Cassandra Welch | Kenton County
Board Chair

Casey Welch is the Chair of NorthKey Community Care’s Board of Directors. She joined the Board in 2020. As attorney with Stites & Harbison, Casey brings valuable legal expertise to the NorthKey board.

Inspired by her father’s decades-long work as a psychiatrist with a community mental health center – and her own lived experience with mental health challenges – Casey is passionate about making mental health services accessible to all. She works to help NorthKey expand its reach and visibility throughout the region so more individuals can benefit from its care.

Casey holds a Bachelor’s Degree in literature from Eastern Kentucky University and a J.D. from Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University. She worked with the State of Kentucky before moving into private practice.

Outside of her professional work, Casey supports local animal welfare efforts, including the Stray Animal Adoption Program and Cincinnati Animal Care.

Gary Goetz | Kenton County
Board Vice Chair

Gary Goetz is the Vice Chair of the NorthKey Community Care Board of Directors. He joined the Board in 2019. He is also NorthKey’s Vice President of Operations and has been with the organization in various capacities since 1998.

Gary’s career in mental health and substance use services spans 35 years. He has worked as a therapist, administrator and leader, as well as president and CEO of a children’s psychiatric hospital and consultant in the mental health field. He takes pride in NorthKey’s vital role as part of the community’s system of care, improving the lives of those living with mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Gary is also a board member of NAMI Northern Kentucky, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of American affected by mental illness. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from Thomas More University and a Master’s Degree in clinical psychology from Eastern Kentucky University.

Stephanie Huhn | Kenton County
Board Treasurer/Secretary

Stephanie has served on NorthKey Community Care’s Board of Directors since 2010. She is committed to ensuring NorthKey remains a vital resource for individuals and families in Northern Kentucky – especially children, whose lives can be transformed by access to mental health and substance use services.

Stephanie is a Certified Public Accountant and partner at Bramel & Ackley, P.S.C. With more than 25 years in public accounting, she brings valuable financial insight to the board, informed by her work with smaller nonprofits throughout the community.

Stephanie is active in several professional organizations and serves as a board member of the Dinsmore Homestead Foundation. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Thomas More College.

Jim Thelen | Boone County

Jim Thelen has been a member of NorthKey Community Care’s Board of Directors since 1976.

Jim is a retired Certified Public Accountant, and his expertise has been instrumental in helping NorthKey understand and achieve its financial goals. For Jim, NorthKey represents a trusted and enduring resource that has served the community for decades.

Jim also serves the community through roles with the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission’s finance committee, St. Timothy Church’s finance committee and the Northern Kentucky Adult Reading Program.

He is a graduate of Thomas More University.

Molly Laird | Boone County

Molly joined the NorthKey Board in 2025.

Inspired by her own family’s experiences with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Molly values the impact of community services and hopes to help NorthKey gain greater visibility as a trusted resource across the region. She is committed to supporting the organization’s mission to improve access to mental health care and vital services for Northern Kentucky residents.

Molly is a clinical supervisor at Tri-State Arthritis and Rheumatology. Her diverse professional background includes more than a decade in equine training and veterinary medicine before transitioning to human medicine in 2020. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from Miami University.

Kelly Fallon | Campbell County

Kelly Fallon joined NorthKey Community Care’s Board of Directors in 2025.

Kelly brings two decades of experience in social work to her role as board member. She looks forward to contributing her professional insight to support NorthKey’s mission of serving individuals and families across Northern Kentucky.

Kelly is the MSW Field Director at Northern Kentucky University, where she helps students secure and monitor their internships. She began her career in 2005 working with children and families and has since held multiple leadership positions in the field.

She earned her Master’s in Social Work SW from the University of Cincinnati and her Doctorate in Education from Northern Kentucky University. She is a Licensed Social Worker in Ohio.

Bari Joslyn | Kenton County

Bari Joslyn has served on NorthKey Community Care’s Board of Directors since 1998. Bari is proud to support NorthKey’s mission, describing it as one of the most important organizations in Northern Kentucky and praising the dedication of its staff.

Bari is vice president of the Northern Kentucky Water District. She contributes management expertise, data analysis skills to the board, as well as personal insight shaped by her own family’s experiences with mental health. In addition to her work with NorthKey, she serves on the boards of Friends of NorthKey and ERIGO Employer Solutions and has previously chaired NorthKey’s board and served as a trustee for St. Elizabeth Healthcare.

Bari Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Northern Kentucky University and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Cincinnati.

Stephen Zimmerman | Kenton County

Stephen has served on the NorthKey Community Cares Board of Directors since 2003. He strongly identifies with NorthKey’s mission to support individuals across Northern Kentucky’s eight counties, whether they need a helping hand or are facing a crisis.

Stephen brings deep expertise in mental health and primary care to the board, shaped by work in drug and alcohol treatment at St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Comp Care. A retired registered nurse, He spent much of his career at the Cincinnati VA Hospital, first in the MICU and later as Program Director for Home Based Primary Care.

Stephen is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a volunteer at the Rose Garden Mission in Covington. He holds dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Nursing from Northern Kentucky University.