Keynote Speakers

Mr. Brian Cuban

Mental Health and Recovery Advocate & Best-Selling Author

Cuban, is a Dallas based attorney, author and addiction recovery advocate. He is a graduate of Penn State University and The University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Brian has been in long term recovery from alcohol, cocaine and bulimia since April of 2007. His first book, Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder, chronicles his first-hand experiences living with and recovering from twenty-seven years of eating disorders, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).

Brian’s most recent best-selling book, The Addicted Lawyer, Tales of The Bar, Booze, Blow, & Redemption is an un-flinching look back at how addiction and other mental health issues destroyed his career as a once successful lawyer and how he and others in the profession redefined their lives in recovery and found redemption.

Brian has spoken at law schools, colleges, universities, conferences, non-profit and bar association events across the United States and in Canada. Brian has appeared on prestigious talk shows such as the Katie Couric Show as well as numerous media outlets around the country.

He also writes extensively on these subjects. His columns have appeared, and he has been quoted on these topics on CNN.com, Foxnews.com, The Huffington Post, Above the Law, The New York Times, and in online and print newspapers around the world.

Victoria Harris MD, MPH

Retired forensic psychiatrist

Dr. Harris focused her career on those with serious mental health conditions who were incarcerated, or involuntarily detained for psychiatric care. She spent years providing care, leadership and conducting clinical research in Washington state jails, prisons and federal institutions. Dr. Harris was on faculty with the University of Washington, and part of a multi-disciplinary Department of Corrections / University of Washington team

More recently, when almost 60 years old, Dr. Harris experienced a catastrophic psychotic break caused by a medication toxicity. Before the cause of her unusual behavior could be determined, she was arrested and left for weeks in solitary confinement, in a small rural American jail. Dr. Harris brings forth the combination of her personal and professional experiences, as an agent of education, hope and change. She serves on the NAMI National and Jefferson County, WA boards. Dr. Harris can be reached at pnwdragonfly@gmail.com

Kevin Fischer

Executive Director of NAMI Michigan

Kevin Fischer is the Executive Director of NAMI Michigan and Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) International Michigan. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Crisis Intervention Team International is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, Individuals who live with mental illness and/or addiction disorders, their families, and other partners to improve community responses to mental health crises.

A retired businessman, Kevin joined NAMI as a volunteer in 2011 after his oldest son Dominique was diagnosed with a mental illness in late 2007 and was lost to suicide in 2010. After serving on the NAMI Michigan Board of Directors as the NAMIWalks Chairperson for two years, and as Board Vice-President for two years, Kevin accepted the role of Executive Director in 2014.

A mental health and suicide prevention advocate, Kevin is the Founder and Director of The Dominique Fischer Memorial Foundation and CEO of EVERYBODY -VS- STIGMA.com, Immediate Past-President of Crisis Intervention Team International (CITI), a member of Governor Whitmer’s Suicide Prevention Commission, the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) Mental Health Diversion Council and Behavioral Health Advisory Council (BHAC), Co-Executive Producer of the Mind Matters with Dr. Michele Show, recipient of NAMI’s 2022 Vicki Cottrell Award and a 2024 Michigan Chronicle “Men of Excellence Honoree.” Quoted as saying “this is his last job; his last fight,” Kevin is dedicated to eliminating the stigma of mental illness, which he considers the leading barrier to the early diagnoses and treatment, which leads to better outcomes for all.