American Association of Suicidology Announces Glenn Proctor to Lead Lived Experience Writing Competition

Press Contacts:

Washington, D.C. (October 12, 2021): The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is pleased to announce its Paul G. Quinnett (PGQ) Lived Experience Writing Competition Committee has selected Glenn Proctor, CPC, CPSS, GSS as Committee Chair. Glenn is a Pulitzer Prize winner, five-time Pulitzer judge, 40-year journalist, Marine and Founder of REDDjobb, a Charlotte team focusing on mental health advocacy, executive and life coaching, business strategy, marketing, women’s leadership and diversity and cultural awareness. 

The Paul G. Quinnett Lived Experience Writing Competition was launched in 2014 as a partnership between the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and Dr. Paul Quinnett, Ph.D., the CEO of the QPR Institute. The purpose of the annual competition is to promote stories of survival, hope, and recovery from suicidal ideation and/or suicide attempt(s). 

Glenn served as press secretary for U.S. Rep. Dan Mica of Florida, editor of the Marine base newspaper at Camp Lejeune, taught journalism at Kent State, media management as the Donald Reynolds Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at Washington and Lee and spent several summers teaching leadership and management as executive-in-residence for the Maynard Institute of Journalism Education at Northwestern University. 

“I am honored to become a member of the AAS/ASLE family,” said Proctor. “As an advocate for mental health, grief support and suicide prevention, I will pair my peer training with decades experience as an author, journalist, professor and writing coach to expand the depth and breath of the PGQ writing program. Writing is healing and we want to get more individuals involved in telling their stories.”

Glenn coaches from lived experience of being a foster kid, single parent, alcoholic, and prostate cancer survivor. He’s been dry for 37 years. Glenn is a suicide loss survivor of his grandfather, has lost military “brothers” to suicide, and has written and spoken extensively about grief, trauma and suicide. 

“The PGQ Committee is composed of ten incredible volunteers with writing, lived experience and/or behavioral health expertise,” said Jenn Carson, MA, AAS Attempt Survivor and Lived Experience (ASLE) Division Chair. “We are honored that Glenn will be taking the project to the next level in the upcoming year as a ASLE Division leader.”

The 2021 PGQ Writing Competition winners will be announced by November 10th. The 2022 competition will be open for submissions between September 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022. 

For the Media: Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides. Please visit the Media as Partners in Suicide Prevention: Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more details. For additional information, please visit SuicideReportingToolkit.com and Stanford University’s Media and Mental Health Initiative. For crisis services anywhere in the world, please visit FindAHelpline.org. 

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.

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