Who We Are

Jewell H Gooding MBA, MA, NCC is the Executive Director for Silence the Shame, Inc, mental health education and awareness non-profit. She is a National Certified Counselor with 20 years of experience in mental health services and supports. Mrs. Gooding holds a BS in Psychology from Tennessee State University, MA in Mental Health Counseling from Roosevelt University, and MBA from Georgia. She practiced as a clinician for seven years, working with children and their families with child welfare and juvenile justice involvement. Ms. Gooding has also worked with adults with substance use disorders and chronic homelessness. She found her passion working with teens and young adults as they transitioned into adulthood. She established and managed transitional living programs and served as the subject matter expert while working as the Program Development Manager for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Mrs. Gooding served as the Executive Director for Mental Health America of Georgia, one of the State's leading mental health advocacy organizations. As a non-profit leader, Mrs. Gooding provides consultation and education on mental health policy, programs, and campaigns to support prevention, promotion, and health integration at a national, state, and local level. Mrs. Gooding serves as Board Vice-Chair for Black Girls Smile participates in several statewide coalitions to improve behavioral health access, services, and support. When she is not advocating in Georgia communities, she is invested in her husband of 18 years and her three boys to build leaders for the next generation.  

Taimere Wood has been in the nonprofit sector for more than 10 years with the mindset that it's everyone's responsibility to give back to the community. She graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. She initiated her nonprofit career working for the Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta program at the Atlanta Police Foundation. While there, she was able to work and understand all facets of a nonprofit organization before developing an interest specifically in nonprofit operations and taking on the Business Operations Coordinator position. Her interest and education led her to believe that she could make a more significant impact in the community by supporting individuals to thrive, which led her to Mental Health America of Georgia in 2015. As the Operations Director for Silence the Shame, she hopes to continue her community impact worldwide as the organization envisions expanding globally.