American Association of Suicidology Welcomes New Board Members

Washington, D.C. (August 30, 2021): The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is pleased to announce that plans to fill vacant board seats at AAS are moving forward quickly, with four new division chairs appointed today.

If you’re interested in more information about the board process and what’s next make sure you haven’t missed our message here, discussing specifics and how you can get involved.

Our first addition is Qwynn Galloway-Salazar, coming in as Student Chair. Qwynn is an Army Veteran, and most recently served as the Co-Director for SAMHSA’s Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center. She also played a significant role in designing and coordinating the Governor’s and Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Policy and Implementation Academy’s. Qwynn holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice, an M.A. in Professional Counseling, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology while serving as an End-of-Life Doula for veterans and their caregivers.

We also welcome Judy Albelo as our new Loss Survivor Chair. Judy comes to us with more than five years of experience as Vice President and Treasurer of Tony’s Tribe, a non-profit geared towards breaking the stereotypes and stigmas of challenges many children and adults face today, working to support those struggling with the goal of embracing differences, breaking stigmas, working towards suicide prevention, suicide awareness, education, destigmatizing mental illness, and improving self-care and resiliency. Judy brings a wealth of non-profit 501(c)(3) familiarity to the board, having worked with a number of other groups in that space including Easter Seals and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Miami.

For our new Crisis Services Chair we have Pamela S. McKie, COO of The Children’s Home of Cincinnati, an organization providing education and therapeutic treatment for children and families facing social, behavioral, and learning challenges through more than 30 campus and community-based programs and services. Pamela has over 25 years of experience in executive leadership, including developing new programs, developing high-performance teams, and surpassing financial targets, both in the profit and non-profit sectors. She brings serious operational skills to the table, including a focus on valuable optimization and efficiency improvements, and has earned both a Masters in Social Work from the University of Cincinnati and a B.S. in Social Welfare from Ohio State University.

Joining us as Prevention/Public Health Chair is Tony Coder, 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.

AAS is dedicated to providing representation that effectively communicates the needs and goals of its membership. By continuing to include a diverse roster of individuals who can address these components, AAS, its divisions and committees, and its Board of Directors work strategically to create programs focused on ending suicide in this country and throughout the world.

For the Media: Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides. Please visit the Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more information. For additional information, please visit SuicideReportingToolkit.com.

About AAS: The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. Founded in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, AAS promotes the research of suicide and its prevention, public awareness programs, public education and training for professionals and volunteers. The membership of AAS includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.