CIT-RI Team

Each region of the state has a certified CIT Coordinator that supports a community steering committee, organizes local trainings, and offers technical assistance to anyone looking to develop or grow their CIT program.

Sarah Begin

Southern RI Regional Coordinator (Coventry, East Greenwich, West Greenwich, Warwick, West Warwick, Block Island, Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Narragansett, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Richmond, Westerly)

Sarah Begin is the Southern RI CIT Regional Coordinator on the CIT-RI team. Sarah strengthens our team with an extensive medical administrative background that will help navigate community needs and public healthcare systems. Her families lived experience of mental health crisis support by positive police de-escalation inspired her to redirect her career. She lives locally in South Kingstown with her husband and blended family of seven children.

Email: SarahBe@thundermisthealth.org

Phone: 401-360-2093

Emmeline Orellana

Northern RI Regional Coordinator (Burrillville, Cumberland, Foster, Glocester, Johnston, Lincoln, North Smithfield, Scituate, Smithfield, Woonsocket)

Emmeline has dedicated her time serving families, children, people with disabilities, victims of crime, and underserved populations, addressing their needs in housing, providing community resources, and providing wrap around services. She has worked in nonprofit and the public sector for over 8 years. She graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and recently completed her master’s in public administration. She has advocated for policy changes in the state of RI affecting marginalized populations and is a New Leaders Council Alum.

Email: EmmelineO@thundermisthealth.org

Phone: (401) 369-9576

Amy Short

Eastern Regional Coordinator (Barrington, Bristol, East Providence, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Warren)

Amy brings with her extensive experience working in the medical field on how to navigate the administrative and clinical sides of medicine. She also is skilled at building and maintaining relationships and connections in the community, skills she learned and honed while running her own photography business for over a decade. Amy has extensive lived experience with mental health crisis including healthcare law enforcement involvement. She loves surfing and exploring in the woods. She lives in South County with her cats, Lionel & Chuck and her dog, Lemmy.

Email: AmySh@thundermisthealth.org

Phone:

Riley Soule

Statewide Advocacy Coordinator

Riley Soule is the Statewide Advocacy Coordinator for CIT-RI. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work from Rhode Island College, where she received the School of Social Work Community Service Award for her advocacy efforts. Riley is close to finishing her Master of Social Work with a concentration in macro practice, focusing on policy advocacy. Recently, you could find her around the state speaking on behalf of The Womxn Project in the Empowered to Advocate series of workshops. A highlight of her professional experience was having the opportunity to present at the 2024 Trans Health Conference.

Email: RileyS@thundermisthealth.org

Phone: 401-352-4755

Caitlin Gomes

Statewide Coordinator & Program Director

Caitlin’s career began almost 15 years ago when she worked as a substance abuse therapist at the RI Department of Corrections. Upon completion of her masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at RI College, in 2016, Caitlin began working as an emergency services clinician. She has worked in multiple settings across the emergency response system including community mental health agencies, emergency departments, police and fire departments. Caitlin is passionate about providing information and education about mental health and substance use disorders, and started as one of our expert presenters prior to joining our team full time.

Email: CaitlinGo@thundermisthealth.org

Phone: 401-744-0597

Susan Charlotte Jacobsen, MA, LMHC

Managing Director

Susan Jacobsen is the founder and managing director for CIT Rhode Island and senior director of health equity initiatives at Thundermist Health Center where she leads strategies to reduce disparities in healthcare and to improve the health of patients and communities via whole-person & family, place-based approaches, including the Health Equity Zone across the Thundermist Health Center system and Crisis Intervention Team work in Rhode Island. Susan also serves as the project director for the Washington County Behavioral Health Planning Collaborative in the southern region of Rhode Island. She is particularly interested in how total health is supported by communities that foster inclusion, civic engagement, and interdependence. Before joining Thundermist in 2015, Susan was the executive director of the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island. During her tenure at MHARI and later at Thundermist, she led the policy work that eventually brought CIT to Rhode Island in 2019. Susan is a graduate of Bucknell University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Gender Studies and of West Chester University, earning a Master of Arts in clinical psychology. She also studied holistic counseling at Salve Regina University in preparation for licensure in Rhode Island. Susan is a resident of South Kingstown, RI.

Email: SusanJ@thundermisthealth.org

Phone:

We use cookies to improve your experience and to help us understand how you use our site. Please refer to our cookie notice and privacy statement for more information regarding cookies and other third-party tracking that may be enabled.