Meet the Oregon Board of Directors!

Our board is made up of passionate volunteer leaders from across the state who are dedicated to stopping suicide. Keep reading to meet our board members.

Vuong Tran (he/him), Board Chair

Milwaukie, OR

What year did you start on the Board?
2022

Why do you volunteer?
As someone who did not know about all of the different resources out there for mental health and suicide prevention, I volunteer to spread awareness and create a world where we can safely and openly talk about mental health and suicide prevention. 

What AFSP leadership roles do you have?
Board Chair, Co-Chair Programs & Education Committee, 

What are you most looking forward to this year?
I'm always looking forward to seeing our volunteers helping at tabling events and presenting Talk Saves Lives! 

What's something about you we may not know?
I'm originally from Massachusetts and my hobbies include riding my motorcycle, playing guitar, and backpacking out in the mountains! 

Angela Perry (she/her), Board Co-Chair

Tigard, OR

What year did you start on the Board?
2017

What is your heart connection to the cause?
I live with chronic suicidal ideations, am an attempt survivor and a loss survivor--Jim (1998), Ryan (1998), Milo (2014) and my aunt Jean (2017).

What AFSP leadership roles do you have?
Board Co-Chair, Public Policy & Advocacy Committee (Chair), Portland Walk Planning Team, Programs & Education Committee, Nominations & Leadership Committee.

What AFSP events do you look forward to every year?
Advocacy Day, participating in advocacy work has been pivotal in helping me find my voice and healing. Knowing how dark of a place it is to be actively suicidal and finding a way out I am now able to help work as a flashlight to help others to find their way!

Prison Walks, it is amazing to go into a place most people want to avoid and get to share your heart and hear them share theirs. The adults in custody I have met have been the most engaged, real, raw and cup filling to be able to share HOPE in places that do not usually have that.

What's something about you we may not know?
I love camping, finding heart rocks and traveling!

Megan Caldwell (she/her), Board Treasurer

Lake Oswego, OR

Megan Caldwell is committed to helping save lives and stopping the stigma around mental health and suicide.  Megan found AFSP after losing her brother to suicide in 2013.  Since her first Out of Darkness walk in 2018, Megan began sharing her own story as a suicide loss survivor.  This has not only helped her heal, but has allowed her to have conversations and create awareness about the importance of mental health and the realness of suicide.

In addition to participating in several Portland Out of Darkness walks and state advocacy days, Megan ran the Boston Marathon with Team AFSP in 2022 where she raised over $20,000 for AFSP.  Megan’s current areas of interest are fundraising, building community connections and finding ways to best support our youth and young people’s mental health.

Megan joins the AFSP board as a mom of three school aged children, a small business owner and active community member who believes that having authentic conversations and sharing our own stories, although hard, allows us to connect and recognize we are not alone.

Tara Criscuolo (she/her), Board Secretary

Portland, OR

Tara Criscuolo (she/her) is a brand marketer; mental health educator; and disordered eating speaker, writer, and resource provider based in Portland, