Rev. Derrek Belase is the director of Connectional Ministry for the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church where he assists more than 470 Oklahoma United Methodist churches as they build capacity to make disciples in their local settings. A lifelong Oklahoman, Derrek graduated from Carnegie High School, University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University and Saint Paul School of Theology. He also studied at the Center for Socio-Legal Studies at Oxford University. He has degrees in criminal justice and theology and is also a certified police officer in Oklahoma. Before entering full-time ministry, he was the criminal justice coordinator at the Caddo Kiowa Technology Center in Fort Cobb. Derrek has served in full time appointed ministry for seventeen years and has been a QPR trainer for 4 years.

Katie Lenhart graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Public Relations. She has served on the Communications team at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for several years, starting with managing social media and media relations to managing statewide campaigns like the 988 Mental Health Lifeline and Naloxone Saves Lives. She has experience in all aspects of marketing and communications and is passionate about her work.

Loren N. M. Stein, MSN, RNC-NIC is a retired nursing professor.  She received her BSN from Duke University and her MSN from Marymount University. She taught undergraduate nursing and allied health students for 30 years and continues to teach the occasional nursing course.  Loren Stein has been in a leadership role within the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps (OKMRC) for 20 years, She has been developing outreach and education for medical and mental health professionals since 2004. She began her involvement with the Medical Reserve Corps as the Unit Coordinator for the OKMRC Nurses Unit at the Oklahoma Nurses Association. She served as the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps Nurses Unit Coordinator from 2003-2009 and again from 2015-2021. She served as the statewide OKMRC Education Coordinator from 2007-2017. Since 2013, she has been an active educator for the Oklahoma Stress Response Team. She currently serves as the President of SRT, Inc.

Mimi Castro is the Prevention Program Manager overseeing Mental Health First Aid Oklahoma (MHFA OK), a statewide program from DCCCA which provides MHFA trainings to Oklahomans at no cost through grant funding. In addition to coordinating the logistics of MHFA OK, Mimi is dually certified as a Youth & Adult MHFA instructor in a variety of community-specific curriculums as well as in QPR. She is deeply passionate about suicide and substance use prevention, as well as destigmatizing mental health & substance use challenges to work towards creating accessibility to better mental wellbeing for all Oklahomans. In her personal time she can be found rock climbing, knitting, and watching movies with her handsome cat Popoki 2.

Dr. Miller joined the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work in the fall of 2009 as an assistant professor. She received her undergraduate degree Southwest Baptist University with a double major in Psychology and Sociology and then went on to Missouri State University to complete a two-year full- time MSW with a focus on Family Health. She worked as a service-coordinator for the Missouri Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and then took a job as a school social worker for the Willard School District in Missouri. She then began the PhD program at Florida State University and graduated in the summer of 2009.  Since joining the AHZSSW she has collaborated on several projects including the GirlPower Photovoice Project, the TechNow Evaluation, Family Values Study, and Interprofessional Education Initiatives with the Health Sciences Center and the College of Education. She has served as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator and is now the Associate Director of the School.

Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference

Deborah Johnson PhD, MSW, LCSW, SHRM-SCP,  is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Oklahoma and Florida and has a mental health therapy practice out of The Carey Clinic in Tulsa. As a disaster behavioral health trainer for SRT, Inc., she serves as Secretary on their Board of Directors. Dr. Johnson is also a volunteer member of the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps, holding the role of District Team Leader for the Stress Response Team in Tulsa. In disaster deployments, she collaborates with the Tulsa Health Department. Her extensive involvement in social work includes roles such as Board President for NASW Oklahoma, serving as a Board Member on the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers, Chair of the Council of Chapter Presidents for NASW National, and serving as a member of the Oklahoma State Maternal Mortality Review Committee. With a background in corporate environments like IBM and PepsiCo, Dr. Johnson leverages her expertise as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist and Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources from SHRM to consult with businesses on mental health and wellness matters. She holds degrees from Purdue University, Iowa State University, and the University of Oklahoma.

Kyla Powers is an aspiring mental health therapist and graduate of Oklahoma City University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in May 2023. Along with working for Crisis Care Ministries, she has just started a new administrative assistant position at Circle of Care.

Aside from becoming a therapist, Kyla’s eventual goal is to start a nonprofit organization for mental health therapy in Oklahoma. She hopes to work closely with both the United Methodist Church and organizations like Crisis Care Ministries to make this happen.

Kyla has been employed many times in the Oklahoma United Methodist Church. She has worked in various positions at the OKUMC conference office, OCU’s Wesley Center, and Edmond First UMC. She sings and plays the violin professionally at her current home church, OKC Wesley UMC.