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Consumer/Survivor Subcommittee Members
The Consumer/Survivor Subcommittee will review standard network practices, marketing materials/promotional campaigns,
evaluations of network coverage, and caller demographics to ensure that the Lifeline is effectively reaching critical
and diverse populations at higher risk for suicide. This subcommittee will submit their recommendations to both the
Lifeline's leadership and the Lifeline Steering Committee.
Eduardo Vega, M.A. (evega@mhala.org)
Co-Chairperson
Currently the Program Director, Office of Consumer Rights and Advocacy, County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health
Mr. Vega provides training on recovery practice, peer support, community integration, self-advocacy, advanced directives
and personal care planning among others. A recovering mental health consumer with extensive experience as a provider, he
has also authored articles, fact sheets, curricula and research review for the SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination
and Stigma Associated with Mental Illness (the ADS Center), the UPenn Collaborative on Community Integration, Behavioral Healthcare
Tomorrow, Mental Health Weekly, and the IAPSRS journal, among others.
Previously, as Project Manager for the SAMHSA-funded National Mental Health Consumers Self-Help Clearinghouse, he served was
general editor for major Clearinghouse products and developed of the Consumer-Driven Services Directory, the first national
internet service of its kind. In addition he served as Spanish-language translator and liaison to mental health advocacy and
consumer organizations representing Hispanics and other cultural minority groups. Mr. Vega has presented at major conferences
including USPRA, NASMHPD, ACMHA, Alternatives, and NMHA. A contributor to national projects including the Mental Health
Disparities Initiative, Olmstead Implementation and the National Strategy on Adult Care Homes, Mr. Vega has over fifteen
years experience in five states as a mental health advocate, social services worker and counselor. He holds an M.A. in
Psychology from New School for Social Research and serves as President of the national Advocates for Latino Mental Health
Advancement (ALMHA).
Karen M. Marshall (KarenMMarshall12@aol.com)
Co-Chairperson
Ms. Marshall is the Program Development Director for the American Association of Suicidology, headquartered in Washington, DC.
She is a career journalist with extensive experience in print, broadcast, and Web-based reporting. After losing her father and
an uncle to suicide, she became involved in prevention efforts, first as a volunteer and later in full-time professional
capacities. She has helped to advance the work of nonprofit suicide prevention organizations since 1990. She began her work at
The Link Counseling Center in Atlanta as assistant to its executive director, Iris Bolton, and has received training from noted
experts in the field of suicide prevention, intervention, and healing. She has taught basic suicide prevention skills to community
groups, schools, first responders, medical professionals, and civic and professional associations. She is a member of the National
Advisory Board for the University of Michigan's Depression Center.
Ms. Marshall has assisted several communities and States with forming suicide prevention coalitions and task forces, and she was
involved in developing Virginia's Youth Suicide Prevention Plan (expanded in 2005 to a comprehensive, across-the-lifespan suicide
prevention plan) as well as Michigan's Suicide Prevention Plan. She served as the first president of the Kristin Brooks Hope
Center (KBHC), which operates the National Hopeline Network, 1-800-SUICIDE. KBHC managed and expanded the network from October
2001 through September 2004 as part of SAMHSA's Hotline Evaluation and Linkage Project grant. After leaving KBHC in May 2002,
she returned to her home state of Michigan to found the Stop Suicide Alliance (formerly the Lifehouse Foundation), an organization
unique in its mission to stop suicide by partnering with employers to bring effective depression awareness and suicide prevention
programs to employees. Programs developed by the Alliance, now closed, are part of her ongoing work with AAS.
James T. Clemons (JamesTClemons@aol.com)
Beginning his career as a Methodist Minister in Arkansas, Dr. Clemons has become a national leader in suicide prevention efforts
within faith-based communities. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies from Duke University and an honorary
Doctor of Divinity degree from Hendrix College in 1968, and resided as a faculty member of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington,
DC, for 32 years before his retirement in 1995. He has received several honors for his outstanding scholarship in biblical studies
and humanitarian services. From his teaching and research he became interested in suicide from biblical and religious perspectives.
This led to his conducting workshops for religious leaders, preaching in several states and writing articles. He wrote What does the
Bible say about Suicide?, now in its third edition, and edited and contributed to Perspectives on Suicide and Sermons on Suicide. His
latest book is Children of Jonah: Personal Stories of Survivors of Suicide Attempts, with a foreword by Judy Collins.
After his retirement he founded and serves as President of the Organization for Attempters and Survivors of Suicide in Interfaith Services, a
501(c)3 organization. OASSIS is a charter member of the National Council of Suicide Prevention and a member of the International Association
of Suicide Prevention.
In 2000 it sponsored the first National Interfaith Conference on Religion and Suicide in Atlanta and, with the National Organization
for People of Color Against Suicide and the Healing Center of Memphis, sponsored the first ever Conference on Suicide and the Black
Church. In October 2005, OASSIS will sponsor the first National Conference for Survivors of Suicide Attempts, Healthcare Professionals,
Clergy and Laity in Memphis.
