Matt Ballard, MSW, MDiv, joined the Center in April 2019 as program manager at the Farm at Penny Lane, which houses the Center’s innovative mental health recovery programs such as Horticulture Therapy, Brushes with Life Arts program, UNC PAWS and wellness programs. Participants typically are individuals with serious mental illness.. He works closely with Center patients and clinicians to respond to specific needs of individuals participating in the Farm’s programs. Previously, he worked as the farm manager at Benevolence Farm, a reentry support services organization in Alamance County. Additionally, he worked from 2013-15, as a street outreach social worker for housing at New Hope’s PATH program in Orange County, linking individuals with serious mental health disorders or co-occurring substance use disorders with service providers.He received a masters from the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work and a masters from Duke Divinity School in 2012.