National Shattering Silence Coalition

Right to Care Peer Leadership

Uniting lived-experience leaders, ground-truth advocates, and policy architects to bridge the care continuum—demanding dignity, medical parity, and continuous care for every family navigating severe mental illness.

Lived Authority

High-Acuity Medical Parity

Peer-Led Quality Audits

Unbroken Care Continuity

bridging the divide in mental health advocacy

​For too long, peer advocacy has been fractured between opposing sides. The Right to Care Peer Alliance brings peers with lived experience of severe mental illness (SMI) to the table to preserve life-saving acute care and Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), while ensuring both inpatient and court-ordered programs uphold absolute safety, trauma-informed principles, and fundamental human dignity.

Kerry Martin

Founder & Co-Chair | SVP Strategy & Impact | Board Member

Leading national strategy, legislative policy, and alliance governance. Author of the 2027 Policy Blueprint establishing the Dignity & Care Continuity Standard across acute psychiatric systems.

View Leadership Profile →

Matt P.

Head of Peer Engagement

Bringing 18+ years of leadership in enterprise talent acquisition, organizational strategy, and behavioral coaching to mobilize grassroots networks and ensure lived experience shapes dignified care.

Read Bio & Why I Joined →

Alana Grant

Head of Education & Research

Combining human services clinical expertise with 7 years of peer leadership to educate communities, decrease wait times, and advocate for dignified, respectful crisis care.

Read Bio & Why I Joined →

Sean Johnson

Head of Storytelling & Media

A dedicated civil rights activist bringing decades of public service, political expertise, and lifetime lived experience with severe mental illness to help peers reclaim their agency through storytelling.

Read Bio & Why I Joined →

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Matt P.

Head of Peer Engagement

Matt P serves as Head of Peer Engagement for the Right to Care Alliance, bringing over 18 years of leadership across enterprise talent acquisition, organizational strategy, and human-centered behavioral coaching. Beyond his career in enterprise recruiting leadership, Matt’s versatile background spans portfolio management, financial advising, talent management in the entertainment industry, competing as a college tennis athlete, and serving on the External Advisory Board for PsycheMERGE—an NIH-funded consortium advancing precision medicine in psychiatry.

Grounded in a B.A. in Psychology from SUNY Albany and personal lived experience navigating mental health systems, Matt combines professional operational rigor with authentic advocacy. In his role with the R2C Alliance, he leverages his deep expertise in network activation, relationship building, and systems design to mobilize grassroots peer networks, foster authentic community connection, and ensure lived-experience voices directly shape accessible, dignified care.

Why I Joined the R2C Alliance:

"Having personally navigated lived experience within mental health systems, I know firsthand how critical—and often broken—the continuum of care can be during moments of acute crisis. I joined the Right to Care Alliance because we are building a vital third space: one that bridges lived-experience authority with actionable policy to ensure continuous, dignified, and accessible care for every individual and family who needs it."

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Alana Grant

Head of Education & Research

Alana Grant serves as the head of education and research for NSSC's newly founded R2C Alliance. She brings 7 years of experience serving in peer roles. Her lived experience has been helpful in providing 1-to-1, as well as group peer support. Alana believes in being vulnerable by sharing her story to eliminate the stigma attached to mental health diagnoses.

She has been an active volunteer for NAMI Massachusetts since 2020. Every month, she shares her recovery story in an effort to educate and bring hope to fellow peers and their family members. Alana also serves as a person with lived experience on the NAMI Greater North Shore board of directors, and is a trained support group facilitator at NAMI. Having graduated from Endicott College with a bachelor's degree in human services, Alana brings both peer and clinical expertise to the table.

Why I Joined the R2C Alliance:

"Having navigated the mental health system for myself, I know how frustrating and exhausting it can be when individuals do not know where to begin looking for services, because they are unaware of which services are available. I hope to increase others' knowledge of available supports, decrease the long waiting times to access services, and ensure that each person experiencing a mental health crisis is treated with dignity and respect."

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Sean Johnson

Head of Storytelling & Media

Sean P. Johnson is Head of Storytelling & Media for the NSSC Right to Care Alliance. He brings decades of nonprofit public service in advocacy and social service organizations, civil service at the state and federal levels, contributions to his local arts community, political expertise, and a lifetime of lived experience with severe mental illness.

A dedicated civil and disability rights activist in Arkansas, Sean advocates through civic engagement by sharing stories of his own lived experience and those of loved ones and peers who cannot speak for themselves. His life’s work has demonstrated a strong commitment to facilitating communication and consensus among community stakeholders. Sean is a proud Arkansas native and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The American University in Washington, DC.

Why I Joined the R2C Alliance:

"When we face dire struggles, it's easy to feel alone, helpless, and hopeless. To feel shame. To believe that we're merely a random bad luck story. But when we share our experiences, we find community. We free ourselves from shame and give ourselves and others hope. That's why I joined the R2C Alliance. When we become the authors of our own stories, we reclaim our agency and turn trials and tragedy into triumph. We move from feeling powerless and hopeless to being empowered on a path to hope and healing."

Take Action With R2C

Stand With Us: Membership & Executive Leadership

Claim Your Seat at the Table

Not Yet an R2C Alliance Member?

Lived experience is the essential expertise required to establish a true National Standard of Care. By joining the Right to Care Peer Alliance, you lend your voice to a nonpartisan movement dedicated to ensuring individuals living with severe mental illness receive timely, dignified, and continuous medical care.

Join the Coalition Today →

Build with Us

Open Executive Peer Leadership Roles

We are actively seeking experienced peer leaders with lived authority to join our national executive team in key strategic positions:

• Co-Chair & Strategic Lead: Partnering directly with Kerry Martin to drive national strategy.
• Head of Resource Development & Fundraising: Securing grants, donor partnerships, and peer funding.
• Head of Policy & Legislative Advocacy: Driving AOT initiatives and state policy toolkits.
• Head of Digital Marketing / Social Media: Amplifying ground-truth campaigns and movement growth.

Email Kerry Martin to Connect →