Paul A. Muller
Prior to retirement Paul was owner and GM of Muller and Smith, a marketing and communications firm. The firm—founded in 1988— focused on accounts in construction, health care, high-tech, publishing and printing. Paul's prior experience included a marketing leadership role in computer industry publishing and management of professional graphic art service firm.
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In the health care field Paul have served as a founding director of the Bridge Rail Foundation a suicide prevention advocacy organization. Additionally he was a consultant and regional director for a statewide suicide prevention network responsible for organizing educational and planning meetings throughout a 14 county region. Previous experience includes work with regional health planning agencies and the State of California.
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Robert Neimeyer, PhD
Robert A. Neimeyer is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Psychology,
University of Memphis, and maintains an active consulting and coaching practice. He
also directs the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, which provides online training
internationally in grief therapy. Neimeyer has published 35 books, including New
Techniques of Grief Therapy: Bereavement and Beyond and The Handbook of Grief
Therapies, and serves as Editor of the journal Death Studies. The author of over 600
articles and book chapters and a frequent workshop presenter, he is currently working to
advance a more adequate theory of grieving as a meaning-making process. Neimeyer
served as President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and
Chair of the International Work Group for Death, Dying, & Bereavement. In recognition
of his scholarly contributions, he has been granted the Eminent Faculty Award by the
University of Memphis, made a Fellow of the Clinical Psychology Division of the

American Psychological Association, and given Lifetime Achievement Awards by both
ADEC and the International Network on Personal Meaning.

Carolyn Ng, PsyD, MMSAC, RegCLR 
Carolyn Ng maintains a private practice, Anchorage for Loss and Transition, for training, supervision and therapy in Singapore, while also serving as Associate Director of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition.  Previously she was a Principal Counsellor with the Children’s Cancer Foundation in Singapore, specializing in cancer-related palliative care and bereavement counseling.  She is a registered counsellor, master clinical member and approved supervisor with the Singapore Association for Counseling (SAC) and a consultant to a cancer support and bereavement ministry in Sydney, Australia.  She is trained in the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, USA, community crisis response by the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), USA, and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) by LivingWorks, Canada.  She is also a trained end-of-life doula and advanced care planning facilitator.  Her recent writing concerns meaning-oriented narrative reconstruction with bereaved families, with an emphasis on conversational approaches for fostering new meaning and action.

Jerry Reed, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Dr. Reed served as Senior Vice President for Practice Leadership at Education Development
Center until his retirement in October 2021. In this capacity, he directed the Suicide, Violence
and Injury Prevention Portfolio. He oversaw the work on multiple projects such as the Suicide
Prevention Resource Center, the Zero Suicide Institute, the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the Children’s Safety Network, and several violence prevention initiatives and also
served as Co-Director of the Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention with partners at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Prior to joining EDC, Dr. Reed served as a career public servant working in the Department of Defense leading Community and Family Support Programs in both the U.S. and abroad and served several years as a staff leader in the U.S. Senate for the late Senator Harry Reid (NV).

His interests include geriatrics, veterans and military mental health, public health and suicide prevention and response, global violence prevention and public policy. Dr. Reed co-led the committee that updated the 2012 U.S. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention with U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin and served as an Executive Committee member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Reed was recently an Adviser/Consultant to the Department of Defense Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee and serves as an Advisor for Stop Soldier Suicide and to the American Association of Suicidology and several other grant initiatives.

Dr. Reed received a Ph.D. in Health Related Sciences with an emphasis in Gerontology from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in 2007 and his MSW degree from University of Maryland at Baltimore in 1982 with an emphasis in Aging Administration. He served in the United States Navy during the period 1974-1978.

Liz Clark, Ed.D
Dr. Liz Clark, a member of the Senior Executive Service, serves as the Director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. In this position, she is responsible for policy, oversight, and advocacy of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) suicide prevention programs, which include non-clinical suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts including policy, program development and evaluation, data surveillance, research, and outreach and engagement in support of more than 2M Service members and over 2.5M military family members worldwide. 

​Dr. Clark brings over 20 years of service spanning the federal government and military service. Prior to her current assignment, Dr. Clark was the Deputy Director of DSPO. Dr. Clark also previously served as the Deputy Executive Director for the PREVENTS Task Force, created by Presidential Executive Order 13861, and charged with developing the first federally coordinated national public health strategy and roadmap to address Veteran suicide. From 2015 to 2020, Dr. Clark served as the Director and Assistant Director of the DSPO Policy and Plans Directorate and was responsible for developing suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies, guidance, and strategic planning. Dr. Clark brings an array of suicide prevention experience to the Department through her previous work as a volunteer hotline crisis worker answering the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as established and co-led a suicide bereavement support group in the Washington Metropolitan area. 

Dr. Clark served as an Army Officer for over nine years in the Ordnance Corps and Adjutant General Corps and had a variety of assignments at the installation level, Army Staff, and National Guard Bureau. 

Dr. Clark holds a Doctorate in Education from Vanderbilt University in Leadership and Learning in Organizations, a Master’s Degree from Georgetown University in Human Resources Management, and a Bachelor’s Degree from McDaniel College in Sociology.  Dr. 

Hira Ismail
Hira Ismail has a Bachelor's in English from Bryn Mawr College as well as a Master's in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Arizona State University. She is a local theatre artist, involved in performing, writing, and directing. She also is the Training and Digital Program Specialist at one-n-ten, an LGBTQ+ youth-serving organization with a focus on youth empowerment. Hira conducts trainings on LGBTQ+ Inclusivity with one-n-ten, as well as digital programming on popular platforms for youth to participate in. Contributing to raising awareness of and advocating for marginalized populations, especially in our intersectionalities, is a focal point in her work.

