Advisory Council, staff and Membership
Who We AreThe Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition works as a coordinated partnership of community members, leaders, and advocates. View our charter here.
Meet the Advisory Council

David Rhodes
Sheriff, Yavapai County
Chairman

Audrey Dorfman
Community Member

Kathy Ryder
Project Manager - Court Liaison, Yavapai County Superior Court

Tamara Player
Chief Executive Officer, Polara Health

Leslie Horton
Director, Yavapai Community Health Services

Shawn Hatch
Vice President, Spectrum Healthcare Group

Kennedy Klagge
Public Defender, Yavapai County Public Defender’s Office

James E. Ledbetter, Esq.
The Ledbetter Law Firm, PlC

Tyran Payne
Chief, Yavapai College Police Department

Amy Bonney
Chief of Police, Prescott Police Department

Randy Taylor D.M.
Chief of Police Clarkdale Police Department

Dawn Rutigliano
Program Director, Child & Family Support Services

Jeanne Wellins
Community Member

Tara Newman
Director of Juvenile Court Services
Honorary Members

Debora Black
Chief, Prescott Police Department, Retired

Sheriff Scott Mascher, Retired
Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office

John Napper
Judge, Yavapai County Superior Court
Staff

Beya Thayer, MSW
Executive Director
Beya Thayer is a systems advocate supporting enhanced collaborations among multi-disciplinary teams and enjoys the opportunity to work as the Executive Director of the Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition. Beya works to develop and implement strategies that lead to the long-term and sustainable involvement of community institutions, organizations, and individuals within the intersections of justice and behavioral health – with the goal of addressing partnership and systems change. Beya’s career has given her the opportunity to create partnerships and collaborations with diverse communities, professions, and agencies throughout Arizona to effect policy and change on both the micro and macro levels. Beya has a Master’s in Social Work from Arizona State University and has worked extensively in the social services arena for over 25 years.
Mental illness is not a crime. This Coalition understands the value to public safety, to outcomes and to treatment for people when behavioral health and criminal justice work together.
I am honored to serve on the Justice & Mental Health Coalition Board of Directors. Our work- the implementation of evidence based practices, data based evaluation of programs, and providing greater access to care for justice involved individuals has tremendous potential to enhance community safety and improve the lives of those we serve.
I am honored to serve on the Justice and Mental Health Coalition Advisory Council. This team represents a truly collaborative effort to serve justice-involved individuals when and how they need it the most. We have the opportunity and the responsibility to look at ways we can help all those with mental health challenges in our community and truly make a positive impact for them and in their lives.
The Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition is very important to Yavapai College and my Agency. The Coalition brings structure and guidance to the responsibility we have as Educators and Police within Higher Education. As a Community College we have a responsibility to the students, staff and faculty to provide the best assistance we can to those who find themselves in crisis.
As a board member of the Yavapai Justice & Mental Health Coalition, I serve as the community volunteer assisting families of people with mental health and/or substance abuse disorders who have been involved in our justice system. By providing alternative solutions and support while assisting them as they navigate their way through unfamiliar territory, families have a better chance to stay together and enjoy healthier lives while contributing to our community. When we invest in each other, we are all enriched, and our community is a safer, healthier place.
I am honored to serve on the Justice & Mental Health Coalition Advisory Council. I am excited to help implement evidence-based practices, data-based evaluations, and provide access to care for justice-involved individuals. Mental illness is not a crime. This Coalition understands the value of treatment diverted outcomes for justice-involved individuals. Yavapai County’s mentally ill, a population in desperate need of more services and options, will benefit from the work of this Coalition.
The Justice and Mental Health Coalition is important to Community Health Services because people’s capacity for overall positive health is often interrelated with their mental or behavioral health. Those suffering from mental or behavioral health issues and frequenting our justice system see poorer health outcomes than those who do not. We understand the importance of looking at the whole person when it comes to health improvement, and by addressing underlying mental health issues and providing resources that help keep people out of our justice system, Yavapai County residents will experience better health and better quality of life!
I am a proud member of the Mental Health Coalition. The purpose of the Coalition is to try and ensure justice for all members of your community. In doing so, we are attempting to create healthy and happy individuals, families and communities.
This Coalition provides the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of individuals, families, and the community. A bad day or decision does not have to be the trigger for a lifetime of pain and hardship, but instead, the life-changing event that set that person on a course for recovery. Compassion and connection leads to that recovery and a partnership between law enforcement and the behavioral health community sets the stage.
Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition is the quintessence of collaboration. The revolutionary accomplishments being attained through the multiple disciplines altruistically working together is something I have not witnessed in my 40 plus years of law enforcement. Being a part of something that benefits society to this extent is very rewarding.
I believe that everyone deserves to feel well. Through the work of the coalition, we can help ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community receive the support and services they need; elevating the community for all.
