Sally Zinman has forged strength from a place of pain, emerging as a bright and unwavering beacon for the mental health consumer movement.

Over more than three decades of activism, Sally has been a humble but eloquent voice for self-empowerment and self-determination for people living with a brain illness. She has helped elevate and upend the concept of recovery; and planted the seeds for the peer-run programs now flourishing nationwide.

Sally helped launch the country’s first statewide consumer-run organization in the 1970’s; and today, as executive director of the California Association of Mental Health Peer Run Organizations, remains a potent force, working to shatter stigma, promote a community-based, holistic approach to mental wellness, and upholding the civil rights of people living with mental illness. Thank you, Sally, for your wisdom, your endurance and for lighting the way.