EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER - Key Persons

Alison Barkoff

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging / Administration for Community Living
EXCOM Member

Alison Barkoff was sworn into office as the Principal Deputy Administrator on January 20, 2021, and currently is serving as Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging. In this capacity, she provides executive direction, leadership, guidance and coordination for Administration for Community Living (ACL) programs nationwide and advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary on issues affecting individuals with disabilities and older adults. Barkoff comes to ACL from the Center for Public Representation, where she served as Director of Advocacy. In that position, she led policy advocacy with federal agencies and Congress and legal advocacy nationally to advance community living and inclusion, including in the areas of healthcare, Medicaid home- and community-based services, employment, housing, and education. She led and participated in numerous coalitions with disability and aging organizations, including as co-chair of the Long-Term Services and Supports Task Force of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities. She has testified before Congress and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on disability rights and was appointed to serve on the federal Advisory Committee for Competitive Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities. Barkoff previously served as Director of Advocacy at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, where she worked on a range of disability, healthcare, education and civil rights issues. In earlier government roles, she served as Special Counsel for Olmstead Enforcement in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, leading efforts to enforce the rights of people with disabilities to live, work and fully participate in their communities. She also worked with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the Department of Health and Human Services on policies related to Medicaid home- and community-based services and with the Department of Labor on issues affecting the workforce providing in-home services. She is a sibling to an adult brother with developmental disabilities and has been involved in disability advocacy her entire life. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law.

Bonnie Carroll - Founder, President

Job Titles:

Founder
Member of the Executive Committee
President
EXCOM Member

Bonnie Carroll is a 2015 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She is a military veteran, the surviving spouse of the Brigadier General Tom Carroll, a former staffer in the Reagan and Bush White Houses, and the President and Founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), the leading national Military Service Organization providing compassionate care, casework assistance, and 24/7/365 emotional support for all those impacted by the death of a military loved one. Carroll founded TAPS following the death of her husband in an Army C-12 plane crash on Nov. 12, 1992. Carroll served in Baghdad, Iraq, as the Deputy Senior Advisor for Programs in the Ministry of Communications. In that capacity, she managed the execution of a quarter-billion dollars in U.S. supplemental funds for the reconstruction of the telecommunications capability in Iraq, the modernization of the postal service, and creation of the Iraq Communications and Media Commission. She continues to work with Iraqi surviving families facing traumatic loss. Before going to Iraq, Carroll was appointed to be the White House Liaison for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Washington, D.C. Prior to this appointment, she served as director of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and ensured the development of programs to aid families coping with a traumatic loss in the military. Carroll retired as a Major in the Air Force Reserve following 30 years of service, where her career included service as Chief, Casualty Operations, HQ USAF. Her last assignment was on the HQ USAF National Security and Emergency Preparedness staff in the Pentagon. Prior to joining the USAFR, Major Carroll served 16 years in the Air National Guard as a Transportation Officer, Logistics Officer, and Executive Officer. Carroll holds a degree in Public Administration and Political Science from American University and a degree in Equine Science from Springfield College. She has completed Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government's Executive Leadership Program on International Conflict Resolution, and is a graduate of several military service schools, including the USAF Logistics Officer Course, Squadron Officers School, Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, Academy of Military Science (Distinguished Graduate), and USAF Basic Training (Honor Graduate). Carroll has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Death Education and Counseling, the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council, the VA Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation, and she is past co-chair of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces. She currently serves on the Defense Health Board and the Board of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Bre Banks

Job Titles:

Secretariat Staff Member
Data and Evaluation Associate - II

Bre Banks is a Data and Evaluation Associate - II, serves several projects at EDC with a core focus on suicide prevention. As most of her work resides in the Zero Suicide Institute and National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (NAASP), she brings expertise in suicide-specific program evaluation, training, and treatment. Bre's role will continue to drive and develop the evidence base for Zero Suicide and NAASP products and initiatives. Banks specializes in mixed methods research, and brings 12 years of experience leading federally funded suicide-specific programs, trainings, and evaluations within behavioral health system contexts. Before joining EDC, Banks served as the Director of Clinical Education at Centerstone's Research Institute, where she led the development of novel training strategies in the nation's first community-based simulation training center for community behavioral health. She also currently serves as an Adjunct Faculty member at her alma mater, the University of Tennessee. Banks holds a BA in psychology and political science, an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision.

Brian J. Boon - CEO, President

Job Titles:

CEO
Member of the Executive Committee
President
EXCOM Member
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission

Brian J. Boon is the president and chief executive officer of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), which he joined in March 2001. Incorporated in 1966, CARF has offices in Washington, D.C.; Tucson, Arizona; and Edmonton and Ottawa, Canada. It is an international private, not-for-profit organization that currently accredits more than 47,000 programs and services on five continents. CARF accreditation provides for an impartial third-party quality improvement review of programs and services delivered in the human services industry. These industries include aging services; behavioral health services; child and youth Services; durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS); employment and community services; medical rehabilitation, and opioid treatment Programs. In September 2002, CARF Canada was incorporated in Edmonton, Alberta. In January 2003, CARF acquired the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC), which accredits and extends its reach of quality to aging services continuums, including continuing care retirement communities. More than 8.3 million persons of all ages are served annually by CARF-accredited providers. Prior to being recruited into his current position, Boon spent 16 years in the workers' compensation industry with the Alberta Workers' Compensation Board as vice president of Customer Service and Disability Management. During this time he provided executive leadership to a major operating division of the Alberta Workers' Compensation Board, a not-for-profit, non-government mutual insurance corporation. Boon was responsible for all claims and medical benefit expenses-$750 million annually. His portfolio included adjudication; case management services; oversight of an authorized healthcare provider network (24,000 providers); and responsibility for a CARF-accredited outpatient rehabilitation center that was recognized with a silver award in a National Quality Management Competition, "Better with Less," sponsored by Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers). Boon had the privilege of having his organization recognized for its outstanding work in the area of case management systems, and he co-developed and implemented an outcome-based continuum of care healthcare delivery system that focused on business/clinical outcomes as the nucleus to cost containment. Boon holds a PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Alberta and is a formerly practicing and registered psychologist. Boon has presented and published in the area of improving organizational performance, outcomes-based management in health care delivery, and claims management for effective results. Boon's broad professional experiences as a payer, provider, regulator, and quality-based accreditor have contributed to his "systems solution" approach.

