Board Member Biographies

Noelle Moore - President

Noelle Moore has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector with a focus on fundraising, management and organization development. Connecting an organization's mission with community awareness and donor partnership has been a theme throughout Noelle's career. She is an experienced thought-partner in fundraising, board development and operations, program evaluation, strategic planning, communications, and marketing.

With experience in organizations that address mental health and a growing awareness of the need for support across our community, Noelle is honored to have been appointed as an inaugural member of the Vernon Township Community Mental Health Board. She is an advocate for expanding access to mental health care, social supports, and community engagement to make Vernon Township a model community for Mental Health Boards across Illinois. 

Sally Thoren - Vice President

Sally Thoren has spent more than 40 years in the behavioral health field, focusing on substance use and mental health disorders. Over her long career, Sally held many roles including direct patient care, admissions and assessment, outreach, advocacy, public education, grants management and leadership. .

Sally has lived with her family in Vernon Township since 1989, and joined the Mental Health board to increase awareness, reduce barriers and help bring these necessary services to the township. Sally believes our greatest challenge will be overcoming the stigma associated with substance use and mental health disorders.

Philip Hirsh - Treasurer

Philip Hirsh is currently a Trustee for Vernon Township and has been on the board for over ten years. Philip has held a wide variety of financial roles during his career, most recently as a Finance Director with retail healthcare organization, with extensive experience in analytics, reporting, budgeting, and forecasting.

Philip is extremely proud of the work Vernon Township has done to support the community and believes that the Mental Health Board will be one of the most important accomplishments of the Vernon Township Board during his tenure, which will make mental health services more readily available to our residents.

Carolyn Lewis - Secretary 

A transplant from New Jersey, Carolyn moved to Chicago in 1997 and attended the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, earning a Master of Arts degree in Social Work. Her formal social work career began in Buffalo Grove as a Youth and Family Treatment Specialist and Prevention Specialist at OMNI Youth Services eventually moving on to specialize as a school social worker. Carolyn has been in her current position as a social worker at Aptakisic Junior High School in District 102 in Buffalo Grove since 2007.  At Aptakisic, Carolyn sponsors the Catalyst Club (drug and alcohol prevention), Acceptance Club (genders and sexualities alliance), Black Tranquility Group (racial equity), and Mosaic Variety Show (talent and self-esteem).  Outside of her work life, Carolyn enjoys living in Buffalo Grove with her husband and three children. In her free time, Carolyn sings in the BG Singers Buffalo Grove Park District chorus, volunteers with her synagogue, and enjoys supporting the passions and endeavors of her three children.

Carolyn joined the Vernon Township Community Mental Health Board to help promote mental health awareness and identify gaps in community supports and resources.  As a direct service provider in Vernon Township, she can see firsthand the rising mental health, disability, and substance abuse issues in our community and as a board member, hopes to help assist community organizations in better providing services for individuals who are most impacted.

Emily Crutchfield

Emily Crutchfield is a dedicated educator and leader who has served as the General Music Teacher at Wayne Thomas Elementary School in Highland Park since 2007, instructing over 400 students annually. In addition to her classroom role, Emily is heavily involved in educational governance and advocacy, serving in leadership positions within the North Shore Education Association. She has furthered this advocacy by being elected as a delegate to both the National Education Association and the Illinois Education Association Representative Assemblies. Emily also serves as a Board of Education member for Diamond Lake School District 76. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters. She also enjoys singing and is an avid reader.

Emily has lived in Vernon Township since 2008 and currently resides in Vernon Hills. She joined the Vernon Township Mental Health Board because she is passionate about increasing awareness of available resources for individuals with mental illnesses, disabilities, and substance abuse issues in Vernon Township.

Mike Garfield 

Mike Garfield has spent over 35 years in the behavioral health field focusing on building EAP support solutions for employers globally. Having worked directly with dozens of Vernon Township employers over the years, large and small, he has firsthand experience of the types of challenges facing Vernon Township families. Mike's wife Donna spent here career working in the developmental disabilities field which has provided Mike with a broad perspective of the needs here as well.

Mike has lived in Vernon Township since 1979 and joined the board with the goals of expanding service access, increasing awareness of available resources and reducing the stigma associated with these services.

Akrom Hossain

Akrom Hossian is dedicated to public service in general and specifically dedicated to improving access to care. Akrom lives in Long Grove with his family. He has been an executive at healthcare corporations in Illinois for the last 20 years. During these times, Akrom worked with various organizations to bring parity between physical and mental health services.

Akrom joined Vernon Township Mental Health Board as he is passionate to connect community-based care organizations with payer and provider communities for cost-effective care models.