Nikki Kontz, LMSW
Nikki is the Clinical Director for Teen Lifeline, a local non-profit dedicated to providing a safe, confidential and crucial crisis service where teens help teens make healthy decisions.  She has been working in the field for the past 16 years including work on a crisis mobile team, postvention intervention and assessment for hospitalization. Nikki possesses a master’s Degree in social work from Arizona State University and specializes in mental health issues, crisis intervention, suicide prevention/postvention and education, and adolescence.  She currently is a state Licensed Master Social Worker, a certified crisis worker through the American Association of Suicidology, field instructor for the Social Work Department at ASU, and serves as the President on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition.

​Lolan Lauvao
Lolan Lauvao is a dedicated professional with over 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector, specializing in providing crucial assistance to indigenous and underserved communities. With a profound commitment to social justice and community empowerment, Lolan Lauvao has been instrumental in implementing a diverse array of programs aimed at uplifting and supporting those in need. Lolan spearheaded some initiatives such as the First Time Offender Program for Youth, which has played a pivotal role in redirecting the lives of young individuals towards a path of rehabilitation and growth. Managed programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which fosters economic development within marginalized communities and offering pathways to sustainable employment and self-sufficiency. In addition to Lolan’s work in the non-profit sector, he is also a regarded training consultant, specializing in critical areas such as suicide prevention; equipping organizations with the necessary knowledge and skills to identify and address mental health challenges effectively.

Julie Lazzara, Ph.D.
Julie Lazzara is an experienced educator and counselor with a master’s degree in counseling and a Ph.D. in psychology. She has been teaching for Maricopa Community College since 2006, where she is passionate about fostering a supportive learning environment for students. For the past two years, she has led a successful suicide awareness and prevention initiative at her college and within her own psychology classes. She participates in professional development whenever she has the opportunity, including attending and presenting at numerous conferences. She has co-authored, reviewed, and edited several articles, texts, and ancillary materials. Her research interests include the scholarship of teaching and learning, emerging adulthood, DEI, and grief.

Jaime Lee, MPH
​Jaime is a Diné woman who was raised by her grandparents and her mom in Northern Arizona. Her familial inspiration created the journey of working in the behavioral health field for the past 12 years and previously working in the education field for 6 years. She has a B.S. in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University and an Executive Master in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Her current journey is working alongside the Gila River Indian Community as their Director of Prevention for Gila River Health Care Behavioral Health Services. Her work entails program development through grant writing, capacity building, program management, and leading teams to implement community-based projects in the areas of suicide prevention, substance use prevention and early childhood education. Jaime is a Master trainer for ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and safeTALk; she was formally a trainer for Mental Health First Aid (Youth, Adult, Public Safety and QPR. In Jaime’s spare time, she loves spending time with her family, practicing her silversmith skills, chilling with the dog babies, traveling, eat cookies, reading Audible, exercising, and meeting people.

Paula McCall, Ph.D.
Dr. Paula McCall is an Arizona licensed psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist who specializes in working with children and adolescents in her private practice, Next Step Psychology. She is also the founder, director, and president of Semicolon Society, an Arizona nonprofit organization providing free community mental health education with an emphasis on suicide prevention and postvention education, events, and supports. Dr. McCall is passionate about mental health education and suicide prevention and has collaborated with multiple school districts and local agencies to build suicide risk assessment procedures as well as provide community supports and education. She has presented on the topic of suicide prevention, assessment, and postvention for national conferences including the American Psychological Association and the National Association of School Psychologists. Dr. McCall has also recently been awarded the award for Distinguished Contribution to the Professional Practice of Psychology by the Arizona Psychological Association. Her proudest role though is that of being a mom to her two children.

Anna Pacheco, MBA
Anna is a passionate speaker and advocate for mental health. She is a master trainer for QPR, safeTALK, ASIST, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and Adult Mental Health First Aid. Providing community prevention and education work for the past 10 years with Gila River Health Care Behavioral Health Services, she has helped ignite the suicide prevention campaign, Yes to Life!, and works with her amazing team to implement many strategies to promote mind wellness and substance use prevention.

Kindra Nelson
Kindra Nelson began working for the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) in September 2024 and is the Suicide Mortality Review Program Manager. Kindra holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from America/Remington College and is a seasoned professional with 17 years of prior state government experience with the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS). While supporting the DCS mission, Kindra held positions as a Program Specialist, Team Decision Making Meeting Facilitator, case manager and investigator. Her skills extend beyond government service, with experience as a Family Support Specialist at Branching Out Family Services in Chandler, AZ. Apart from her career, Kindra is a proud mother of four. Her extensive experience and community-focused mindset make Kindra a valuable addition to ADHS. Kindra Nelson began working for the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) in September 2024 and is the Suicide Mortality Review Program Manager. Kindra holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from America/Remington College and is a seasoned professional with 17 years of prior state government experience with the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS). While supporting the DCS mission, Kindra held positions as a Program Specialist, Team Decision Making Meeting Facilitator, case manager and investigator. Her skills extend beyond government service, with experience as a Family Support Specialist at Branching Out Family Services in Chandler, AZ. Apart from her career, Kindra is a proud mother of four. Her extensive experience and community-focused mindset make Kindra a valuable addition to ADHS. 
 

Nicola Winkel
Nicola Winkel is the Project Director for the Arizona Coalition for Military Families, a nationally recognized public/private partnership focused on building Arizona’s capacity to care for and support all service members, veterans, their families and communities. She oversees implementation of the Be Connected program, in partnership with the VA, Governor’s Office and state agencies, as well as local organizations and partners. Nicola has over twenty years of experience in nonprofit program development and implementation and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. She has briefed at national and international conferences and consults on statewide and national initiatives relating to the military and veteran population. She is the co-chair of the Arizona Veteran Suicide Mortality Review team.