Seán

Stickle

As Chief Operating Officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Seán Stickle currently manages and leads daily business operations, working closely with other NAMI leaders to execute against the organization’s goals, including the goal of ensuring that people who live with mental illness get help early. Seán’s dedication to changing the way the world sees mental health is driven by his own personal journey. Seán was diagnosed with Rapid Cycling Bipolar Type 2 Disorder -- semimonthly cycles of clinical depression alternating with hypomania -- when he was 35 years old but has been living symptom-free for the last 16 years after receiving the treatment and care he needed. Innovations like smart watches have enabled Seán to take on more responsibility for managing his own mental illness by providing the data and applications needed to monitor and engage with his symptoms. Seán’s technical and personal background allow him to understand what these technologies are doing and how, so he can explain it to others in an accessible way. Seán first joined NAMI in 2020 as the Director of Information Technology and has also held the roles of Chief Information Officer and Chief of Staff before becoming NAMI’s Chief Operating Officer. Seán has led the charge in simplifying NAMI’s IT infrastructure, improving data quality and expanding field involvement in systems design. He strongly believes in the philosophy of “building with, not building for.” Seán has worked in nonprofit technology since 1999, focused on driving IT turnarounds and organizational growth across a wide variety of nonprofits including the Physician Assistant Education Association. Seán holds a B.A. degree from St. John’s College and has completed executive education through the Harvard Business School.