Cal Beyer

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member
Vice President of Workforce Risk
Vice President, Workforce Risk & Mental Wellbeing

Cal Beyer is the Vice President of Workforce Risk & Worker Mental Wellbeing for CSDZ, a firm dedicated to construction risk management for over 100 years. In partnership with parent company Holmes Murphy & Associates, CSDZ serves construction companies nationwide. Previously, Beyer served as Director of Risk Management at construction company Lakeside Industries, Inc. in Issaquah, WA from 2014 until 2020. He has a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas concentrating in local government management. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in political science and urban studies. Beyer also serves as a Certified Wellness Practitioner and a Safety Transportation Project Professional. He has worked in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Beyer has over 30 years of professional experience in risk, insurance and safety management and business consultation. He has extensive experience in strategic risk improvement and risk management best practices. He is a multi-industry thought leader, and a catalyst for sustainable cultural change. Beyer was an inaugural member (and Co-Lead; 2015-2017), of the Action Alliance's Workplace Task Force. Since 2015 he catalyzed a strategic media campaign in the construction industry to increase awareness, advocacy and action on mental health and suicide prevention. This led to over 180 publications, more than 100 presentations and 25 regional suicide prevention summits since 2015. Beyer was named one of the Top 25 Newsmakers for 2016 in the global construction industry by Engineering-News Record (ENR), the leading voice of the construction industry, for his work promoting mental health and suicide prevention. Beyer is active in the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) and served as National Secretary for 2009-2010. He is the 2016 recipient of the prestigious Danny Parrish Outstanding Leadership Award, a career achievement award, and the 2018 Chairman's Award. Cal was the catalyst for CFMA creating the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Beyer was a driving force in the Action Alliance's Construction Subcommittee of the Workplace Task Force being awarded the 2016 Gary Horizon Award for Innovation from the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI). He was an invited speaker at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pre-meeting on mental health at the January 2016 White House Dialogue on Men's Health. He was an invited speaker to the Safe States Alliance involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, and the National Safety Council in August 2020 Cal serves on the Expert Advisory Group of the American Psychiatric Association's Center for Workplace Mental Health. He's authored/co-authored over 40 articles on suicide prevention focusing on the construction industry. His prior experience with mental health and suicide prevention includes work experience during college in healthcare and as a resident assistant for on-campus housing. His work in public sector and construction risk management engaged him in critical incident response. He also consulted with law enforcement agencies on suicide prevention initiatives relating to intake assessments and ongoing medical/behavioral screening protocols. Beyer's vision is to create a reproducible model for other industries encouraging larger employers to develop guidelines to integrate suicide prevention into corporate safety, health/wellness, employee benefit, workers compensation, integrated disability management and labor relations programs.

Carolyn M. Clancy

Job Titles:

Assistant
Chairman of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member
Public Sector Chair
Public Sector Chair / Assistant under Secretary for Health, Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks ( DEAN ), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Dr. Carolyn Clancy serves as the Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks (DEAN) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She has also served as the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Executive in Charge. Dr. Clancy also served as the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Organizational Excellence overseeing VHA's performance, quality, safety, risk management, systems engineering, auditing, oversight, ethics and accreditation programs, as well as ten years as the Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2015, Dr. Clancy was selected as the Outstanding Federal Executive of the Year by Disabled American Veterans. Dr. Clancy, a general internist and health services researcher, is a graduate of Boston College and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She holds an academic appointment at George Washington University School of Medicine and serves as the senior associate editor, Health Services Research. Dr. Clancy has contributed to eight academic text books and authored, co-authored and provided invited commentary in more than 225 scholarly journal articles. She served as a member of the National Quality Forum, Board of Directors; as the chair of the AQA Alliance; and as a member on the Board of Governors, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Clancy was most recently presented with the 2014 Quality Champion Award, National Committee for Quality Assurance, and was also named as Honorary Fellow, American Academy of Nursing.

Charles Lattarulo

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Creator and Global Director of the Healthy Minds
EXCOM Member
Global Director, Healthy Minds
Global Director, Healthy Minds / American Express

Charles Lattarulo, PhD, is the creator and global director of the Healthy Minds program at American Express. A psychologist with over 20 years of behavioral health experience, Dr. Lattarulo previously served as director of behavioral health at a home care agency, clinical director of an international employee assistance program (EAP), and director of training and clinical instructor at a major metropolitan hospital. His vast expertise includes building corporate behavioral health systems, as well as anxiety and stress, bereavement, and substance use issues. Dr. Lattarulo's diverse role at American Express includes managing the company's global mental health strategy, onsite EAP counselors, U.S. and global EAP vendor relationships, and behavioral health absence management. He also creates and ensures the viability of the company's behavioral health programs and policies, and works to provide ad-hoc expertise across the organization. He has been with the organization for eight years. Dr. Lattarulo holds a PhD in psychology from Fordham University and a master's degree of education in rehabilitation counseling from Hunter College.

Craig S. Kramer

Job Titles:

Chairman of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member
Health Ambassador and Chair
Private Sector Chair

Craig Kramer is Mental Health Ambassador and Chair, Global Campaign for Mental Health, in Neuroscience External Affairs at Janssen R&D, a Johnson & Johnson company. In this capacity, Kramer leads a Johnson & Johnson team that seeks to transform mental health care globally by raising awareness, reducing stigma, promoting research, improving access, and ensuring better patient outcomes. Key initiatives include a global leaders' coalition to champion proven, scalable reforms, including "next-in-class" workplace mental health practices. Prior to this role, Kramer held a variety of positions in global corporate and government affairs at Johnson & Johnson and worked as a lawyer in the U.S. Congress; a Washington, D.C., law firm; and an international human rights organization. He is a graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs, the University of Michigan School of Law, and Harvard Business School's General Management Program. In addition to his role as private sector co-chair of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Kramer also serves on the boards or steering committees of the American Brain Coalition, the DMAX Foundation, International Schools Services, Mental Health Center of Denver, Mental Health & Suicide Prevention National Response to COVID-19, One Mind, Project HEAL, Trinity Counseling Services, and United Nations Health Innovation Exchange Investor Coalition.

