BOARD OF DIRECTORS
For questions, contact leadership@suicidology.org.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Leeann Sherman, MPS, CAE (she/her)
Board President & Chief Executive Officer
Leeann Sherman, MPS, CAE, is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). Leeann brings extensive non-profit experience with over 20 years in professional associations and community-driven, mission-based organizations to her tenure with AAS, a national organization that provides training, education, research and awareness programs to promote the understanding and prevention of suicide.
Leeann has been a founding member of various industry coalitions to drive mission and advocacy forward, working with stakeholders and volunteers throughout her diverse career. She has worked with federal, state, and local government agencies including Centers for Disease Control, PA Department of Health, PA Department of Human Services, PA Department of Transportation, PA Department of Environmental Protection, Federal Highway Administration, US Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania’s Governor’s Office and federal legislators while also working closely on advocacy with the Pennsylvania Legislature.
She has a baccalaureate (Hospitality Management & Nutrition) and master’s degree (Community & Economic Development) both from the Pennsylvania State University. She is an active alum at her alma mater in various activities for the next generation. She has been awarded the Scott Jackson award for leadership from PASAE which is the highest honor for an association executive in Pennsylvania and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential which is the marker of a committed association professional who has demonstrated the wide range of knowledge essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment with less than 4,500 people worldwide holding this certification.
Tony Coder
Chair, Treasurer
Tony Coder is the Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF). As ED, Tony leads the charge to support community-based efforts in Ohio to reduce the stigma of suicide, promote education and awareness about suicide prevention, provide training and development, and increase resources and programs that reduce the risk of lives lost to suicide. Prior to joining the OSPF, Tony served as the Director of Programs and Services for the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, where he managed Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care, the Statewide Advocacy Network, and the Committee to Address Suicide for the organization. He has also served as the Director of State and Local Affairs for Smart Approaches to Marijuana and as legislative director for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Tony holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Toledo.
Pamela S. McKie, MSW, LISW-S
Vice Chair
Pam is an accomplished executive with a distinguished career marked by successive C-suite positions and a proven track record of driving organizational success across diverse organizations. Pam has consistently demonstrated strategic vision, operational excellence, and a steadfast commitment to driving growth and innovation. Pam is deeply engaged in the business community, leveraging her extensive network and expertise in support of other leaders, local and regional initiatives, and causes most passionate to her. In addition to serving on the board of the American Association of Suicidology, she serves on boards for the University of Cincinnati College of Allied Health Sciences School of Social Work as well as Pets In Need in Cincinnati. With three decades of experience in healthcare and mental health, Pam has spearheaded initiatives addressing suicide, addiction, and other health issues.
Pam’s contributions have included operating a 24-hour mental health crisis team, establishing a pediatric mental health urgent care, being on the cutting edge of new pharmacogenomics technology called GeneSight and helping test and research new technology using vocal biomarkers to detect warning signs of suicide, depression, and anxiety for Clarigent Health. Pam’s last seven years have been in roles of Chief Program Officer and Chief Operations Officer at Best Point Education and Behavioral Health. This 160+ year organization provides services to over 14,000 youth and families a year. With over 30 programs, Best Point’s continuum of mental health, education, early childhood, and school aged services reach across the Greater Cincinnati area. Pam was a critical member of the executive team under which time the organization experienced tremendous growth. Pam’s extensive program experience and strong leadership was extremely valuable through mergers, acquisitions, expansion, and complications resulting amidst the pandemic. Pam also lent her skills to enhance branding, fundraising, donor cultivation, and volunteerism across all departments. Pam’s integral role encompassed program operations, new business development, strategy execution, and leading impact-driven initiatives.
Pam holds an undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Cincinnati. She is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati (Class 44) and actively serves the community through local and national board involvement, maintaining memberships with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Association of Social Workers, and providing field instruction to social work students from local colleges.
Jacque Christmas, MPA, BSW
Secretary
Jacque Christmas has worked for the Missouri Department of Mental Health for twenty-six years and has served as the Fatality Review Coordinator since 2008. In 2012, Jacque lost her 27-year-old son to drug addiction. Jacque combines her experience as the Fatality Review Coordinator and that of a bereaved mother to support and educate others impacted by suicide and other special circumstance deaths. Jacque is a certified Question, Persuade, and Refer Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor and facilitates a Re-Energize and Re-Connect Emotional Wellness Workshop series for suicide attempt and suicide loss survivors in Joplin, Missouri. She is a certified Mental Health Recovery and Wellness Recovery Action Planning® Facilitator and uses WRAP® in her own mental health recovery and wellness. Jacque is a member of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and serves on the Impacted Family and Friends Division, Nominating Committee, and Awards Committee. Jacque also joined the advisory panel for Johnny’s Ambassadors in 2020, a not-for-profit focused on educating parents and teens about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development and suicide. Ms. Christmas is the recipient of the 2022 Missouri Suicide Prevention Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing an individual who has gone above and beyond to help aid in the prevention suicide at the state and national level.
