Our Team
Executive Leadership
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Jihoon Kim (he/him) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of InUnity Alliance, a membership organization in New York State consisting of over 200 agencies that provide addiction, mental health, health, and social services to individuals of all ages. Mr. Kim most recently served as Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Mental Hygiene under Governor Kathy Hochul. In this role, he managed thirteen state agencies and offices and served as Co-Chair of New York’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council.
He was instrumental in developing New York’s historic multi-year investment in the continuum of mental health care, prioritizing initiatives to combat the opioid overdose epidemic by efficiently distributing opioid settlement funds, expanding access to affordable childcare, and launching strategic efforts to reduce child poverty by 50% over ten years. Additionally, he established New York State’s first Office of the Chief Disability Officer.
With over fifteen years of experience in government affairs, policy, and executive leadership, Jihoon has held positions with the New York State Senate, the New York Attorney General’s Office, and the Office of Mental Health. He is a Licensed Master Social Worker and holds a Master of Social Work degree from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.
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Amanda Semidey (she/her) joined InUnity Alliance, Inc. (IUA) as their inaugural Chief Operating Officer in the summer of 2024. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President at Coordinated Behavioral Care (CBC), Inc., where she played a key role in establishing and expanding the Health Home Serving Adults and Health Home Serving Children’s Care Management programs. Under her leadership, enrollment grew significantly, making these programs among the largest in New York State, with 52 delegated care management agencies serving over 24,000 Medicaid-enrolled individuals across the five boroughs, Long Island, and lower Westchester. Amanda also served on the Board of the NY Health Home Coalition, where she contributed to state-level health policy and advocacy efforts.
With a background in behavioral health, inpatient care, and community treatment, Amanda brings extensive experience from her roles within managed care organizations, including a previous administrative position at a leading behavioral health managed care organization. She holds an Advanced Certificate in Integrated Primary and Behavioral Health Care from the NYU McSilver Institute, as well as a Graduate Degree from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.
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Sarah Duvall (she/her), MPH is the Chief Research and Policy Officer at InUnity Alliance. Before joining the organization, she served as Director of Behavioral Health at the Healthcare Association of New York State, where she developed and advanced statewide advocacy strategies with hospitals and health systems providing addiction, mental health, and intellectual and developmental disability services across the service continuum.
Previously, Sarah worked as a research scientist and epidemiologist in both state and local government. With more than 20 years of experience in direct care, public health, and policy, she fosters cross-sector collaboration to advance practical, targeted policy initiatives. She is also an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at Albany’s College of Integrated Health Sciences
Team Leaders
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Marlo Pasion (she/her) partners with New York State mental health and wellness support providers to cultivate and reinforce resilience in individuals. Her diverse experience in direct social work spans various areas, including youth residential services, youth outreach, families with children on the autism spectrum, older adults, survivors of domestic violence, and outpatient adult mental health.
Before joining InUnity Alliance, Marlo served as the Program Director at The Mental Health Association (MHA-NYC)’s Harlem Bay Network Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) program. She presents at national, statewide, and citywide conferences on topics related to Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Recovery-Oriented Practices.
She is a certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor, a certified Work Incentives Practitioner (WIP-C), and a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional (CCFP). Marlo holds a Master of Social Work degree from The Silver School of Social Work at New York University (NYU) and is a certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP) through the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA).
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Natalie Lleras (she/her) brings over fifteen years of experience in the mental health field, working directly with populations of individuals managing significant mental health conditions and most intensely with providers who collaborate with them. She has extensive expertise in training and curriculum development, clinical practice, and leadership across various sectors, including special education, the PROS Model, and Person-Centered documentation, Trauma Informed Practice, and management of nonprofit organizations. Previously, Natalie served as the Clinical Director of Rockaway PROS at Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. Natalie presents at local conferences on topics such as supervision, recovery-oriented practice, and psychiatric rehabilitation. She is a graduate of New York University’s Silver School of Social work and maintains Clinical licensure in the field of social work. She is also a proud Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Provider (CPRP) and maintains a SIFI from NYU.
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Sherry LaFountain (she/her) joined ASAP (now InUnity Alliance) in 2001. As the Director of Events Management, Marketing, and Development, she oversees membership recruitment services, and strategic activities that support membership retention and enhance an organization’s visibility in the behavioral health sector.
Sherry’s prior experience includes working as a Legal Secretary/Paralegal at Featherstonhaugh, Conway, Wiley & Clyne, LLP, a well-respected Albany-based law firm. She also served as an Executive Assistant at Brown & Weinraub, a leading government relations and strategic consulting law firm. Sherry is a graduate of the Empire State Society of Association Executives (ESSAE) Leadership Academy.
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Elisabeth Kranson (she/her) joined ASAP (now InUnity Alliance) in 2015 and planned the New York Society of Addiction Medicine’s Annual Statewide Conference in New York City. Elisabeth served as Certification Coordinator before being promoted to the Director of Certification. In her role, she oversees the New York Certification Board (NYCB) review process for all certification applications and collaborating with NYCB Members to certify NYS applicants. Elisabeth played a key role in modernizing the NYCB's certification process by transitioning to an electronic application processing system. She began her career in the advertising industry and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.