David C. Guth - CEO

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
Member of the Executive Committee
Chief Executive Officer and Co - Founder of Centerstone
EXCOM Member

David Guth is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Centerstone, one of the nation's largest behavioral healthcare providers. The nonprofit organization, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, serves nearly 180,000 individuals in communities in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and nationwide through its national provider network. Guth has served in the capacity of chief executive for Centerstone since 1991. With over 40 years of behavioral healthcare experience, 33 in executive leadership, his experience and expertise comprise a vast number of areas, both business and clinical. He has presented extensively before national and international audiences on the adoption of information technology in the healthcare industry, the integration of behavioral and primary healthcare, and the importance of improving the field of behavioral health through research-driven protocols. His insights on these topics and others have been featured in numerous professional journals. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from $6M in revenues and 300 staff serving 2,000 individuals to revenues of $327M and 5,200 staff serving nearly 180,000 people each year through 1,250 partnership locations and 211 facilities. In addition, Centerstone contracts with over 700 specialty-credentialed clinicians nationwide. The National Council for Behavioral Health published Guth's first book on mergers, Strategic Unions: A Marriage Guide to Healthy Not-for-Profit Mergers. He has provided merger presentations through both the National Council and state trade associations and has consulted extensively with not-for-profits exploring mergers and with both for-profits and not-for-profits in the areas of managing growth and business development. He is currently working on his second book on non-profit mergers. Under Guth's guidance, in 2013 Centerstone announced a joint venture with Unity Physician Partners to improve patient care and enhance the quality of healthcare across the U.S. by creating an environment in which primary care and mental health providers operate within a collaborative and co-located clinical model. Unity Medical Clinics are embedded within select Centerstone facilities today, offering coordinated, whole-health care. He is the recipient of numerous recognitions, including the National Council 2010 Visionary Leadership award, and is recognized as one of Health Care's Power Leaders in the March 2013 Nashville Business Journal. He also received the 2016 Douglas Henry Award for Service to Children and Families at Risk from the University of Tennessee's College of Social Work. Guth received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University and his MSSW in Social Work Administration and Planning from the University of Tennessee.

David Covington

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
CEO and President of RI International
Chief Executive Officer & President / RI International, Inc
Member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention

David Covington serves as CEO and president of RI International, is an owner of Behavioral Health Link, and leads the international initiatives Crisis Now and Zero Suicide. He is a two-time national winner of the Council of State Governments Innovations Award, in 2008 with the Georgia Crisis & Access Line and again in 2012 with Magellan Health. For five consecutive years, he competed as a national finalist in innovations award competitions, including Harvard University's Innovations in American Government in 2009. He has also been featured in Business Week magazine. He is an acclaimed global speaker with top-ranked TED-style talks and conference keynotes. In 2015, readers of his healthcare innovation blog at davidcovington.com represented 90 different countries. Previously he served as vice president at Magellan Health, where he was responsible for the administrative, clinical, financial, and programmatic operations of the $750-million-per-year integrated health plan contract with Arizona Medicaid and the Department of Health Services. Mr. Covington has served as a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention since it was created in 2010, co-chairing task forces on clinical care and crisis services. He has served as vice chair of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline SAMHSA steering committee since it was created in 2005 and as the clinical division chair of the American Association of Suicidology since 2014. He served on the National Council for Behavioral Health board of directors from 2011 to 2014 and the Relias Learning Behavioral Health Advisory Board from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Covington's behavioral healthcare management history also includes CEO of Behavioral Health Link and director of Public Sector Quality Management at APS Healthcare. He is a licensed professional counselor and has an M.B.A. from Kennesaw State and a master of science from the University of Memphis. He has been fortunate to lead many award-winning, innovative projects, including suicide care; performance management dashboards; integrated care; peer supports; and data analytics/software solutions. His behavioral health care management history also includes CEO of Behavioral Health Link and Director of Public Sector Quality Management at APS Healthcare.

David McFarland - CEO

Job Titles:

Advisor
Chief Executive Officer
Member of the Executive Committee
Principal
EXCOM Member
Principal Chief Executive Officer / DLM Entertainment Group

David McFarland is a global philanthropy advisor to individual philanthropists and leaders from a variety of sectors, including nonprofit/cause organizations, social enterprises, entertainment, sports, business, technology, policy, government, NGOs, and foundations to tackle pressing social and development issues. McFarland's career has been dedicated to promoting social responsibility and youth-serving initiatives. As the former chair, board of directors, executive director, and CEO of The Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBT youth, he led a new strategic plan resulting in growing the organizations budget from $2.2 million to over $5 million in 2011 with a program investment of 81% insuring sustainable and responsible growth for national and international expansion. Under McFarland's leadership, The Trevor Project was honored by the White House as a "Champion of Change" for being a leading innovator in suicide prevention in the U.S. He served as the co-chair of the LGBT Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention to help revise the U.S. Suicide Prevention plan. He also worked closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to improve the lives of LGBT youth domestically and globally. In addition to his accomplishments in the non-profit sector, McFarland was instrumental in directing national and regional strategy for entertainment conglomerates MTV Networks/Comedy Central, Lifetime Television, and Fox Family Worldwide. He was a partner in a new venture launching Studio 4 Networks, the first family of video-on-demand/on-line television networks in the U.S. & Canada providing trusted, high-quality educational, health and youth-focused programming. McFarland is sought out by media outlets for his innovator leadership in philanthropy and as an expert spokesperson for suicide prevention, bullying, and mental health issues to the public and the media. Interviews have included ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Fox News, MSNBC, MTV, the Associated Press, PBS, NPR, and various regional and local broadcast and cable news outlets. Published and online articles and interviews have included The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, The Advocate, Yahoo, and numerous blog and social media outlets.

