Phi Delta Theta Announces Mental Health Task Force

Phi Delta Theta Announces Mental Health Task Force

Phi Delta Theta is not immune to mental health trends in students, and we are aware that many of our undergraduate members struggle with anxiety, depression, and substance use. Phi Delta Theta responds to several deaths by suicide each academic year, and many of our undergraduate leaders have asked General Headquarters for additional resources to address these issues.

As part of this work, the General Council approved the formation of a Mental Health Taskforce which will seek to do the following:

• Assess the mental health challenges our undergraduate members face and develop curriculum and resources to equip them better to be the healthiest versions of themselves.
• Create procedures and protocols that can be utilized by General Headquarters staff and volunteers during a crisis (e.g., death by suicide, hazing incident, mass shooting, etc.)
• Develop a comprehensive mental health framework that staff and volunteers can use when assisting undergraduate members.

Meet our Mental Health Taskforce

Kirby Maus

Kirby Maus, Arizona State ’90, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and an ordained chaplain-candidate. He worked in broadcast journalism, covering both sports and news, for fifteen years in five different markets. He is a member of the Phi Delta Theta Education Committee and the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award Committee.

Dr. Kasi Lacey

Dr. Kasi Lacey currently serves as the vice president and dean of student life at Westminster College. In these capacities, she provides supervision and directs the operations of several departments, including residential life, student involvement, Fraternity and Sorority Life, the Center for Faith and Service, Austin College—a small liberal arts college similar in structure to Westminster—for her undergraduate degree and then moved on to receive her PhD in counseling psychology from Texas Tech University in Lubbock in 2010. Dr. Lacey joined Westminster in 2011 as the executive director of the wellness center and assistant professor in the psychology department, as she is also a licensed psychologist. During her tenure at Westminster, Dr. Lacey has applied for and received two federal grants totaling $600,000 from the Department of Justice/Office on Violence Against Women. She is the three-time Westminster College recipient of the Phi Delta Theta Faculty Adviser of the Year award.

Rev. Michael J. Schulte

Rev. Michael J. Schulte, Westminster ’14, is an ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He currently serves as the pastor and mission developer of The Collective in Atlanta, Georgia. The Collective is a new faith community seeking to offer a compelling message of love and belonging to new generations. Michael is an alumnus of the Missouri Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta and serves as chaplain for the General Fraternity.

Steve Large

Steve Large serves as Miami University’s assistant vice president for student health and wellness. In this role, Steve provides leadership to the student counseling service, student health services, and the office of student wellness. Prior to joining Miami, Steve worked at the University of Dayton’s Counseling Center as a staff psychologist and then served as the director of a combined health and counseling services department at Gannon University for nine years. Steve is a licensed clinical psychologist and received his bachelor of science in psychology from John Carroll University and his doctorate in clinical psychology from Wright State University, where he was given the Diversity Dissertation Award and the Excellence in the General Practice of Psychology Award. Outside of work, Steve enjoys anything to do with real estate and loves living in Oxford, Ohio, with his aggressively friendly dog, Joey.

Austin Deray

Austin A. Deray, Mercer ’10, is a PhD candidate in cultural studies at George Mason University and is the assistant director of graduate student life and an instructor of critical race, gender, and cultural studies at American University. At George Mason, he oversees the DEI and wellbeing programming and initiatives for the university’s eleven hundred graduate and professional students. Within Phi Delta Theta, Brother Deray is an alumnus of the Georgia Gamma Chapter and currently serves the Fraternity as the Delta North Province President and Diversity and Inclusion Commissioner.

Dr. Mark E. Pleiss

Dr. Mark E. Pleiss, Washington and Jefferson ’11, was initiated into the Pennsylvania Gamma Chapter in 2008. He has over fifteen years of experience in the mental health field, including community and correctional settings, and is currently the chief psychologist at USP Lewisburg. He has served in various volunteer roles for Phi Delta Theta, including being the mental health expert on the education committee, as a previous province president, and on several chapter advisory boards. He is currently the recruitment adviser for Pennsylvania Theta (Pennsylvania State), Iron Phi (#212), and a member of the True Blue Society.

Drew Horn

Drew Horn, Butler ‘16, is a licensed social work therapist living in Indianapolis, Indiana. Drew’s professional focus is primarily on youth and young adult mental health, specializing in trauma work. Drew is an alumnus of the Indiana Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Butler University. Drew also currently works as the live-in adviser for the Indiana Gamma Chapter. Drew is passionate about destigmatizing mental health and promoting healthy masculinity.