives in Philadelphia working in the juvenile defense arena and Kate who lives in NYC and works in the fashion industry.

CHRISTINE BROWNER – Program Director
Christine joined the team in June 2020. She comes to 1N5 with a background in rare disease, domestic violence, sexual assault, and substance abuse advocacy. Through personal and professional experiences, Christine has developed a deep passion for issues surrounding mental health.

Email: christine_browner@1N5.org
Phone: 513.382.6095

Favorite 1N5 Project: The #iam1N5 project. I am inspired by every person who shares their story and struggles. I learn something each time.
What 3 words best describe 1N5: Committed, Collaborative and Community-focused
What is your hope for the future regarding mental health:  That every state recognizes the importance of supporting our children’s mental health with legislation that requires mental health education within schools.

How do you handle a bad day: I  go for a run. It never fails to turn my mood around.
First Concert: Bruce Springteen back in the 80’s.
Super Power You Wish You Had: Teleportation. I would love the ability to move instantaneously from one location to another.

Family: My husband, John, and I live in Cincinnati with our five children ages 15-22. We love to travel, cook, and ski together.

BETH DULLE – Operations Manager
Beth joined the 1N5 team in March 2019 . Beth’s experience with organizational systems helps the 1N5 team streamline operations.  Her passion for stopping the stigma and educating people about mental illness was spurred by the loss of her son, Brogan, to suicide.

Email: beth_dulle@1N5.org
Phone: 513.814.3007

Favorite 1N5 Project: Educating people by providing resources for mental illness and mental wellness.
What you like most about 1N5: How we approach the difficult subject of mental illness with hope and positivity
What makes you proud about 1N5: We don’t often have to deny a request for help from the community because our team works so hard and so collaboratively.

How you start your day: Coffee, coffee and more coffee
Bucket List Item: Hiking the Camino de Santiago
Super Power You Wish You Had: Invisibility

Family:  Married with 5 sons, 1 daughter,  4 bonus daughters, an amazing grandson and my pup, Doofenshmirtz.

BRANDI HAMILTON – Social Media Manager
Brandi spent 13 years in wellness management and the public health arena, including seven years as Assistant Director of the University of Cincinnati Campus Recreation Center. Brandi is passionate about helping others live a healthy life and achieve a state of optimal physical and mental wellbeing. Brandi also has professional experience in photography, marketing, and graphic design, and currently serves as the Social Media Manager at 1N5.

Email: brandi_hamilton@1N5.org
Phone: 513.814.3007

What you like most about 1N5: I love the work we do in the community, and as the Social Media Manager, I get to hear first-hand from our followers how our work has changed, and in some cases, saved lives.
Your favorite 1N5 project: I love the concept of the Youth Mental Health Innovation Challenge where we connect outstanding youth innovators with local professional mentors to help them solve mental health challenges in their communities.
Your hope for the state of mental health: I hope within the next couple of years that mental health education will be required at the state level for all grade levels and I believe that 1N5 stands apt and ready to guide schools in making the transition in a practical, sustainable and meaningful way. I also hope the need for education on the transition for students from high school to college is implemented either for upperclassmen in high school or as part of the college admission and onboarding process.

If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something, it would be: Special Education
How you spend your spare time: What’s spare time? (lol) When I get the chance to have some me-time, I enjoy long outdoor walks around the neighborhood or park and grabbing dinner + wine with friends.
Super Power You Wish You Had: To clone myself. Then I would have spare time.

Family: I am the mom of three children: an 8 year old boy, a 3 year old boy and a 4 month old girl. My 8 year old is a super witty, uber competitive lover of all sports who lives with fairly severe ADHD. My 3 year old is an incredibly funny and strong stage IV childhood cancer survivor and has recently been diagnosed with ASD, which our family is currently leaning to navigate. And my baby girl, Willow, is the happiest, easiest-going baby you’ll ever meet. She brings a new joy to each day that I never knew I so desperately needed.

Abby Messner – Grant Writer
Abby joined 1N5 as our grant writer in November 2021 but has been a huge supporter through her work on the 1N5 Spring4Life Committee since 2016.  Her love of writing and passion for mental health led Abby to her role as our grant writer.

Email: abby_messner@1N5.org
Phone: 513.814.3007

What do yo like about working at 1N5: I love 1N5’s mission and the fun and inspiring people who call this place home.
What 3 words best describe 1N5: Bold, Life-Saving and Mission-Minded.
What is your favorite project at 1N5: Sources of Strength. My daughter was asked to be a student leader for this program when she was at Mariemont High School so I was able to see it in action.

