Hank Center

NAMI Lowcountry is honored to introduce Hank Center as its new Executive Director and to share a bit about why this role—and this moment—matters so deeply to him and to the community.

His own journey through mental health began at age 10 with a diagnosis that has evolved over the years. Mental health challenges have been a constant thread throughout his life. He has learned that mental health and wellness are not a destination but a lifelong practice – one that requires honesty, support, patience, and compassion. Therapy, peer support, and recovery programs have been both challenging and life-changing. That personal experience is what ultimately led him to accept the role of Executive Director at NAMI Lowcountry.

He has spent much of his adult life working with nonprofit organizations, starting in the 1980s as a volunteer with a service organization in the early days of AIDS, where he created a meals-to-go program for clients to address the malnutrition that, in the days of little to no known treatment, would accompany the illness. He would go on to work as an activist, tutor in an adult literacy program, and then into areas of mental health, recovery from substance use disorders, and other community-based services. For the last few years, he has worked as a grant writer, funding development coordinator, and nonprofit consultant, helping small organizations build a solid foundation to achieve their vision.