Health Programs

Carter Center Mental Health Program Staff



Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D., Director

Dr. Thomas H. Bornemann became director of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program in August 2002. Prior to that, he served as senior adviser for mental health in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence of the World Health Organization. Dr. Bornemann has spent his entire career in public mental health working in all aspects including clinical practice, research, research management, policy development, and administration at the national level. Early in his career, Dr. Bornemann co-directed a psychiatric emergency clinic in San Francisco, Ca., and designed and developed a series of inpatient and outpatient services for a variety of populations including refugees. Later, at the National Institute of Mental Health, he was one of the leaders in developing a national mental health program for refugees. Dr. Bornemann served in the Office of International Health as the chief of refugee programs. Read full bio


Lei Ellingson, M.P.P., Assistant Director

As assistant director, Lei Ellingson assists the director in developing, planning, and implementing Mental Health Program activities, including the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, and the Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum.  She also serves on the Board of Directors for Mental Health America of Georgia and acts as the liaison between the Mental Health Program and state organizations.  Previously, Ms. Ellingson worked in the field of special education.  Ms. Ellingson received an M.P.P. from Duke University, an M.S.S.E. from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College.

Lynne Randolph, Program Development Coordinator

As program development coordinator, Lynne Randolph assists in developing new program initiatives and oversees the coordination of ongoing program activities, such as the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy and the activities of the Mental Health Task Force. She also coordinates with outside colleagues who wish to collaborate with the Center. Ms. Randolph earned an Associate in Arts degree in human services from Piedmont College in Charlotte, N.C. She worked at the Mecklenburg County Community Mental Health Center conducting play therapy sessions with children and later taught pre-kindergarten.     
 
 
Rebecca G. Palpant, M.S., Senior Program Associate,
The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism

Rebecca Palpant is the senior program associate for The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism of the Carter Center Mental Health Program. Palpant develops and oversees a journalism fellowship program that each year awards stipends to ten professional journalists in the United Sates, southern Africa, and Romania to produce a significant work on mental health or mental illnesses. The fellowship program has been sustained in New Zealand as the New Zealand Mental Health Media Grants Programme through a partnership between Like Minds, Like Mine and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. Palpant is also an active participant on advisory boards and within national work groups related to stigma and accurate portrayals of mental illnesses in the media. Palpant received her master's degree in community counseling from Georgia State University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Asbury College.

Jane Bigham, Assistant Program Coordinator,
The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism

As the assistant to the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships, Jane Bigham maintains the Fellowship Web site and online archive and also assists with  daily duties and projects of the Mental Health Program and Fellowship Program. Ms. Bigham received her bachelor's degree in psychology and spanish from Agnes Scott College and worked as a fall intern with the Carter Center Mental Health Program in Fall 2006 before being hired permanently.

 
Yolonda Johnson, Program Secretary

Program secretary Yolonda Johnson assists the staff in the coordination of program initiatives and activities such as the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum, and Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. She performs various special assignments and supervises interns. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology at Georgia Perimeter College.