David Offensend - CEO, President

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
Member of the Executive Committee
President
EXCOM Member
President and CEO / Education Development Center ( EDC )

As president and chief executive officer (CEO), David Offensend brings a strong business acumen as well as nonprofit experience to his oversight of EDC's domestic and international work. He leads the Leadership Team, which directs the organization's major programmatic and business activities, and is a member of EDC's board of trustees. He is also EDC's chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO), responsible for leading the equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives at EDC. Offensend has served on multiple boards, including Princeton University, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, and Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. He holds a BA in public and international affairs from Princeton and an MA in business administration from the Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

Diana Espinosa

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Action Administrator
EXCOM Member

Diana Espinosa was named Deputy Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in March 2015. Working in partnership with states and numerous national and local organizations, HRSA uses its $11.7 billion annual budget to improve health outcomes and address health disparities through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative, high-value programs. In response to the unprecedented public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, Espinosa assumed the additional responsibility of leading a HRSA team implementing the Provider Relief Fund. Since April 2020, she has led a history-making effort to manage the distribution of $178 billion dollars in relief payments to hospitals and other health care professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus response, as well as paying claims for uninsured patient testing and treatment. Espinosa served as Senior Health Advisor to the HRSA Administrator from 2013 to 2015 providing counsel to the Administrator on a wide range of policy, program, and management issues. From 2007 through 2012, she served as the Deputy Associate Administrator for HRSA's Bureau of Health Professions where she managed a portfolio of programs focused on the development, distribution and retention of a diverse, culturally competent health workforce that provides high-quality care for all Americans. In this position, she oversaw the implementation resource investments and programmatic changes enacted in the Recovery Act of 2009 and the Affordable Care Act to build the nation's health workforce. Prior to joining HRSA, Espinosa served as Deputy Assistant Director for Management at the U.S. Office and Management and Budget (OMB) where she led government-wide efforts to improve program performance and accountability. During nine years in a variety of roles at OMB, she also served as Chief of OMB's Health and Human Services Branch where she led the analysis of budget, management, and policy issues relating to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Early in her career, Espinosa served in the Miami-Dade County government in Florida where she held a number of posts including the Operating Budget Coordinator. She attended the University of Michigan where she received a Master of Public Policy degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Anthropology.

Donna Harris-Aikens

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy in the Office
Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Office of the Secretary
EXCOM Member

Donna Harris-Aikens is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, focused on advancing the Administration's education priorities to support learners of all ages, families, and educators; providing advice and counsel to the Secretary on the implementation of priority policies; and ensuring the agency's progress on major initiatives. She served on the Education Agency Review Team for the Biden-Harris Transition and was a member of the DNCC Platform Committee. She also held leadership roles with the National Education Association, the Service Employees International Union, and Advance CTE, and was an atto rney in an education boutique law firm. Harris-Aikens graduated from James Madison University and the Howard University School of Law.

Dr. Andrew Bertagnolli

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Director of Virtual Behavioral Health Services
EXCOM Member
Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Director

Dr. Andrew Bertagnolli is a licensed clinical psychologist and director of virtual behavioral health services at One Medical, where his responsible for designing and developing new virtual programs and services to support members achieving and sustaining their mental health and wellness. Prior to being recruited into his current position, Dr. Bertagnolli was with Optum Behavioral Health as vice president of Care/Case Management and Recovery Programs after spending many years at Kaiser Permanente's - National Offices as the director of Integrated Behavioral Health. He has more than 25 years of health care experience and an strong background in healthcare operations, quality measurement and process improvement in the areas of behavioral health, suicide prevention, peer support, digital behavioral health, social determinants of health and pain management. Dr. Bertagnolli holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University, an MA and PhD from California School of Professional Psychology-San Francisco Bay Campus. He completed his training at University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. He is licensed as a clinical psychologist in California and Hawaii. Dr. Bertagnolli is currently on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness - California, the Executive Committee of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the Academic Training & Education Standards Committee of the Association of Behavioral & Cognitive Therapies. In addition, Dr. Bertagnolli is an Associate Professor at Alliant International University in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Bertagnolli has presented and published on various topics around the world, including chronic pain management, depression, suicide prevention, digital behavioral health, cognitive-behavioral therapy outcomes-based measurement in behavioral health and integrated healthcare.

Dr. David Baker

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member
Executive Vice President for Healthcare Quality Evaluation
Executive Vice President for Healthcare Quality Evaluation at the Joint Commission

Dr. David Baker is the executive vice president for Healthcare Quality Evaluation at The Joint Commission. He is responsible for the development of standards and performance measures for The Joint Commission's Accreditation and Certification programs, which cover over 20,000 health care organizations. He is also responsible for survey methods, public reporting, recognition programs and awards, and The Joint Commission's Department of Health Services Research. Baker received his MD from the UCLA School of Medicine and his MPH from the UCLA School of Public Health. He completed his research training in health services research at the UCLA Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program. Prior to coming to The Joint Commission, Baker was the Michael A. Gertz Professor of Medicine; Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics; and Deputy Director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. Baker is internationally known for his research into health literacy and the consequences of inadequate health literacy. In addition, he has conducted important studies examining racial and ethnic disparities, the impact of language barriers on health care, and differences in health outcomes for the uninsured. Along with his work in health literacy and disparities, Baker has conducted extensive research in quality of care, focusing on the use of electronic health records for quality measurement and quality improvement. He has published over 250 original research articles and book chapters. His numerous awards include the 2013 American College of Physicians' Alvan R. Feinstein Memorial Award for his research in clinical epidemiology. Baker is also editor-in-chief for The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.

