Stephen Kiosk, Director

Steve grew up in a rural town on the Illinois-Wisconsin border. Raised in a family that suffered from untreated mental illness and addiction ending in the tragic death of his father, Steve began his own mental health and wellness journey from severe depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder once he started college. Steve later entered the seminary and was a member of a religious order for several years that began his service to diverse individuals and communities across the country. To assist his own and others’ personal growth and recovery, Steve studied substance abuse counseling, guided imagery and hypnotherapy, mind-body medicine, the effects of and approaches to trauma, solution-focused therapy, cross-cultural healing methods and traditions, and effective learning and behavior-change strategies, based on individual and cultural strengths and belief systems. Steve’s past work efforts have included roles and duties at the Whitman-Walker Clinic’s Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, The American Psychiatric Association, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and more recently at Miriam’s House, a residence and program for homeless women and children in DC living with HIV/AIDS, mental illness, addictions and other life challenges. Steve also spent a brief time at Mental Health America, before arriving at the STAR Center.

Steve is a member of the GLBTQI community, and seeks to assist, support, and celebrate the lives, work, and contributions of diverse individuals and communities.

Carmen Argueta, Project Coordinator

A native of Guatemala, Carmen grew up in Virginia. Her career with NAMI started in 2002 with a temporary assignment that turned into a position with the Center for Leadership and Development (CLD). In 2004, Carmen worked as the Office Manager for PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). A year later, she decided to return to her former NAMI position. When the opening for the Project Coordinator for the STAR Center opened, she jumped at the opportunity, since she felt this was a cause close to her heart, allowing her to be able to work with people of diverse backgrounds, and to do her best to make a difference in people’s lives by sharing with them what she had learned when coming to NAMI: Education is the only way to rid our society of the stigma attached to mental illness.