Board of Directors

President - Nisha Sajnani, PhD, RDT

president@nadt.org

Nisha Sajnani has served on the NADT Board for the past five years, one year as the Canadian Representative, two years as Ethics Chair, and two years as President-Elect. Nisha is the director of the Drama Therapy, Community Health and Prevention Program at the Post Traumatic Stress Center in New Haven (CT). She is on faculty at NYU where she teaches Arts-Based Research and at Yale where she teaches Theater, Trauma, and Change.

President-Elect - Nadya Trytan, MA, RDT/BCT

presidentelect@nadt.org

Nadya Trytan served as Communications Chair in 2009-2011. She was Dramascope Editor in 2003-2006 and Conference Chair for the 2006 Central Region Conference of the National Association for Drama Therapy. Nadya has a private practice in Minnesota and works on the inpatient and outpatient mental health units at a hospital in St. Paul. She is a Co-Founder of the Minnesota Creative Arts Therapists Association.

Vice-President - Lisa Merrell, MA, RDT, LCAT

vicepresident@nadt.org

For the past two years, I've had the privilege of serving as your Vice President.  In that position, I've been responsible for giving support and guidance to the Conference Committees for the 2010 and 2011 Conferences, serving as liaison between the Committees and the Board, and researching and recommending the most appropriate venues for our Conferences.  Planning the conferences has been hard work but is also exciting and rewarding in that it has provided me with the opportunity to work with so many creative and dedicated colleagues.  Work on the 2012 Conference has already begun and I would welcome the opportunity to continue to use my strong organizational skills and creativity in service to our community.   Now is an exciting time for our organization and we're faced with many challenges.  If re-elected, it will be gratifying to me to continue to build on our recent successes and help our community meet those challenges.  Thank you for your support.

Lisa Merrell has served as NADT's Vice President for two years, helped form the New England Chapter and served as its Secretary for four years, and served as Co-Chair of the 2004 Conference in Newport, RI.  She is co-founder of The Creative Therapies Center in Rhode Island where she and her husband, Travis, provide counseling services primarily to formerly incarcerated men and women on probation and parole.  She is a graduate of NYU's Drama Therapy Program.

Secretary - Gary Raucher, MA, RDT/BCT, LMFT

secretary@nadt.org

It has been my privilege to serve on the board as Vice President (2007 – 2009) and Western Regional Representative (2009-2011). Board service offers the opportunity to collaborate with other dedicated drama therapists in monitoring issues, weighing priorities, and formulating policies that can benefit our members and our profession. The Secretary is responsible for maintaining a clear record of board business for the scrutiny of our membership and is also a member of the Board’s Executive Counsel. I would welcome the opportunity to serve our members in this capacity.

Gary Raucher is core faculty with the Drama Therapy Program at CIIS, San Francisco, where he also maintains a private clinical practice. He has worked as a drama therapist with a wide variety of populations. In addition to his Board service, he Co-Chaired with Jess Miller the 2008 NADT National Conference.

Education Chair - Heidi Landis, MA, RDT/BCT, LCAT, PAT

education@nadt.org

I have enjoyed the challenge of learning all there is to learn about being  Education Chair this past term and I feel like I've finally taken it all in. The opportunities that I have had to work with the NADT community have been rewarding and I feel privileged to be able to give back.  I am running for re- election to finish what I've started as two years just seems like a drop in the bucket when it comes to education tasks. I would be grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve as your Education Chair.

Heidi Landis is currently the program manager at Creative Alternatives of New York where she runs drama therapy groups with many populations. In addition Heidi is in private practice and is an adjunct professor at the College of New Rochelle.

Canadian Representative- Susan Ward, MA, RDT

canadianrep@nadt.org

I first became involved with the NADT Board as a Canadian guest until I received my  RDT and became the first Canadian Representative on the Board. I held this position for two terms. I have been active in the Montreal drama therapy community and am now the vice-president of the Canadian Chapter of NADT and a member of the Government Affairs Committee.

Susan lives and works in Montreal, Quebec. She graduated from ConcordiaUniversity’s Masters in Drama Therapy in 1999. She has followed additional training in couple and family therapy, narrative therapy and CBT. She works full-time as a therapist on the Youth Mental Health Team of a community health centre in Montreal. She maintains a private practice seeing children and their families. Susan teaches part-time for the Concordia Department of Creative Arts Therapies. She is a member and co-founder of Montreal Playback Theatre. Susan has presented her work with children at several conferences, most recently at the International Play Therapy Conference in Morocco. She has participated on the program committees of two NADT Conferences and was the Conference Chair of the 2007 conference in Montreal, the first held in Canada.
 

Western Region Representative - Jess Miller, MA, RDT/BCT

westernrep@nadt.org

I have a long history and commitment to the NADT.  I have been a member since 1987 and have served on the Board as Western Region Representative and as Ethics Chair. I have also chaired the Registry Committee and the 2008 Annual Conference.  I enjoy giving back to an organization which has given me so much.

Jess Miller is a graduate of Antioch College's 5th PDT class.  She worked clinically as a drama therapist with elders and psychologically disabled adults.  Jess has worked with students with disabilities in higher education since 1997 and is currently the Director of Services for Student with Disabilities at Mills College in Oakland, CA. Soon to be an EdD Candidate in Education Leadership, Jess's dissertation will focus on the use of autobiographical performance as an advocacy tool.

Central Region Representative - Laura Wood, MA, RDT, PLPC, CCLS

centralrep@nadt.org

After serving as the NADT 2010 Conference Chair, I became deeply motivated and inspired to continue to work towards growing and being a part of the NADT. Chairing a conference in the central region had its own unique set of challenges and I realized how important it is to give a voice to the work being done in our area. I have a passion for this task coupled with a sense of clarity about the challenges facing central region drama therapists (licensure issues, finding community and staying connected, etc). I feel confident in my ability to serve as the Central Region Representative. I feel I could bring innovation, creativity and fun to the central region so we can continue to grow as professionals and a community as well as stay connected to the NADT as a whole.

Laura Wood graduated from New York University's program in Drama Therapy. She is currently working full-time at Castlewood Treatment Center where she works with clients with eating disorders and complex trauma. In addition, she is working on her PhD at University of Missouri-St. Louis in Counseling with a focus in Creative Art Therapies. In 2010 she served as the Conference Chair for the NADT's 31st annual conference and this year is pleased to be the Publicity Chair. She is a Registered Drama Therapist, Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Child Life Specialist.