As an advocate for evidence-based practices, Dr. Mehnert Baker’s career has focused on systemic change at the intersection of mental health/victims’ services and the justice system. Seasoned in advancing change, she has held four politically appointed policy/funding positions and served as the chief executive of three training/advocacy non-profit entities. A social worker by calling, she holds an MSW from the University of Penn and a doctorate in public administration from WCU. Motivated to advance culturally responsive intervention approaches for all populations, Jenna joined the AAS board in honor of her grandfather, who died by suicide, and to support other parents whose children experience suicidality in elementary school.

Bart Andrews, PhD, is the Chief Clinical Officer at Behavioral Health Response. Dr. Andrews is a board member of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and chair of the AAS Advisory Council, facilitator of Missouri’s Suicide Prevention in Healthcare ECHO, a member of the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network Executive Committee and Suicide Prevention in Schools Committee Chair, a recipient of the 2022 American Association of Suicidology Roger Tierney Service Award, an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) senior training coach and a ZeroSuicide Academy Faculty member. Dr. Andrews is a firm adherent of scientific methodology as the best path to understanding suicide and developing evidence-based interventions. Dr. Andrews believes it is vital that suicide prevention experts couch their recommendations based on the suicide literature base and qualify the limits and uncertainty in our understanding of this complex and indeterminate phenomenon. Dr. Andrews is a suicide attempt survivor and believes there is a power in connecting our stories to our work. Dr. Andrews is also known far and wide for his mastery of Facebook memery (meme-ory).

Christopher A. Langston, PhD, is an executive, health services researcher, and national leader in philanthropy with over 25 years of experience improving healthcare outcomes for older Americans. Since 2024, he has led Brass Cannon Consulting, advising on healthcare, philanthropy, and aging. From 2019 to 2024, he served as President and CEO of Archstone Foundation, where he developed the Three Ts strategy—Teams, Training, and Technology—to enhance the health and well-being of older Californians. He also contributed to California’s Master Plan for Aging as part of a multi-funder collaborative.

Previously, Dr. Langston held leadership roles at the Aging in New York Fund and the John A. Hartford Foundation, directing grantmaking efforts to improve geriatric care. His achievements include securing a $3 million federal grant to expand depression treatment in health centers and leading Hartford’s shift toward practice-based strategies for improving elder care. He also helped establish national programs like the Health and Aging Policy Fellows and Practice Change Leaders.

Dr. Langston earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Michigan and has held academic and research positions at Purdue University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center. Throughout his career, he has played a pivotal role in shaping policy, funding, and initiatives that advance aging-related healthcare.

Brendan Weintraub was a Social and Behavioral Scientist Administrator (Program Officer) and Scientific Program Manager for the Suicide Research Team at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In this role, he coordinated all suicide prevention-related topic development and review of grants for NIMH alongside Senior Advisor, Jane Pearson. Mr. Weintraub is a social epidemiologist by training, and served as a subject matter expert on LGBTQ+ health and social determinants of health. Prior to NIMH, he held a portfolio within the Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research division at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), providing scientific and administrative oversight to funded contracts.

Mr. Weintraub holds a Master of Public Health in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts In Health: Science, Society and Policy from Brandeis University. He is currently a doctoral candidate, all but dissertation, in the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Melissa Gattine is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor currently serving with the MaineHealth Center for Health Improvement in the Community Mental Health and Resilience program. With more than 30 years of experience, Melissa has dedicated her career to delivering high-quality, effective care to individuals and families experiencing acute mental health crises.

She began her professional journey as a crisis clinician, supporting individuals in the community during times of overwhelming emotional distress. During her tenure at NAMI Maine, she was instrumental in launching law enforcement-based Crisis Intervention Teams and worked closely with community stakeholders to meet the unique needs of rural areas during emergency responses. In recognition of this work, she was honored with the inaugural Dorothea Dix Award by the State of Maine.

Currently, Melissa oversees the implementation of a SAMHSA-funded initiative to embed the Zero Suicide framework across the MaineHealth behavioral health service line. She works collaboratively with individuals who have lived experience, loss survivors, providers, and system leaders to reduce suicide deaths and attempts throughout the state.

