CBH Talk | Severe Mental Illness: Our Collective Response and Responsibility
Jonathan Rosen’s acclaimed book, The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions, has helped move the needle on our understanding of severe mental illness and the ways that society -- at the governmental, medical, and individual levels -- has failed to address the crisis posed by those who may be dangerous to the public or themselves.
Join us for a conversation about the quandaries, lapses, and vexing questions surrounding our response to, and responsibility towards people with severe mental illness. The Best Minds relays the devastating story of Michael Laudor, Rosen’s childhood best friend, a brilliant man who suffered from schizophrenic delusions which ultimately led him to murder his fiancé. Rosen is joined in conversation by Brian Stettin, who originated “Kendra’s Law” in 1999 in response to the death of Kendra Webdale, who was pushed into a subway by a mentally ill man.
Also joining is Charles H. Revson Foundation President Julie Sandorf, a staunch advocate for supportive housing and other systemic solutions. Together they will challenge us to confront the endless ways we misunderstand and mishandle severe mental illness, and point to correctives and promising reforms. As we watch those afflicted packed into prisons, struggle as street homeless, and make headlines with erratic or violent acts, the conversation will point to the reality that we are all just a few steps away from this crisis, and it’s time to think differently. CBH Director of Programs Marcia Ely moderates.
Pictured clockwise from top left: Jonathan Rosen (photo by Tali Rosen), Julie Sandorf, Marcia Ely, Brian Stettin
The Best Minds, newly released in paperback, will be available at the CBH Shop.
Participants
Jonathan Rosen’s most recent book, The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions, was named a Top 10 Best Book of 2023 by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and People. He is also the author of two novels: Eve’s Apple and Joy Comes in the Morning, and two other works of non-fiction: The Talmud and the Internet: A Journey Between Worlds and The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature. His essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous anthologies. He lives with his family in New York City.
Julie Sandorf has served as president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation since January 2008. Before joining Revson, she was a co-founder and executive director of Nextbook, a national organization dedicated to the creation and promotion of Jewish literature, culture, and the arts. From 1991 through 1999, she was president of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), an organization she founded that worked to deliver permanent solutions to chronic homelessness in partnership with philanthropic foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government at the local, state, and national levels.
Previously, she was a program director at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), where she forged a groundbreaking public-private partnership to revitalize distressed neighborhoods throughout New York City. She has served as a senior program consultant to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, directing the Foundation’s After School Project, and has been a consultant to the Rockefeller Foundation, the Oak Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
She currently serves as an adviser to the Oak Foundation, serves on the JCRC Bridges-NY Advisory Council, is Vice-Chair of the board of directors of the Center for Urban Community Services, is a member of the INN Communications Strategy Advisory Board, and is a member of the board of directors of the Rebuild Local News Coalition, the A.M. and Ruth Z. Fleishman Foundation, and the Carolina Beacon. She had previously served on the Board of Leading Edge: Alliance for Excellence in Jewish Leadership, the advisory board of the Brookings Institution Center for Urban and Metropolitan Policy, and on the boards of the National Mental Health Association, Goddard Riverside Community Center, and the Project for Psychiatric Outreach for the Homeless.
Brian Stettin is Senior Advisor on Severe Mental Illness to the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. He develops and implements policy in collaboration with city agencies, community-based partners, and the city’s public hospital system to ensure psychiatric care and support for the most vulnerable mentally ill New Yorkers.
From 2009 to 2022, Stettin was Policy Director for the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a national organization based in Arlington, VA devoted to removing legal barriers to the treatment of severe mental illness. In this role, Stettin drafted and advocated for legislation enacted federally and in numerous states to improve civil commitment laws and expand access to mental health treatment. Stettin also led TAC's efforts to support communities across the US in the establishment and operation of “assisted outpatient treatment” (AOT) programs, providing outpatient care under court order to individuals who struggle to maintain treatment adherence.
Prior to joining TAC, Stettin spent a decade in New York state government. From 1999 to 2007, he was an Assistant New York State Attorney General, serving in the AG’s Program Development and Public Integrity units. As an Assistant State AG, Stettin drafted the original proposal of "Kendra's Law" (New York's AOT law) in 1999, as well as significant amendments enacted in 2006. Subsequently he served as counsel to the Health Committee of the New York Assembly and as Special Counsel to the New York State Commissioner of Criminal Justice Services.
Marcia Ely is the Director of Programs at the Center for Brooklyn History. She has held senior programming positions at various cultural institutions including the Brooklyn Historical Society and the New York Transit Museum, which follow a career as a television writer, producer and interviewer where she created award-winning programs for Nickelodeon, AMC, TNT, Showtime, TMC among other networks.
Jonathan Rosen’s acclaimed book, The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions, has helped move the needle on our understanding of severe mental illness and the ways that society -- at the governmental, medical, and individual levels -- has failed to address the crisis posed by those who may be dangerous to the public or themselves.
Join us for a conversation about the quandaries, lapses, and vexing questions surrounding our response to, and responsibility towards people with severe mental illness. The Best Minds relays the devastating story of Michael Laudor, Rosen’s childhood best friend, a brilliant man who suffered from schizophrenic delusions which ultimately led him to murder his fiancé. Rosen is joined in conversation by Brian Stettin, who originated “Kendra’s Law” in 1999 in response to the death of Kendra Webdale, who was pushed into a subway by a mentally ill man.
Also joining is Charles H. Revson Foundation President Julie Sandorf, a staunch advocate for supportive housing and other systemic solutions. Together they will challenge us to confront the endless ways we misunderstand and mishandle severe mental illness, and point to correctives and promising reforms. As we watch those afflicted packed into prisons, struggle as street homeless, and make headlines with erratic or violent acts, the conversation will point to the reality that we are all just a few steps away from this crisis, and it’s time to think differently. CBH Director of Programs Marcia Ely moderates.
Pictured clockwise from top left: Jonathan Rosen (photo by Tali Rosen), Julie Sandorf, Marcia Ely, Brian Stettin
The Best Minds, newly released in paperback, will be available at the CBH Shop.
Participants
Jonathan Rosen’s most recent book, The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions, was named a Top 10 Best Book of 2023 by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and People. He is also the author of two novels: Eve’s Apple and Joy Comes in the Morning, and two other works of non-fiction: The Talmud and the Internet: A Journey Between Worlds and The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature. His essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous anthologies. He lives with his family in New York City.
Julie Sandorf has served as president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation since January 2008. Before joining Revson, she was a co-founder and executive director of Nextbook, a national organization dedicated to the creation and promotion of Jewish literature, culture, and the arts. From 1991 through 1999, she was president of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), an organization she founded that worked to deliver permanent solutions to chronic homelessness in partnership with philanthropic foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government at the local, state, and national levels.
Previously, she was a program director at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), where she forged a groundbreaking public-private partnership to revitalize distressed neighborhoods throughout New York City. She has served as a senior program consultant to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, directing the Foundation’s After School Project, and has been a consultant to the Rockefeller Foundation, the Oak Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
She currently serves as an adviser to the Oak Foundation, serves on the JCRC Bridges-NY Advisory Council, is Vice-Chair of the board of directors of the Center for Urban Community Services, is a member of the INN Communications Strategy Advisory Board, and is a member of the board of directors of the Rebuild Local News Coalition, the A.M. and Ruth Z. Fleishman Foundation, and the Carolina Beacon. She had previously served on the Board of Leading Edge: Alliance for Excellence in Jewish Leadership, the advisory board of the Brookings Institution Center for Urban and Metropolitan Policy, and on the boards of the National Mental Health Association, Goddard Riverside Community Center, and the Project for Psychiatric Outreach for the Homeless.
Brian Stettin is Senior Advisor on Severe Mental Illness to the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. He develops and implements policy in collaboration with city agencies, community-based partners, and the city’s public hospital system to ensure psychiatric care and support for the most vulnerable mentally ill New Yorkers.
From 2009 to 2022, Stettin was Policy Director for the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a national organization based in Arlington, VA devoted to removing legal barriers to the treatment of severe mental illness. In this role, Stettin drafted and advocated for legislation enacted federally and in numerous states to improve civil commitment laws and expand access to mental health treatment. Stettin also led TAC's efforts to support communities across the US in the establishment and operation of “assisted outpatient treatment” (AOT) programs, providing outpatient care under court order to individuals who struggle to maintain treatment adherence.
Prior to joining TAC, Stettin spent a decade in New York state government. From 1999 to 2007, he was an Assistant New York State Attorney General, serving in the AG’s Program Development and Public Integrity units. As an Assistant State AG, Stettin drafted the original proposal of "Kendra's Law" (New York's AOT law) in 1999, as well as significant amendments enacted in 2006. Subsequently he served as counsel to the Health Committee of the New York Assembly and as Special Counsel to the New York State Commissioner of Criminal Justice Services.
Marcia Ely is the Director of Programs at the Center for Brooklyn History. She has held senior programming positions at various cultural institutions including the Brooklyn Historical Society and the New York Transit Museum, which follow a career as a television writer, producer and interviewer where she created award-winning programs for Nickelodeon, AMC, TNT, Showtime, TMC among other networks.
Brooklyn Public Library - Center for Brooklyn History MM/DD/YYYY 60