Super Power You Wish You Had: To be able to fly.  It would be freeing.
If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something, what would it be:  A relationship expert so I would always know hot to give the people in my life what they need…Maybe that should be my superpower.
What is your perfect vacation: The perfect combination of beaching, hiking, yummy food, and game nights with my family and closest friends. 

Family: I’m married to Jay and we just celebrated our 25th anniversary. We have two daughters, Sydney and Avery, who are both students at the University of Cincinnati, and one sweet little rescue dog named Otis.

Jodi Pickering – Program Manager

Jodi is a recent Cincinnatian, having lived the past 18 years in the Bay Area of California. She came here to do a year of service with AmeriCorps and found she liked the pace of life and the people. Before AmeriCorps, she spent her professional life in schools as a teacher, coach, and administrator for students K-12th grade. Her family includes her 24-year-old daughter, her cat, her dog and all those she loves around the country. Having lived in NY, NJ, PA, DC, TX, MN, CA and OH, she’s lucky to have friends and family all over.  She loves to run and hike, but she’s equally at home with a book or a pen.

Email: jodi_pickering@1N5.org
Phone: 513.814.3007

What drew you to 1N5:  The mission. As a life-long educator, I know how important mental health programming for students and teachers is.
What are three words to describe 1N5:  Vibrant, connected, committed
If you could have a superpower, what would it be:  To run incredibly fast. I can keep trucking along, but I’m not known for my speed.

How you start your day:  Early and quietly with a cup of coffee and the NY Times.
What makes you smile:  Smiles come easily to me, but fail-safe choice is sunlight on water.
What is the best advice you were ever given:  During a difficult time in my life, a friend told me to keep repeating, “Right now it’s like this.” I use the phrase regularly when things are hard to loosen the pressure and when things are easy to remember to savor the joy.

Family: I live with my dog and my cat, and when I’m lucky, my daughter is with us, too. Most of the time though she is busy working on her MFA in textile art at the University of Missouri.

NATALIA WEEKLY – Program Manager, Community
Natalia Weekly is a licensed therapist with experience in clinical counseling, mental health education, crisis intervention, and case management through higher education, community, and private practice settings. She is passionate about basic needs insecurity and mental health advocacy through a social justice lens to ensure equitable access to mental health resources and services.

Email: Natalia_weekly@1N5.org
Phone: 513-814-3007

How did you first learn about 1N5:  I first learned about 1N5 through my employment at Xavier University. I served as a mentor for the Youth Mental Health Innovation Challenge in 2019 and 2020.
What do you like most about 1N5:  How 1N5 engages the community through programming and social media to bring awareness to mental health. It’s authentic and genuine.
What is your hope for the future regarding mental health: As we continue to educate and collaborate within the community, systematic barriers are removed to increase equitable access to mental health resources and services.

What’s your guilty pleasure: Candy Crush. My friends make fun of me that I still play the game. I just hit the 5,000th level.
Favorite Cookie: White Chocolate Macadamia
Super Power You Wish You Had: Teleportation because I want to be anywhere and everywhere at once.

KELLY BARRY – Program Manager

Kelly joined the organization in May 2023. She comes to 1N5 with a background in health education, corporate wellness, stress and evidence-based coping skills, and health and wellness coaching. Kelly is passionate about mental health education, mental health advocacy, and creating safe, inclusive environments that enable people to thrive. When not at work, she enjoys travel, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Email: kelly_barry@1N5.org
Phone: 513.814.3007

What do you like about working at 1N5: I’m so proud to be a part of the important work 1N5 is doing, particularly in the space of normalizing conversations around mental health and mental illness. These conversations help create spaces where people feel seen, supported, and hopefully empowered to tap into resources.
What your hopes for the area in which we work: Mental illness is the result of multilevel influences: internal, relational, community, organizational, policy, etc. We have to have a systemic approach; school, communities, and corporations are just the start as we work to impact lasting change
What are 3 words to describe 1N5: Passionate, Compassionate, Evidence-based

Favorite Cookie:  Cookies are my love language! I will eat any bakery cookie, Because I’m 5 at heart I prefer them iced, bonus points for sprinkles!
If you could choose a superpower, what would it be:  To pause time, I’d probably use it to sleep. 🙂
What do you do to turn things around when you’re having a bad day:  It probably depends on the type of bad day. Most of the time going for a walk and listening to a good book or music can help give me a boost, clarification, or just out of my head depending on what I’m needing that day. And sometimes connecting with someone helps me feel seen and gives me perspective. I try to start by asking myself “what do I need right now”.

Family: I’ve been married to my husband, Matt, for almost 14 years. We moved to Cincinnati about 10 years ago from Raleigh, NC. We have a 7 year old son, Connor, two dogs and a cat.