Chuck Eldridge, President
Chuck Eldridge is a self-employed charter boat captain and safe boating instructor. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999. His wife, Janis, discovered NAMI shortly after his diagnosis in Greensburg, IN. They attribute a great deal of living well with mental illness to NAMI. They were members in the Delaware and Philadelphia affiliates before joining NAMI Wilmington in 2015. Chuck has been a board member since 2016and served as Treasurer before being elected to President in May 2021.
Douglas Engelman, Vice President & Scholarship Coordinator
Dr. Engelman is a recent addition to our board. He received his doctorate from the University of South Florida in 2020 and joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina Wilmington immediately upon receiving his degree. He is a Medical Sociologist, with a concentration in mental health/mental illness. His research is focused on improving the lived experience of individuals who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, also addressing the challenges experienced by family members. Dr. Engelman recently published a book chronicling his experience with his son, Doug Jr., who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 20. He has been a NAMI volunteer and supporter for over 20 years.
Julie Morrow, Treasurer
Julie is a retired RN, wife and mother of 3 adult children, 2 who were diagnosed with bipolar 1 as adults. With an extended family history of bipolar, she wanted to get involved with NAMI to learn more and be able to help support her family through this often challenging diagnosis.
Virginia Goldrick, Secretary
Virginia Goldrick is a person in recovery who has been working on herself all her life. She has a B.A. in English Literature, a Master’s and a PhD in Psychology; and is a CRSS (Certified Recovery Support Specialist) in Illinois. She now lives in Wilmington NC and hopes to complete training as a Peer Specialist soon. She is a trained IOOV (In Our Own Voice) Presenter and is a certified WRAP Facilitator as well. She serves as co-facilitator for NAMI Connections and for Family Support Group. She would like to see more peers actively involved in mental health research, as participants, evaluators, presenters and planners.
Brian Mingia, Board Member
The Executive Director for The Healing Place located in WIlmington, NC. As native North Carolinian, Brian grew up in Greensboro, NC. After receiving undergraduate degrees from UNC-Greensboro in Economics North Carolina State University in Psychology he attended UNC-Charlotte for his Master of Health Administration. Since then, Brian has spent over a decade working within the Mental Health and Human Service field linking individuals to care and progressively advancing through administrative roles. Brian previously held the position of Operations Director for an outpatient based mental health and substance use provider. Brian has experience with hospital facilities across the state as well as community based mental health and substance use service providers. Brian’s passion for mental health and substance use treatment is both personal and professional. As many individuals struggle with addiction, his goal is to assist in providing resources to individuals who otherwise would not have access to compassionate care.
Alabama Stone, Board Member
Alabama Stone is many things. A poet, an artist, storyteller for social justice, a mental health professional, a peer, and a young person living with mental health challenges. Alabama is a Wilmington native, born and raised in Masonboro, but has lived throughout the south, working with communities experiencing houselessness, mental health and substance use challenges, and runaway youth. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing – Poetry from North Carolina State University, where she founded a mobile poetry workshop for runaway youth. She currently works as a mental health professional and Peer Specialist and Supervisor in NC. She works within the state as a peer specialist and peer consultant for First Episode Psychosis programs that serve young people aged 15-30 living with schizophrenia. She is also a Digital Peer Navigator and consultant where she is involved in research conducted in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill. Alabama is passionate about art, community inclusion, social justice, and de-stigmatizing mental illness. Alabama is a trained NAMI In Our Own Voice facilitator, Support Group Facilitator and Facilitator Mentor. She strives to make NAMI Wilmington more accessible to young people and to underserved communities.
Janis Eldridge, Walk Coordinator
Janis Eldridge is the Office Manager for Destination Realty in Holly Ridge, NC. She has been a NAMI family member in Indiana, Delaware, and Philadelphia and became more active with NAMI Wilmington in 2015. She is currently the Walk for Awareness Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, Provider Education Coordinator and keeps the President in line.
Julie Mastroserio, Community Awareness Coordinator
Julie Mastroserio is a retired pharmaceutical executive who specialized in market research and data analytics during her tenure in the industry. As a peer, she has a deep and abiding interest in mental health issues and hopes to raise awareness of NAMI’s offerings in the greater Wilmington area.
Julie holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Douglass College, Rutgers University, and a master’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington School of Public and International Affairs. She is a wife, mother of two grown children, and grandmother of three children. She and her husband live in Leland, NC and are raising an incredibly active puppy, Stormy. In her spare time, she loves to play tennis and pickleball, sing, read, and binge watch Netflix cooking and baking shows.
Matt DeLuca, Program Coordinator
Matthew DeLuca has worked as a professional in information technology, learning & development, operations, and as a college instructor. He has an MBA in Project Management from Strayer University and a B.A.in English from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Matthew has recently pivoted in his career and goals to support the mental health and substance use disorder communities finding his foundational beginning within the NAMI organization. He is a peer who lives with dual diagnoses and supports his wife, daughter, extended family, and friends through their mental health and substance use journeys.
Johnnie Puckett, Peer Support Group Facilitator
Bob Taglin, Board Member
Robert Taglin holds an MBA from New York University. He worked as a Financial Services Industry professional for 30 years, with expertise in marketing and partnership negotiation for Fortune 500 companies. He previously volunteered with Samuel Y and Club Pride in New York, where he helped facilitate music groups for Alzheimer’s patients as well as self-help groups for seniors with mental illness and medical issues. Robert underwent training to become a support group facilitator with NAMI Wilmington.
Laura Bobotas, Family Support Group Facilitator
Laura spent her career at Boston Children’s Hospital as a NICU Nurse and Healthcare Leader in pediatric patient safety. During that time, she also led initiatives to reduce restraints in a variety of settings that cared for children with behavioral challenges. She tirelessly advocated for changes to improve mental health care both professionally and as a parent.
Laura relocated to the Carolinas in 2016 upon her retirement. She was introduced to NAMI in South Carolina and became an active NAMI volunteer when she relocated to North Carolina. She continues volunteer work in areas of mental health, substance abuse, crisis intervention training (CIT) for first responders and family support. She is married, mother of two wonderful adult sons and a Labrador puppy who she hopes to train to be a therapy dog.
Maddie McGill, Communications Coordinator
Melody Bracy, PAMH Peer Support Group Facilitator
Melody Bracy is a BS/QP Certified Peer Support Team Lead at Physician Alliance for Mental Health (PAMH). Melody has been in the mental health field since 1988. She has worked with adults and children over the last 33 years. She currently works with individuals with mental illness and substance abuse. She has partnered with NAMI for about 5 years and facilitates a group of individuals that attend Peer Support Groups at PAMH. She hopes to open this up to the community when COVID isn’t as rampant. If you have any questions about Peer Support Services or just want to ask about their program please reach out to her at mbracy@pamentalhealth.com.
Sara Hobgood, Parents and Guardians of Adolescents Support Group Facilitator
Sara Hobgood is a mom of 4 and has a passion for adolescent mental health. She is eager to educate the community, increase resources and access to those resources for this population. Sara currently works in the mother baby unit and has been a nurse for 24 years. While she has dealt with depression and anxiety herself, her dedication to the mental health field catapulted when her oldest daughter had a suicide attempt in February 2020. Sara is planning to go back to school to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She is currently a NAMI support group facilitator for Parents and Guardians of Adolescents with Mental Health Challenges.