Ian Shea brings more than 30 years of experience as a business builder, leader, and entrepreneur. Ian began his career on Wall Street in the investment banking divisions of Prudential Securities and Patricof & Co. He holds an MBA from Columbia University and UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and a BS in Economics from Cornell University. He is the Founder and CEO of I M Human, a cultural wellbeing strategic design firm that partners with organizations to develop world-class wellbeing strategies. Before launching I M Human, Ian founded Maestro Market, a marketplace connecting people with experts. Earlier in his career, he led ReplayTV, a successful DVR brand that he ultimately sold to DirecTV. He is also the author of The Wellbeing Chronicles™, a newsletter focused on cultural strategic wellbeing; the co-host of the podcast How We Deal; and a frequent speaker on emotional wellbeing, listening strategies, vulnerability, psychological safety, and trust.

Sarah Gadsby, LCSW is the Chief Executive Officer for River Valley Services with the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. With over 25 years of leading behavioral health organizations in the private and nonprofit sector, she has expanded and improved evidence-based service delivery ensuring integrated care and outcomes. Sarah specializes in trauma-informed care and is passionate about working with vulnerable populations in an environment that offers hope and compassion.

As a Mental Health Leader she oversees the development and implementation of behavioral health programming for the region, connecting with stakeholders and community leaders to improve mental health service delivery.

In her personal and professional life, she continually engages in activities that raise mental health awareness, reduces stigma and promotes access to resources and care. She believes in normalizing conversations on mental health issues and that no one should struggle in silence. She is a strong advocate of suicide awareness and prevention, with years of training clinicians on risk assessment and interventions.

Christopher Allen is a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant with 26 years of combined military service in the Navy and Army National Guard. He began his career in 1988 aboard the USS Wainwright (CG-28) and later re-joined the South Carolina Army National Guard, deploying to Iraq in 2011 before transitioning to the Military Police Corps. Today, he serves as the Integrated Primary Prevention BDE/WING Tactical Specialist for the South Carolina National Guard, where he builds strategies to strengthen resilience and prevent harmful behaviors across the force.

From 2020–2023, Christopher worked at the National Guard Bureau in the Warrior Resilience and Fitness Division, leading innovation in upstream prevention. He later became the Suicide Prevention and Resilience Branch NCOIC, helping implement programs that now guide prevention across all 54 states and territories.

A passionate advocate, he serves as Treasurer of AAS. Christopher has devoted more than nine years to suicide prevention and primary prevention, shaping policy, programs, and partnerships that save lives. Grounded by his faith and family, he and his wife Lisa have been married 34 years and share four children and a grandchild. His mission is clear: to build hope, resilience, and protective environments for Service members, Veterans, and families until his planned retirement in 2033.

Dr. Derrick Matthews (he/him) is the Director of Research Science at The Trevor Project, the leading organization working to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. He is a social and behavioral public health scientist whose work focuses on enhancing research methods with the lived experiences of people and communities, especially as it relates to intersectionality and its consequences for health. His research areas include LGBTQ+ mental health and suicide prevention, racial inequities in the US HIV epidemic among sexual minority men, and ways to meaningfully incorporate intersectional experiences in health equity research. He completed his PhD in Health Behavior at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan, and BA in English from Rice University. Dr. Matthews also received postdoctoral training in HIV-related health disparities at the University of Pittsburgh, and a training fellowship in LGBTQ+ population health from the Fenway Institute.

Colin Jarratt is a Clinical Research Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School’s Center for Suicide Research and Prevention, working under the mentorship of Drs. Rebecca Fortgang, Kate Bentley, Jordan Smoller, and Matthew Nock. His research examines suicide risk and substance use with a focus on applying computational and modeling approaches to improve real-time prediction and intervention. He earned his B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology from Syracuse University, where he conducted research on suicidality and substance use in veteran populations. Alongside his research, Colin has clinical experience as an emergency medical technician and behavioral health technician, providing crisis intervention and direct support in substance use treatment settings. He is committed to integrating research, clinical practice, and community engagement to advance suicide prevention.