Dr. Don Mordecai

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member
National Leader for Mental Health and Wellness at Kaiser Permanente

Dr. Don Mordecai is the National Leader for Mental Health and Wellness at Kaiser Permanente, headquartered in Oakland, California. Kaiser Permanente is the nation's largest nonprofit health plan and hospital system, serving 11.8 million members in eight regions. In this role, Mordecai leads national initiatives for Kaiser Permanente in the areas of care delivery, stigma reduction, and the use of technology to improve outcomes in mental health and addiction care. Prior to these roles, Mordecai was Director of Mental Health and Addiction Medicine for The Permanente Medical Group, and Chief of Psychiatry and Chief of Health Promotion for the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. He trained at Stanford in the fields of child/adolescent and adult psychiatry. His clinical work is focused on patients with developmental disorders, ADHD, and the range of general psychiatry issues. Mordecai is also Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University Medical School.

Dr. Joshua A. Gordon

Job Titles:

Director
Member of the Executive Committee
Director / National Institute of Mental Health
Director of the National Institute of Mental
EXCOM Member

Dr. Joshua A. Gordon is the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. Gordon pursued a combined MD-PhD degree at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Medical school coursework in psychiatry and neuroscience convinced him that the greatest need-and greatest promise-for biomedical science was in these areas. During his PhD thesis with Dr. Michael Stryker, Gordon pioneered the methods necessary to study brain plasticity in the mouse visual system. Upon completion of the dual degree program at UCSF, Gordon went to Columbia University for his psychiatry residency and research fellowship because of the breadth and depth of the research opportunities there. Working with Dr. Rene Hen, Gordon and colleagues studied the role of the hippocampus, a brain structure known to be important for memory and emotional processes associated with anxiety and depression. He joined the Columbia faculty in 2004 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Gordon's research focuses on the analysis of neural activity in mice carrying mutations of relevance to psychiatric disease. His lab studied genetic models of these diseases from an integrative neuroscience perspective, focused on understanding how a given disease mutation leads to a behavioral phenotype across multiple levels of analysis. To this end, he employs a range of systems neuroscience techniques, including in vivo imaging, anesthetized and awake behavioral recordings, and optogenetics, which is the use of light to control neural activity. His research has direct relevance to schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and depression. In addition to his research, Gordon was an associate director of the Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute Adult Psychiatry Residency Program, where he directed the neuroscience curriculum and administered research training programs for residents. Gordon also maintained a general psychiatric practice, caring for patients who suffer from the illnesses he studied in his lab at Columbia. Gordon's work has been recognized by several prestigious awards, including the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation - NARSAD Young Investigator Award; the Rising Star Award from the International Mental Health Research Organization; the A.E. Bennett Research Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry; and the Daniel H. Efron Research Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Dr. Karin A. Orvis

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Director, Defense Suicide Prevention Office
Director, Defense Suicide Prevention Office / U.S. Department of Defense Liaison
EXCOM Member

Dr. Karin A. Orvis, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. In this capacity, Dr. Orvis is responsible for policy, oversight, and advocacy of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) suicide prevention programs. Her current portfolio spans the full spectrum of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts including policy, program development and evaluation, data surveillance, research, and outreach and engagement. In this position, and in her prior DOD roles, she strategically leads multidisciplinary, interservice/interagency teams in designing, implementing, and evaluating DOD-wide policies and programs in support of over 2 million service members and over 2.5 million military family members worldwide. Dr. Orvis brings nearly 20 years of progressively broader experience spanning the federal government, academia, and private sector. Prior to her current assignment, Dr. Orvis served as the Acting Principal Director of Military Community and Family Policy, where she was responsible for the policy, oversight, and advocacy of military community quality-of-life programs for service members and their families. Dr. Orvis also previously served as the Director of the Transition to Veterans Program Office, where she was instrumental in redesigning the DOD Transition Assistance Program, which ensures that service members are ‘career ready' and prepared to transition from active duty to civilian life. Other prior DOD positions include the Director of Evaluation and Assessment for the Transition to Veterans Program Office and the Program Manager of the Basic Research program at the U.S. Army Research Institute. Dr. Orvis transitioned to the federal government after spending four years as a University Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University. Dr. Orvis has also worked with the private sector on programs related to employee training, leader development, staffing, and organizational effectiveness. Her work has been published in journals such as Leadership Quarterly, Military Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Business and Psychology, and the International Journal of Training and Development. Dr. Orvis holds a Doctorate and a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Michigan State University. She has received various awards throughout her career including the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence, Department of the Army Commander's Award for Civilian Service, and American Society for Training and Development Dissertation Award.

Eduardo Vega - CEO

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
Member of the Executive Committee
Principal
Chief Executive Officer and Principal at Humannovations
EXCOM Member

Eduardo Vega currently serves as the chief executive officer and principal at Humannovations. He is an internationally recognized thought leader in mental health systems, programs and policy, consumer/patient engagement, stigma reduction, men's health, and suicide prevention. Vega, who is a former Fulbright Specialist and California State Mental Health Commissioner, has spearheaded progressive social and public health change at local, national, and international levels. For over 25 years, Vega has worked for the improvement of lives and systems of care in behavioral health. A suicide attempt survivor who experienced serious mental health conditions himself since childhood, Vega has served as counselor and/or manager in virtually every psychosocial and clinical mental health service setting. He has also performed executive roles in government, business, and non-profit administration. As president and CEO of Mental Health Association of San Francisco from 2010 to 2016, he drove organizational expansion nearly 1,000 percent in three years, focusing on innovation in consumer-run services and community empowerment. Simultaneously, as director and principal investigator at the international Center for Dignity, Recovery and Empowerment, Vega spearheaded leading-edge research, TA, and training projects in suicide and stigma and discrimination reduction, community integration, self-help and peer support. Previously, he served at the executive management level of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, one of the world's largest public mental health authorities. Highly sought as a speaker for his dynamism and ability to connect personal experience with systems and social change, Mr. Vega has presented and consulted on policy and technical issues in behavioral health with stakeholder and consumer groups, private industry, and government. He has done so throughout the United States, in Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Fiji, and Latin America. He serves on the boards of the College for Behavioral Health Leadership and United Suicide Survivors International, the Steering Committee of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Global Anti-Stigma Alliance, and the Executive Committee of the U.S. National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, through which he founded the world's first suicide attempt survivor task force. Vega has been recognized by the State of California, the United States Senate, the U.S. federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the nation of Fiji, the International Initiative on Mental Health Leadership, and the United States Surgeon General, among others. He holds an MA in Psychology from the Graduate Faculty of New School for Social Research.

