Tonja Myles – Co-Chair of Committee, Set Free Indeed, CPSS
Tonja Myles is an ordained minister, community activist, peer counselor, veteran, subject matter expert in mental health, untreated trauma, a faith-based approach to substance abuse recovery, and sought-after counsel for community-based and system approaches. She promotes mental health awareness and rehabilitation by sharing her life experiences being in recovery from addictions for over 36 years, a suicide survivor, victim of childhood and adult sexual abuse, and diagnosis of PTSD. Her story is shared in published books, magazines, documentaries, featured talk show guest, and national television series. She is a passionate advocate of humane and ethical treatment of individuals with mental illness, substance abuse, sexual trauma, domestic abuse, and those formally, and or incarcerated.
Alison Malmon – Active Minds, Executive Director + Founder
Alison Malmon (she/her) is the Founder and Executive Director of Active Minds, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization mobilizing youth and young adults in mental health. Alison formed the organization in 2003 as a 21-year-old, following the suicide of her brother and only sibling Brian. Wanting to end the silence that caused her brother to suffer alone and ultimately take his own life, Alison created a group on her campus at the University of Pennsylvania to promote open dialogue around mental health.
Since then, Active Minds has grown into the country’s foremost mental health organization for youth and young adults, with a vibrant network of chapters and award-winning programs at more than 1,000 colleges and universities, K12 schools, workplaces, and communities nationwide. Alison lives in Denver, Colorado, and is a wife and mother of three young girls. In her spare time, she loves flying 23 feet in the air on the flying trapeze.
Bhavya Rai, MS, BA – FUZE Technology, Marketing & Brand Partnerships, FUZE; MS, USC Marshall School of Business; MTV Mental Health Youth Advocate
Bhavya strives to make life a little more beautiful and a little less lonely.
Bhavya’s professional expertise is in brand direction, talent/ops management, and social impact at companies such as Amazon, Under Armour, Newell Brands, MTV, and the White House. Bhavya’s business, INELEGANCIES, grounds my mental health advocacy efforts and supports several UN Global Goals.
Bhavya is also currently working in Brand & Social Media Marketing at FUZE Technology while pursuing their M.S. in Social Entrepreneurship at USC Marshall School of Business. Bhavya received their B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Get in touch: bhavya@fuzetechnology.com
Caroline Crehan Neumann, APSW – Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Crisis Services Coordinator
Caroline Crehan Neumann (she/her) is a Crisis Services Coordinator in the Mental Health Services Section at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. She works to support the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and other crisis services in Wisconsin. Outside of her work at DHS, she sees clients for therapy in private practice and volunteers with Madison Street Medicine, providing behavioral health care to individuals who are homeless.
Dean Carson – Oregon Health Authority, 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis System Communications Officer
Dean Carson (he/him) serves the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) as the state’s 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis System Communications Officer. He works with internal and external partners to increase awareness of and trust in 988, especially through the planning and implementation of Oregon’s community-led 988 public awareness campaign.
Dean first joined OHA during the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as Public Information Officer for Paid Campaigns from November 2020 through June 2022. In this role, he led content strategy and project management for paid media and advertising campaigns on pandemic safety and COVID-19 vaccinations, including the Safe+Strong (Unidos+Fuertes) campaign, which was recognized as the most successful public health campaign in the nation by Twitter. Dean saw the power of working with community-based organizations and other community-led trusted messengers to change the narrative around public health topics and plans to follow a similar strategy for Oregon’s 988 campaign.
Prior to joining OHA, Dean spent four years on the communications team at the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, and six years as a communications consultant, primarily at the agency of record for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where he led strategic communication campaigns and content development, especially around early childhood education.
Dean spent his childhood in Seattle and then received his Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism & Mass Communications from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. He lives in Northeast Portland with his partner and their two dogs.
Maureen Carrigg – Communication Specialist at Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department; Community Health Worker
Maureen Carrigg (she/her) has a diverse background in youth and rural mental health, education, and media production. As a digital media advisor at a rural college, she helped her students produce reports and public service announcements with mental health themes, some of which won regional and national awards. Many of Maureen’s students and their families faced challenges finding support and mental health resources within their rural communities. This fueled her dedication to improving accessibility, raising awareness, and fostering community engagement in rural areas. Maureen is committed to enhancing the quality of life in these communities through innovative and impactful initiatives, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Line. She works as a Communication Specialist for the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department, which provides services and programs for underserved rural communities.
Michele Richard, MPA – Vice President of Community and Digital Services at Safe Horizon
Michele Richard (she/her) is the Vice President of Community and Digital Services at Safe Horizon, Michele oversees the Community Programs, Hotline, Safe Chat, Helpline, and DOVE Initiative. She previously served as the Senior Director of the Safe Way Forward Program. Michele has worked in the field of intimate partner violence for over 20 years and has always been passionate about working toward safe home environments. Michele received her Masters in Public Administration from New York University.
Sarah Lund, MSW, MDiv, DMin – United Church of Christ , Rev. Dr.
Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund (she/her) is a pastor, author, and advocate with over two decades of executive leadership experience. She earned her MSW from Rutgers University, MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, and Doctor of Ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary. She is an award-winning author of books about mental health and serves on the national staff of the United Church of Christ as Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice. Sarah also serves on the national board of directors for Mental Health America and is a suicide loss survivor.
Stephanie Logan, PhD, MBA – CEO of DeafLEAD
Dr. Stephanie Logan (she/her) has been the CEO of DeafLEAD since its inception in 1995. DeafLEAD is a non-profit organization committed to meeting the crisis intervention needs of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late-Deafened, and DeafBlind individuals nationwide. For over 29 years, Dr. Logan has focused her efforts on DeafLEAD providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services for the Deaf community. Dr. Logan is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!) with a BA in Psychology. She has her master’s in business administration from William Woods University and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri. She is a Late-Deafened adult due to contracting bacterial meningitis over thirty-three years ago. Dr. Logan uses her unique perspective to educate professionals and to help bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf communities.
Susie Reece – Suicide Prevention Resource Center, Director of Lived Experience Initiatives
Reece (she/her) has been a recognized leader and suicide prevention strategist for a decade. She leads from her lived experience which includes all three direct forms of suicide-centered lived experience which ensures she continually centers the needs of those most affected by suicide.
Reece is the director of lived experience initiatives for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). In that capacity, Reece leads the development of multi-organizational inclusion practices, acts as an authority for national experts, and builds international guidance to center lived experience across any field. Reece bolsters lived experience engagement by elevating experts from diverse experiential backgrounds and perspectives.