AT LARGE DIRECTORS
Bart Andrews, PhD
(Advisory Council)
As Chief Clinical Officer at Behavioral Health Response, Dr. Bart Andrews leads the training, leadership, and evaluation of clinical care services throughout the organization including phone, internet, and face-to-face crisis intervention. With over 25 years of experience leading BHR, he has driven continuous improvement of clinical outcomes, services, and data collection while ensuring the productivity and quality of our business centers.
Bart’s goal is to prevent suicide and improve care for those fighting illnesses like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders. With an emphasis on evidence-supported practice in intervention and supervision, he believes we can change the culture and language around mental health resources to be more positive, strong, and empowering.
Jim Byrne
The Honorable James M. Byrne currently serves as Vice President, Ethics and Business Conduct, at Lockheed Martin Corporation, responsible for the oversight, strategic direction, and operational excellence of the domestic and international ethics and business conduct program across the corporation. He previously served as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs where he led modernization initiatives and as the chief operating officer led operations of the federal government’s second-largest Cabinet department, with some 385,000 employees in VA medical centers, clinics, benefits offices, national cemeteries, and other facilities throughout the country.
Previously, Jim served as VA’s General Counsel, leading VA’s nationwide team of nearly 800 attorneys, paralegals, and staff who support VA’s mission and priorities by providing sound legal expertise, representation, and, as needed, critical problem-solving skills and risk-management advice to the Secretary and other senior VA leaders.
Before arriving at VA, Jim served as Associate General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Lockheed Martin Corporation, where he was also the company’s lead cyber and counterintelligence attorney. He served for several years on the board of directors for Pacific Architects and Engineers. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Mr. Byrne served in the career Federal Senior Executive Service as Deputy Special Counsel with the Office of the United States Special Counsel, and as both the General Counsel and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations with the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
Soon after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Jim was recalled to active duty for 18 months with the U.S. Marine Corps in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Lieutenant Colonel James Byrne was assigned as the Officer-in-charge of the Marine Liaison Office at the then-National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Mr. Byrne led teams of Marines in DC-metro-area military hospitals and Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, that were responsible for supporting injured and deceased Marines, Sailors, and their families.
Jim has over 25 years of experience in the public sector, including service as a forward-deployed Marine Corps Infantry Officer and a U.S. Department of Justice international narcotics prosecutor. His professional honors include several DOJ awards and The Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator’s Award for Exceptional Service. He is also a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism and several military decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal.
Volunteering in his community, Jim has extensive experience on several non-profit and advisory boards. Until August 2017, his most recent professional engagements included service on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Board and the International Association of Privacy Professionals Board of Directors. For ten years, he volunteered on the Executive Board of Give an Hour, a non-profit organization that has developed national networks of volunteer professionals capable of providing complimentary and confidential mental health services in response to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within our society, beginning with the mental health needs of post-9/11 veterans, service members, and their families.
Jim is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he received an engineering degree and, ultimately, held the top leadership position of Brigade Commander. He later earned his J.D. from Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, Florida, and started his legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Malcolm J. Howard, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina.
Hudson Harris
Hudson Harris is passionate about helping organizations solve complex social issues. He is a skilled designer who drives change through technology and collaboration to build a shared understanding that empowers teams. His knowledge of data, human-centered design, and the complexities in crafting cross-sector projects bring a unique approach to every engagement. He has earned a reputation for innovation that spans traditional boundaries to create inspired solutions to complex problems that are sustainable and impactful. Before joining Deloitte, he worked for San Diego County as a Population Health Strategist in Behavioral Health Services and for the California Children’s Hospital Association on statewide behavioral health initiatives. He is a California attorney, holds an MBA in Marketing and an MA in International Business. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Six Feet Over.
AAS is an Equitable Organization
AAS believes in equity for our members and in our services. From the leadership team, the Board of Directors, to our staff and committees, equity is a priority from the top down. Read full statement.