Ellen Harwell

Job Titles:

Secretariat Staff Member
Project Associate
Project Associate With the National Actional Alliance for Suicide Prevention

Ellen Harwell, PhD, is a project associate with the National Actional Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), housed at the Education Development Center. In this role, she oversees the Action Alliance's Transforming Health Systems work, with a focus on implementing the Best Practices in Care Transitions for Individuals with Suicide Risk: From Inpatient Care to Outpatient Care in both inpatient and outpatient health care settings. In addition, she provides staffing support to the Faith Communities Task Force and the Action Alliance's Faith.Hope.Life. campaign Dr. Harwell began her career in the juvenile justice field, eventually working for almost all of the child serving state agencies in Oklahoma, including: the Department of Rehabilitation Services, Office of Juvenile Affairs, Department of Human Services, and Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth. She also worked at East Central University teaching courses primarily in child and adolescent development, adolescent psychopathology, abnormal psychology, and multicultural counseling/consultation. While working in academia, she also began her in the field of suicide prevention, writing and implementing a facility-specific suicide prevention training curriculum for a medium security juvenile facility. Most recently, she chaired the Detaining Youth Task Force in Oklahoma, recommending several policy and legislative changes. This work resulted in two bills being signed into law in 2021, changing the way juveniles in Oklahoma are detained prior to adjudication. In addition to her role with the Action Alliance, Dr. Harwell is also working toward obtaining her Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) credential through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. She is currently working with middle school gymnasts and the Oklahoma University School of Musical Theatre on performance enhancement. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology and master's degree in psychological services from East Central University and her PhD in human development and family science from Oklahoma State University.

General Barrye L. Price - CEO, President

Job Titles:

CEO
Member of the Executive Committee
President
President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Anti - Drug Coalitions of America

General Price is president and chief executive officer of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Houston's College of Business Administration. He earned a Master of Arts in History from Texas A&M University and became the first African American to obtain a doctorate from the Department of History in the university's 140-year history. He also earned a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University.

Grace Napolitano

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member
Member of the House Committee

Napolitano has been a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources since the 106th Congress, and is currently the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Water and Power. She has been a long-time promoter of conservation, water recycling, desalination, and groundwater management as solutions to Southern California's water needs. As a legislator, Napolitano has pushed for Native American water rights from rivers flowing on tribal lands, the protection of the sensitive Bay-Delta ecosystem, and the use of water recycling technology to combat drought. In 1999, her legislative efforts began the removal of 10.5 million tons of uranium tailings piled on the banks of the Colorado River in Moab, Utah, a health threat for more than 25 million people living downstream and the surrounding Southwestern ecosystem and tourism sites.

Jack Benson

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Principal
EXCOM Member
Principal of Reingold

Jack Benson, principal of Reingold, is an expert in strategic, financial, and operational planning. He has more than 20 years of professional services expertise in leading federal agencies and companies nationwide. As a strategist, he has advised clients on how to develop tactics and evaluation metrics and has led integrated marketing and communication campaigns from concept through implementation. As a management consultant, he has counseled clients on growth strategy, sales and marketing, and operational issues. He brings the business development acumen and discipline to guide all types of organizations-from vision to results.

Jeff Elhart - President

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Owner
President
EXCOM Member
President and Owner of Elhart Automotive Campus

Jeff Elhart is the president and owner of Elhart Automotive Campus, a family-owned dealership founded in 1965 and located in Holland, Michigan. Jeff has been partners over the years with his father Ken, who retired in 1990, and his brother Wayne, who retired in 2010. Jeff and his family have been touched by the effects of depression and suicide through the death of his brother Wayne on March 27, 2015, to suicide. He and his family have dedicated their lives to bringing mental illness awareness and suicide prevention education through the collaboration with The Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan "be nice." program. Consequently, Jeff has initiated donor advised funds for the purpose of providing matching funds for the "be nice." program to benefit schools in the West Michigan area. The efforts have resulted in creating five donor-advised funds through five community foundations already impacting over 100,000 K-12 students. Additionally, the efforts have included bringing mental illness awareness and suicide prevention education to numerous businesses, churches, non-profits, and veteran groups. Jeff is a graduate of General Motors Institute with a degree in marketing and finance. Upon graduation in 1981, Jeff and his wife Cherie moved to Richmond, Virginia. There, Jeff served as a district sales manager for GMC Truck and Cherie managed a home health care business. In 1983, they moved back to their hometown of Holland, Michigan, where Jeff joined the family business and has been there since. Besides running the dealership and being involved with the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, Jeff serves as a deacon with Christ Memorial Church; a member of the Nissan National Dealer Council and GMC Advertising Association Board. He is also past Commodore of the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club and past president of the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce and the Holland Economic Development Corporation.

Jennifer Scherer

Job Titles:

Acting Director
Member of the Executive Committee
Acting Director / National Institute of Justice
EXCOM Member

Jennifer Scherer, Ph.D., is a highly experienced researcher and evaluator with more than 20 years of experience successfully leading national and international research and evaluation projects in support of the U.S. Federal government, non-profits, for profits, and foreign government entities. Over the course of her career, she has conducted research and evaluation in a wide range of settings and with an array of unique populations. She has completed several complex formative research projects and has worked on the full spectrum of evaluations including basic process evaluations to outcome evaluations to impact evaluations. To complement this work, she has created and implemented scientific and administrative policies and procedures. In addition, she has developed educational curricula and implemented a range of training and technical assistance activities for 1000's of participants across the globe. Dr. Scherer has published extensively and presented at national and international forums. At NIJ, she serves as a Principal Deputy Director providing strategic guidance on mission-based initiatives and support to the NIJ Director in leading, managing, and directing all scientific and operational functions of the office.

Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren

Job Titles:

Judge
Member of the Executive Committee
Adjunct Professor for Nova Southeastern University
Broward County Court Judge
Executive Committee

In 1996, Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren was elected to the County Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida. She graduated from The University of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Public Affairs (1980) and from Nova Southeastern University College of Law (1983). Lerner-Wren's prior professional experience included serving as Public Guardian for the 17th Judicial Circuit. As administrator and director of Broward's guardianship program, Lerner-Wren was responsible for directing and administrating all operations of the program. Her responsibilities included ensuring the health, safety, and welfare of disabled adults through comprehensive case management and client advocacy. She was responsible for all treatment planning and worked collaboratively with community based social service providers. In 1993, Lerner-Wren was selected by Florida's Protection and Advocacy System, The Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities Inc. In this role, she oversaw the implementation of a Stipulated Consent Decree in the Federal Class Action of Sanbourne v. Chiles pertaining to South Florida State Psychiatric Hospital. Lerner-Wren served as Plaintiff's monitor on behalf of the patients at South Florida State Hospital and was responsible for monitoring the adequacy of individualized discharge plans and other related monitoring responsibilities. In 1997, upon her election to the County Court, Lerner-Wren was assigned to a criminal division, where she was appointed by Chief Judge Dale Ross to pioneer and administrate the nation's first Mental Health Court. Broward's Mental Health Court is a problem-solving therapeutic court dedicated to the safe diversion of people arrested with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance disorders for non-violent misdemeanor offenses. Broward's Mental Health Court innovation is a national and international model. The specialized court has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, and NPR. The Court was showcased as a best practice by the U.S. Department of Justice and was the model for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 2000. Lerner-Wren was appointed by President George W. Bush to the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, where she chaired the Criminal Justice Sub-Committee (2001-2003). Lerner-Wren has received numerous honors and awards. Most recently in 2015, the National Council for Behavioral Health selected Lerner-Wren for the Award for Excellence in Advocacy, Elected Official. In 2013, she was voted "Top Finalist" (Successful Innovation), Innovating Justice Awards, The Hague Institute for the Internationalization of Law, The Hiil Foundation, The Hague, The Netherlands. Lerner-Wren is an adjunct professor for Nova Southeastern University, College of Psychology and Criminal Justice Institute, Graduate Programs. She also contributes to The Huffington Post and is a presenter on a wide range of subjects related to therapeutic jurisprudence, problem-solving courts, mental health, and criminal justice.

Judy Cushing - CEO, Founder

Job Titles:

CEO
Founder
Member of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member
Founder and CEO Emeritus

Judy Cushing, founder and CEO emeritus of Lines for Life, has been a leader in the substance abuse prevention field for 30 years. For the past 15 years she has served as CEO of Lines for Life (formerly Oregon Partnership), Portland, Oregon, a statewide nonprofit that she founded in 1993. Lines for Life is dedicated to substance abuse prevention and education and suicide and crisis intervention services. Ms. Cushing's responsibilities include leadership development and public policy advocacy at the state and national levels; managing a 30-member staff providing prevention education; media and public policy advocacy; coalition and parent training; treatment referral services; and youth development. Ms. Cushing was a member of the National Research Council Institute of Medicine's Committee that produced the landmark report, "Reducing Underage Drinking - A Collective Responsibility." In 2003 Ms. Cushing was appointed by President Bush to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Drug-Free Communities. She also serves as an advisor to national, state, and community organizations, including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and has served on the Executive Working Group for the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free. She is a past member of national Coalition Advisory Board of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, and serves on the executive board of the National Family Partnership. Ms. Cushing received the Tom Dargan Award from Oregon's Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and is the recipient of the National Leadership Award from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. In 2000 she was awarded the National Kiki Camarena Award from National Family Partnership for her leadership in prevention.

Karen Johnson

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member
Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer, Behavioral Health Division
Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer, Behavioral Health Division / Universal Health Services, Inc.

Karen Moyer - Founder

Job Titles:

Co - Founder
Member of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member

Kay Warren - Founder

Job Titles:

Co - Founder
Member of the Executive Committee
EXCOM Member

Kay Warren co-founded Saddleback Church with her husband, Rick Warren, in Lake Forest, California. She is a passionate Bible teacher and respected advocate for those living with HIV&AIDS, orphaned and vulnerable children, as well as for those affected by a mental illness. She founded Saddleback's HIV & AIDS Initiative. Kay is the author of Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough and Say Yes to God as well as the co-author of Foundations, the popular systematic theology course used by churches worldwide.

Linda Rosenberg

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Columbia University 's Department of Psychiatry As Director of External Affairs
Director of External Relations, Department of Psychiatry
Director of External Relations, Department of Psychiatry / Columbia University
EXCOM Member

Linda Rosenberg joined Columbia University's Department of Psychiatry as director of external affairs in 2019. Prior to this role she spent 15 years as president and chief executive officer of the National Council for Behavioral Health, a not-for-profit advocacy and educational association of 1,950 organizations providing treatment and support services to eight million adults and children with mental illnesses and addictions. She has over 30 years of mental health policy and practice experience, focusing on the design, financing, and management of behavioral health services. Under her leadership, the National Council has more than doubled its membership; helped secure the passage of the federal mental health and addiction parity law; expanded financing for integrated behavioral health/primary care services; was instrumental in bringing behavioral health to the table in federal healthcare reform; and played a key role in introducing the Mental Health First Aid program in the U.S. Rosenberg previously served as Senior Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Office of Mental Health, where she strengthened the voice of consumers and families in the policymaking process; promoted adoption of evidence-based practices, including tripling New York's assertive community treatment capacity; expanded children's services; developed housing options for people with mental illnesses and addictions; and implemented a network of jail diversion programs, including the state's first mental health court. A certified social worker, family therapist, and psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner, Rosenberg has held faculty appointments at several schools of social work and serves on many agency and editorial boards.

