As part of our commitment to innovation and quality, Benchmark regularly seeks advice and feedback from industry experts. Our Advisory Committee includes these thought leaders in the human services space.
Val Bradley
President Emeritus, The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI)
Ms. Bradley is a widely recognized expert on quality assurance in services to persons with disabilities. She has participated in the design of quality indicators for major national advocacy organizations in the developmental disabilities field and has consulted with state governments regarding the design of quality assurance systems.
Ms. Bradley has served as president of HSRI since its inception in 1976, authored its manual on quality assurance for the human services field, and co-authored and co-edited several books. Most recently, she co-edited Quality of Life for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities with Robert Schalock and James Gardner.
Patrick Frawley, Ph.D.
Director, Vermont Crisis Intervention Network
Dr. Frawley co-founded and has directed the Vermont Crisis Intervention Network (VCIN) for the past 23 years. Among the first crisis programs of its kind within the United States, with its focus on serving individual with developmental disabilities, VCIN has served as a model for the development of crisis programs throughout the country. VCIN is a multi-tiered, prevention-oriented program with three components: training, consultation and crisis residential services. Through this program, he has had the opportunity to support countless individuals, families, and teams faced with challenging clinical situations.
Dr. Frawley also maintains a psychotherapy private practice utilizing a cognitive-behavioral approach to assisting individuals with developmental disabilities with issues such as emotion regulation.
Vijay Ganju, Ph.D.
Consultant, Austin, TX
Vijay Ganju, Ph.D. currently works as a consultant to multiple national, state and local public and private agencies in developing mental health resource toolkits for best practices for children and adolescents for evaluation activities, evidence-based practices and mental health transformation.
As the former Secretary General of the World Federation of Mental Health, Dr. Ganju provided leadership and management for the organization’s activities. He developed a module on mental health financing and co-authored the module on mental health quality management for the World Health Organization.
Recently, Dr. Ganju has worked on a best practices project for indigenous populations in the Pacific region, and as an expert consultant in several class action lawsuits.
David Mank, Ph.D.
Former Director, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Professor, School of Education, Indiana University
Dr. Mank is known nationally for his work in employment strategies and policies related to persons with disabilities. He has been published extensively on issues regarding supported employment, job performance and integration outcomes for people with disabilities and psychiatric issues, and related public policy and system issues.
Michael Smull
Chair, The Learning Community for Essential Lifestyle Planning
Director, Support Development Associates
Mr. Smull works with agencies, regions and states on how to develop and implement person-centered plans. He has led the person-centered movement for persons with developmental disabilities transitioning from institutions to living in the community. Mr. Smull is co-developer of Essential Lifestyle Planning, a guided process for learning how someone wants to live and developing a plan to make it happen. He has worked in 47 states, Canada, the United Kingdom and Belgium.
Scott Van Sant, M.D.
Associate Director, General Adult Residency Training Program, Georgia Regents University
Scott Van Sant, M.D. is a board-certified psychiatrist who also is board certified in forensic psychiatry. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry within the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University, where he is also the associate director of the General Adult Residency Training program.
Dr. Van Sant previously served as chief medical officer of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia, which served over 900 individuals in a variety of clinical settings including acute adult and child/adolescent psychiatric services, maximum-security forensic services and an intermediate care facility for people with intellectual disabilities.
Dr. Van Sant is author of a number of book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics including mood disorders, schizophrenia and the endocrinology of aging.