The work of OASSIS has been highly commended by former U. S. Surgeons Generals M. Joycelyn Elders, a member of its Board of Advisors,
and David M. Satcher.
Franklin Cook, M.A. (franklin@unifiedcommunities.com)
Mr. Cook is the owner of Unified Community Solutions, http://www.unifiedcommunities.com,
which helps grassroots groups address suicide prevention and other public health challenges. He currently co-facilitates
implementation of the South Dakota Strategy for Suicide Prevention. After 20 years as an editor and writer in book, magazine,
and newspaper publishing, Mr. Cook entered his second career in public health via volunteer work in suicide prevention and
survivor grief support.
He is a survivor of his father's suicide in 1978 and has been active on the Survivor Council of the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention (AFSP) and as a member of the Survivor Division of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). Mr. Cook has continued
his volunteer work with two suicide grief groups in Rapid City: Black Hills Area Survivors of Suicide, a peer-led support group,
and the LOSS Team (Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide), which assists survivors immediately after a death. He is also a member
of the board of directors of the Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN USA). Mr. Cook is the author of "All Together Now," a
newspaper column on mental health in the Rapid City Journal, as well as of articles in AFSP's "Lifesavers" and AAS's "Surviving
Suicide" newsletters. In addition, he was a leader in the development of the South Dakota Strategy for Suicide Prevention, which
was completed in January 2005, and has worked in Native American communities delivering suicide prevention gatekeeper training
and assisting with public health advocacy.
Mr. Cook also has experience in youth substance abuse and addiction prevention and aftercare services. His latest endeavor in
that field is as project director for Community Linkages for Youth, an interagency collaboration initiative of Lifeways, a
nonprofit organization he helped found in 2002 that places certified chemical dependency counselors full-time in Rapid City
schools.
Mark Davis, M.A. (mark.davis@phila.gov)
As a behavioral health system special needs analyst for the Philadelphia Mental Health Care Corporation in consultation with
the Philadelphia Office of Behavioral Health, Mr. Davis has received several awards for his outstanding work in consumer
advocacy. As a person who is gay, living with mental illness, in recovery from addiction, dealing with hearing loss, and
living with an HIV-positive diagnosis, he has consistently used his experiences and skills to combat stigma, inspire others
in similar circumstances, and effect change in both health and behavioral health systems. He is the founding president of
the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association (PMHCA), an organization dedicated to restoring the respect, human
rights, and dignity of consumers/survivors of behavioral health services. He has developed more than 75 consumer-run groups
and services in Pennsylvania, and his consumer advocacy efforts have helped increase Pennsylvania's State funding for mental
health programs; enhance coordination of care for persons using multiple service systems; and affect the development of
culturally competent approaches to care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) citizens, persons
receiving behavioral health services, and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Beyond Pennsylvania, he has been a speaker, consultant, and trainer in 43 States for a variety of consumer, family, community,
and professional associations, and his work has been featured in a wide array of print and broadcast media. He has also consulted
with CMHS and SAMHSA on a number of issues, ranging from co-occurring disorders to statewide consumer/survivor organizing. As a
person who has attempted suicide in the past and who lost his sister Jennifer to suicide 10 years ago, Mr. Davis has a special
interest in this national program dedicated to addressing this public health concern.
Dar Emme (demme@yellowribbon.org)
Ms. Emme is founder and deputy director of Yellow Ribbon International Suicide Prevention Program®. She is the survivor of her
son, Mike's death by suicide in 1994. She led the development of the Yellow Ribbon Training programs that are being used by
chapters and program sites in all States and internationally. Working and traveling full time with the program, she is the
co-founder of the Yellow Ribbon International Youth Council and has addressed and taught more than 200,000 youth that it is
OK to Ask for Help!®. She was appointed to the Colorado Governor's Suicide Prevention Advisory Commission in 1998, helping
to develop the Colorado State Suicide Prevention Plan and create the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention and the Suicide
Prevention Coalition of Colorado. She also is a founding member of the National Council of Suicide Prevention. Ms. Emme works
to forge collaborations with organizations and has partnered with the American Osteopathic Association and BBYO (B'nai B'rith
Youth Organization). She serves as a national judge for the Alliance of the American Psychiatric Association's When Not to Keep
a Secret national essay contest. She is co-author of "I'll Always Be With You" in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul and
"Legacy of the Yellow Mustang".