Marie Gallo Dyak - CEO, President

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
Member of the Executive Committee
President

Mark R. Jones

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Vice President of the Executive Committee

Mark Weber

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs / Human Services / U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Maureen Iselin

Job Titles:

Secretariat Staff Member
Associate Director of Communications

Michael Hogan

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Principal / Hogan Health Solutions LLC

Mr. Amit Paley - CEO

Job Titles:

CEO
Executive Director
Member of the Executive Committee
CEO and Executive Director of the Trevor Project
EXCOM Member

Mr. Amit Paley is the CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people. He began as a counselor on The Trevor Project's 24/7 TrevorLifeline in 2011, and since then he has answered hundreds of calls from LGBTQ youth in crisis. Mr. Paley is the first volunteer counselor to become the CEO of the organization in its 21-year history and he still continues to answer calls on the TrevorLifeline.

Mr. David Zolet - CEO

Job Titles:

CEO
Member of the Executive Committee
CEO of Central
EXCOM Member

Mr. David Zolet is CEO of CentralSquare Technologies, an industry leader in public safety and public administration software. Previously he served as president and CEO of LMI, a large (1,400 employees) private, not-for-profit "consultancy dedicated to improving the business of government, drawing from deep expertise in advanced analytics, digital services, logistics, and management advisory services." Prior to joining LMI, he spent nearly seven years with DXC Technology (formerly CSC), most recently as executive vice president and general manager for the Americas region. Before that, he led the North American Public Sector, a $5.7 billion business unit offering solutions and services to support the missions of federal, state, and local government agencies. A senior executive with vast corporate experience in general management, business development, engineering, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and customer and government relations, Mr. Zolet has a strong record of achievement in business development and operational management. This varied experience includes delivering strong financial results in startups, turnarounds, and high-growth business and building and directing successful teams. Mr. Zolet joined DXC Technology from IBM, where he was vice president of systems integration. Previously, he spent more than 20 years with Northrop Grumman, including as president of its defense group; vice president of the then newly created business development organization; president of the commercial, state, and local group; and vice president of homeland security. Mr. Zolet earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, and a master's degree in electrical engineering and a bachelor's degree in engineering science from Johns Hopkins University.

Ms. Colleen Carr

Job Titles:

Director
Secretariat Staff Member
Director of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention

Ms. Colleen Carr serves as the director of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), the nation's public-private partnership for suicide prevention. The Action Alliance, housed at EDC, is charged with coordinating a comprehensive national suicide prevention response in the U.S and works with more than 250 partner organizations to coordinate implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. As director, Carr is responsible for providing strategic direction to the Action Alliance's distinguished leadership including its 40-member Executive Committee. She works with senior leaders representing various sectors including automobile, construction, defense, education, entertainment, faith, forestry, health care (including health systems and health plans), justice, law enforcement, mental health, military, news media, professional sports, railroad, technology, and veteran services. In addition to her work with private sector leaders, Carr works with leaders from federal agencies with a role to play in national suicide prevention efforts (e.g., U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S Department of Veterans Affairs) to help coordinate and align efforts around advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Carr is responsible for cultivating new partnerships and commitments to support national suicide prevention efforts and for delivering senior leadership briefings to both public and private sector leaders. Carr oversees the implementation of the Action Alliance's priority initiatives including national efforts to transform health systems to reduce suicide, transform communities to strengthen community-based suicide prevention, and change the public conversation about suicide and suicide prevention. Her suicide prevention technical assistance expertise focuses on policy analysis and system-level change. In addition, Carr and her team provide technical assistance and subject matter expertise to the Action Alliance's various task forces (e.g, Public Safety Task Force, Workplace Suicide Prevention Task Force, American Indian/Alaska Native Task Force, Military/Veterans Task Force) and advisory groups (e.g., Lethal Means Stakeholder Group). Carr has more than 15 years of experience working in public health. She started her career serving in AmeriCorps *VISTA and has experience working in public policy (state and national level), clinical research, and state public health (with a focus on injury prevention, poison prevention, and suicide prevention). She has spent the last decade focused on suicide prevention, including seven years at the national level with the Action Alliance. Carr received her undergraduate degree in public policy analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master's degree in public health from Boston University.

Ms. Kimberly Torguson

Job Titles:

Secretariat Staff Member
Director of Engagement & Communications for the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention

Ms. Kimberly Torguson currently serves as the Director of Engagement & Communications for the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), housed at Education Development Center. In this role, she is responsible for generating and executing engagement and communication strategies to increase awareness of the nation's public-private partnership for suicide prevention. Torguson brings nearly 20 years of health care communications experience working in a variety of settings including national and local governments, non-profits, and private sector agency. Prior to joining the Action Alliance, Torguson served as the Director of Communications for the City of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS) - one of the largest behavioral health systems in the country. In this role she was responsible for managing and overseeing DBHIDS' Communications Department and implementing a variety of communications strategies, including website content, social media, and media outreach. Torguson served as the Senior Account Executive at GYMR Public Relations - an award winning, top 10 independent health care public relations firm - working with a wide range of clients including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Health Affairs, National Institutes of Health, Avalere Health, and Physician Assistant Education Association. Torguson started her career at the U.S. Senate Democratic Communications Center, a multi-media center for members of the Senate Democratic Caucus. She is a magna cum laude graduate from Hofstra University, where she studied broadcast journalism and political science.

Noopur Agarwal

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Vice President, Social Impact / MTV Entertainment Group

Nyaka NiiLampti

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Vice President, Wellness and Clinical Services

Patrick J. Kennedy

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Co - Founder, One Mind Commissioner, President 's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis Co - Founder, PsycHub

RADM Michael Toedt

Job Titles:

Chief Medical Officer
Member of the Executive Committee

Rita Fabi

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Online Safety Director / Facebook, Inc.

Robert (Bob) McCauley - COO

Job Titles:

Director of Operations
Secretariat Staff Member

Robert Gebbia

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Committee
Representative, National Council for Suicide Prevention / Chief Executive Officer, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention