Meet our Team
Our board is comprised of mental health professionals, advocates, and individuals deeply connected to issues surrounding mental illness and creative arts.
Nikki Hune, Ph.D., LMSW
FOUNDER
Nikki received her Ph.D. in Addictive Disorders and Recovery Studies at Texas Tech University. Her dissertation was entitled “An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis on the Interconnections and Disturbances of Connectedness between The Self and Others in Co-occurring Schizophrenia and Substance Use Disorder Recovery.” Nikki served on the NAMI Texas Peer Leadership Committee and facilitates NAMI Connection mental health peer support groups in Lubbock, TX. She received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, and her Bachelor's in Social Work from the University of Houston-Downtown in 2013. She previously spent her time exploring strategies to reduce mental health stigma by incorporating expressive arts as an empirically supported, complementary intervention to mental health treatment. In 2016, Nikki founded What it’s Like Project in reaction to her personal experience living with a mental health condition. To support her own recovery, she incorporates visual arts, music and writing into her daily life. She believes fusing the arts with mental health recovery and advocacy serve as protective factors in overall wellbeing.
Cailey Baker
CO-FOUNDER / PRESIDENT
Cailey graduated from a recovery high school, Archway Academy, in 2014. She engaged in self-harm from ages 12 to 16 years old. Cailey lives with depression and anxiety, and in 2010 attempted suicide. In January 2015, she lost her brother, Chris, to suicide and shortly after lost her brother, Dylan, to a drug overdose. She participated in the development of Generation Found, a documentary about adolescents recovering from substance abuse disorders in the Houston area. For the last two years she has been helping adolescents with mental illness and substance use disorders. In 2016, Cailey talked to representatives from Texas about mental health and advocated for more funding and accessibility to those who struggle with mental illness in Washington DC. She hopes to educate others on mental illness and use her story to advocate for changes in the healthcare system.
Misty Baker
CO-FOUNDER
Misty is a certified bookkeeper and works as a service agent for a major airline. For many years, she worked in both mental health and substance use disorder hospital settings. She has volunteered for Archway Academy, a recovery high school in Houston. Specifically, she participated in recovery films and fundraising on behalf of Archway. Misty has been a public speaker for school outreach programs through the Houston Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. She has also been in long-term recovery from addiction since 1989. Misty lives with depression, anxiety and PTSD. In January 2015, Misty lost her oldest son with bipolar disorder to suicide and months after lost her step-son to a drug overdose. Many of her family members live with mental health disorders and dependency disorders. Misty is an advocate for removing stigma and creating change in both mental health and substance use fields by advocating and participating in events such as Facing Addiction.
Jackie Parker-Foster, CEM
CO-FOUNDER
Jackie has worked for a nonprofit organization in Houston, TX for over 20 years, with over six years of experience in managing the exhibits department. She has expertise in managing trade shows, event planning and other special events including: logistics, Request for Proposal (RFP) analysis, site selection, contract negotiations and budgets. Active in the trade show industry, Jackie recently received her Certification in Exhibition Management (CEM) from the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). She is currently certified in Mental Health First Aid and advocates for individuals living with mental illness. Jackie is also skilled in pottery, painting and crafts.
Ave Bates
BIO COMING SOON!
Justin Anderson, MA, LCSW
BOARD MEMBER
Justin received his Master’s in Social Work from the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. He has a Bachelors in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a MA in Counseling/Student Affairs from Texas State University. He currently works at psychiatric hospital in Houston. Previously, Justin has worked in HIV case management, adolescent counseling, and dual diagnosis inpatient treatment settings. He also worked as a trainer and community outreach liaison, focusing on fitness and wellness for people with chronic illness and injury. Justin has lived with ADHD since he was a child and has battled anxiety for most of his life. He has been in recovery since 2010.
Jose Cortes, BA
BOARD MEMBER
Jose received his Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. He comes from a musically inclined family and has witnessed the positive impact that the arts can have on a person’s life. In the past, he has worked in mental health and substance use treatment hospitals. He has also worked with various local, national and international non-profit organizations directing fundraising and coordinating events. His most recent non-profit work has included translating medical terminology, diagnoses, and treatments for Spanish-speaking only patients at a local clinic that offers services to low-income, migrant and refugee populations. Professionally, his work regarding cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety has been published in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal. Currently, he works on a research team that teaches techniques and skills to help older adults reduce worry and stress in their daily lives. Having had experience with anxiety-related disorders, he hopes his career and nonprofit work will help increase access to mental and physical health services available to underserved minority populations.
Ben Irwin
BIO COMING SOON!
Jennifer Van Antwerp
BOARD MEMBER
Jennifer is currently attending University Houston-Clear Lake for a degree in Social Work. Most of her 18-year career has been in the manufacturing industry with various jobs from administration, inside sales and finance. Jennifer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder around 2010. Jennifer has a passion for listening to other peoples’ stories. She also uses her own experiences to help others not feel alone. Jennifer often talks about how the WiLP team and community events have been greatly therapeutic in her own life. WiLP has given a platform for many talented artists with mental illness. In turn, it has served as a catalyst for Jennifer’s involvement in mental health awareness.
Dan Workman, LCSW
BOARD MEMBER