Washington, D.C. (February 26, 2019): The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is pleased to announce that Keita Franklin, LCSW, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer for Psych Hub, has joined its Board of Directors. With over 25 years of progressively responsible experience, Dr. Franklin has spent her career driving complex organizational change in the federal sector, improving the systems that provide care for our Nation’s military, family members, and veteran populations.

“I am thrilled about joining the AAS Board of Directors!” said Dr. Franklin. “After close to two decades in federal service where I have worked on multiple task forces and coalitions across various sectors, I am excited about transferring these skills to the non-profit arena to help advance the goals of AAS. I have a keen interest in continuing to advance the national dialogue and implementation of programs surrounding military, family member, and veteran suicide prevention issues. I look forward to contributing and working alongside the dedicated AAS team and fellow board members on important areas like strategic planning and advancement of training initiatives that help to save lives.”

In her current role as Chief Clinical Officer for Psych Hub, she serves as a key member of the executive team overseeing the development and production of all clinical content for Psych Hub’s learning platform of educational training courses and support tools on evidence based practices. A nationally-recognized expert, Dr. Franklin, ensures all clinical content is evidence based and focused on a practical application of the science.  

“We’re ecstatic to have Dr. Keita Franklin join the Board,” said Colleen Creighton, CEO of AAS. “Her connection to military and veterans issues will help focus our efforts in these areas and sharpen our effectiveness in helping these groups. Her extensive background in training development and implementation will also be invaluable as we look to enhance our world-class training and accreditation programs.” 

Before joining Psych Hub, Dr. Franklin served as a senior executive at both the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Defense.  In these roles, Dr. Franklin served as the principal advisor to Department leadership for all matters on suicide prevention, and she is widely credited with leading a transformative, enterprise-wide shift from a crisis intervention posture to an upstream, broad public policy approach focused on continuous surveillance and early prevention.

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 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.

About AAS: 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 volunteers, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of lay persons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.