Serving on the Board of the Justice and Mental Health Coalition is an opportunity to create solutions for challenging issues surrounding the decriminalization and treatment of mental illness. This collaboration of community agencies is creating new paths toward better health for those with mental illness who are caught up in the justice system or for those who are unable to seek treatment for themselves.
I strongly believe that a key to a community’s success is its ability to deliver care to those most in need. Mental health needs have touched so many families through Yavapai County. People in need of mental health support have been overlooked or neglected for too long, and the leaders, who are serving with the Coalition, have the desire and power to bring positive, lasting change.
It is the partnerships that make up the Justice and Mental Health Coalition that creates the ability to deflect and divert people into the treatment and support that they need. We are supporting the health and wellbeing of our neighborhoods, creating safer communities and preventing crime.
I have worked in the behavioral health/mental health field for over 20 years, and have always been inspired by the journeys that some experience. My passion has been in assisting in preventive services to assist the children in our communities before they get a place of needing intervention and creating individualized wraparound plans for the children and families with acute situations to remain in their homes and community.
As a board member of the Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition, I believe it is my role to assist with raising awareness in the community and the justice system around the struggles and challenges faced by those with mental health issues and their families. The justice system should be the last option for those with mental health issues. Our community, stakeholders, and justice partners working together are capable of significant positive changes to provide the appropriate opportunities for these individuals and families to avoid justice involvement.
I am honored to serve on the Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition. I have worked in the juvenile justice field for over 20 years and have seen the impact mental health needs have had on our youth and families. As the Director of Juvenile Court Services, I have a responsibility to help ensure youth are provided with appropriate services and that their needs are being fully addressed. I strongly believe the coalition’s ongoing collaboration will assist our community in obtaining the suitable resources needed to build and strengthen healthy families.
Coalition Members
Alex Gilbert, Hope Lives
Allison Lenocker, Coalition for Compassion & Justice
Alycia Botkin, AZ Dept Economic Security
Amie Sheldon, Spectrum Healthcare Group
Angie Geren, Arizona Recovers/AZ ACE Consortium
Audrey Dorfman, Advocate
Becky Payne, Wexford Health Sources
Beya Thayer, Yavapai Justice & Mental Health Coalition
Bryan Gest, Terros Health
Cameron Doty, Yavapai County Adult Probation
Captain Rich Martin, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
Carole Freeman, Yavapai Regional Medical Center
Casey Dennison, Hope Lives
Chief Amy Bonney, Prescott Police Department
Chief Deputy Jeff Newnum, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
Chief Randy Taylor, Clarkdale Police Department
Chief Steve Gesell, Cottonwood Police Department
Chief Tyran Payne, Yavapai College Police Department
Christine Hayes, Southwest Behavioral & Health Services
Commander James Edelstein, Prescott Valley Police Department
Crisis Response Network
Dave Bancroft, Camp Verde Community Member
David Sanchez, Life Transformation Recovery
Dawn Rutigliano, Child & Family Support Services
Dennis McGrane, Yavapai County Attorney’s Office
Destiny Pyle, Terros Health
Diane Ivan, Sage Counseling
Director Tara Newman, Juvenile Court Services
Don Kirchner, Return To Honor Coalition
EJ Scott, Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe
Greg Billi, NAZCARE
James Ledbetter, Esq.
Jeanne Wellins, Advocate
Jessi Hans, Spectrum Healthcare Group
John Schuderer, Suicide Prevention Advocate
Jon Grossman, Grossman & Grossman, Ltd.
Jon Perez, NARBHA Institute
Joseph Stewart, EdD, Yavapai Restoration to Competency program
Judge Cathleen Kelley, City of Cottonwood
Judge John Napper, Yavapai County Superior CourtKaren Broman, Sonoran Prevention Works
Kathy Bashor, President NAMI Yavapai
Kelly Legler, Spectrum Healthcare Group
Kennedy Klagge, Yavapai County Public Defender
Laurie Verdier, Norther AZ Peer & Family Coalition
Leslie Horton, Yavapai Community Health Services
Linda Poller, Care1st Health Plan Arizona
Lisa Lahaie, Northern AZ VA Suicide Prevention
Lisa Sherrill, Spectrum Healthcare Group
Loretta Holdsworth, Southwest Behavioral & Health Services
Lt. James Gregory, Prescott Valley Police Department
Lt. Jason Small, Prescott Police Department
Lt. Nancy Roberts, Prescott Valley Police Department
Lt. Scott Stebbins, Prescott Valley Police Department
Mary Lou Brncik, David’s Hope
Mary Robbins, Child & Family Support Services
Merilee Fowler, MATFORCE and Community Counts
Mik Jordahl, Prosecutor Cottonwood & Clarkdale
Mo Michael, Compass Recovery Center
Nancy Devine, Veteran’s Administration
Nicole Reesman, StoneRidge Centers for Brain & Addiction Treatment
tPatrick Kuykendall, AZ@Work
Rob Barth, Yavapai Regional Medical Center
Sgt. Ben Scott, Prescott Police Department
Sgt. Ethan Stover, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
Shari Sterling, Yavapai County Education Service Agency
Sharie Brock, Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Choice
Shawn Hatch, Spectrum Healthcare Group
Sheila Polk, Yavapai County Attorney
Sheriff David Rhodes, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
Steps to Recovery Homes
Supervisor Donna Michaels, Yavapai County
Tamara Player, Polara Health
Thomasene Cardona, Yavapai Apache Tribe
Tim Carter, Yavapai County School Superintendent
Tim Wiederaenders, Prescott Daily Courier
U.S. VETS
Virginia Cons, Care1st Health Plan Arizona
Get In Touch
Location: 255 E. Gurley Street, Prescott, AZ 86301
Telephone: (928)554-8820
Email: Beya.Thayer@yavapaiaz.gov