Valerie Ferri serves as Executive Director for both the Family Training and Advocacy Center (FTAC) and Pennsylvania Psychiatric Leadership Council (PPLC) in Philadelphia. With extensive experience in the Philadelphia community mental health system, Valerie has dedicated the past decade to promoting family inclusion and natural supports for service recipients, while advancing workforce development for behavioral health professionals. She chairs the Workforce Committee for the NASW-PA chapter. Valerie holds Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Health from Temple University and is completing her PhD in Health Sciences with a concentration in Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Rutgers School of Health Professionals. Her dissertation examines how behavioral health professionals’ lived experiences as family members influence their family inclusion practices.