Ms. Emme has worked to establish an international Awareness and Prevention Week, which is recognized
by the U.S. Senate and State Governors and has been observed nationally the third full week of September for 10 years. She
has also been recognized for her work by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Alison Malmon (amalmon@activeminds.org)
Alison Malmon is founder and Executive Director of Active Minds, Inc., a student-run mental health organization on the college
and high school campus. She started the program in 2001, while a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, following the suicide
of her older brother, Brian, one year earlier. Wanting to combat the stigma that had caused her brother to suffer in silence and
ultimately take his own life, she created a group on her campus that promoted an open, enlightened dialogue around the issues.
Just two years later, Ms. Malmon formed the 501(c)(3) organization in order to develop and support chapters of the student group
on campuses around the country. She currently serves as President and Executive Director of the non-profit organization, setting
up chapters of the student group and creating a unified national voice for young adults in the mental health awareness movement.
Ms. Malmon was the 2003 recipient of the Tipper Gore Remember the Children Award from the National Mental Health Association,
and the 2004 Young Leadership Award from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. Having graduated
from University of Pennsylvania in 2003, she now lives and works in Washington, DC, where she sits on numerous Boards and
planning committees.
Susan Soule (susoule@gmail.com)
Ms. Soule moved to Alaska in 1979, spending her first 8 years in the village of Aniak as director of the Kuskokwim Native Association
Community Counseling Program and as consultant to the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation in suicide prevention. In 1987, she began her
18-year career in the State government, working for the Divisions of Mental Health, Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and Behavioral Health.
Focusing on community-based programs for rural Alaska, she developed and administered the Community-based Suicide Prevention Program
(CBSPP) and, in cooperation with the University of Alaska and a number of Native Health Corporations and nonprofits, the Rural Human
Services System Project (RHS). The CBSPP awards small grants to Alaskan villages and provided training and support for their work to
develop and implement community-directed projects to prevent suicide and self-destructive behavior. The RHS program, through grants
to Native Health Corporations and social service agencies, trains, employs, and supervises a statewide network of village-based counselors.
Ms. Soule was a member of the Alaska Statewide Suicide Prevention Council and the expert panel at the National Suicide Prevention
Conference in Reno in 1998. She has consulted and presented on suicide prevention in the United States, Russia, and Canada. Ms.
Soule retired from State Government in January 2005 and currently trains and consults on community-based suicide prevention and
health promotion.
Ellen Swedberg, B.S.R.N. (swedfh@frontiernet.net)
Ms. Swedberg is co-owner of Swedberg Funeral Home, Inc., Shawano and Gresham, WI. She was also a supervisor of Nursing in
Menominee County and worked in public health at Eau Claire City's County Health Department. Through her personal and professional
life as both a former public health worker and funeral home owner, Ms. Swedberg has often been affected by the suicides of
friends and coworkers. Due to her frequent encounters with suicide in her community, she sought to actively provide suicide
prevention education and assistance for families in this area. She was instrumental in forming a local group
(ROADS-Reaching Out About Depression and Suicide) in her area in 2002, which mostly serves Shawano and Menominee Counties,
Menominee County being a predominant enclave for Native American populations. ROADS achieved 501C3 status in 2004 and
provides-in conjunction with local schools-the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program as an education/prevention tool
to nearby communities.
Ms. Swedberg is also a certified QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) Trainer, teaching persons to recognize signs and
symptoms of individuals potentially in suicidal crisis, how to talk with them, and how to refer them for help.
Tamara Clay, MSW, LISW (tamara.clay@ihs.gov)
Tamara Clay is a member of the Omaha Nation of Nebraska and a Public Health Advisor for the Division of Behavioral Health,
at the Indian Health Service (IHS) Headquarters, in Rockville, Maryland. Some of her activities and projects include:
the IHS lead for the implementation of the New Freedom Initiative and a member of the Office of the Secretary's New Freedom
Initiative Work Group, a member of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) Transformation of Mental Health Care Senior
Federal Partners Workgroup, Project Officer for the IHS Tribal Summit for Young AIAN Adults with Disabilities, Project Officer
for the IHS National Suicide Prevention Network (NSPN), Co-Chair and Project Officer for both the IHS and First Nations and
Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), of Health Canada, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Working Group on Suicide Prevention and the
Working Group on FASD, member of the CMHS Suicide Prevention Work group, and Project Officer for the Tribal Circles of Care
and Systems of Care technical advisory grant. Tamara earned her Masters in Social Work at the University of Hawai'i, and
completed the HHS Emerging Leaders Program in 2002.
DeQuincy A. Lezine, PhD (Dequincy_Lezine@URMC.Rochester.edu)
DeQuincy A. Lezine, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Rochester Center for the Study and Prevention
of Suicide. As a teenager, DeQuincy Lezine nearly ended his own life, believing it was the only way to escape the emotional pain
that was overwhelming him. Instead, Lezine found was able to find expert psychiatric care, and went on to found the first
university campus-based chapter of the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA. Now a researcher at the University of Rochester's
Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, Lezine has devoted his life to preventing suicide in adolescents, and is the
author of a book about his experience entitled "Eight Stories Up."
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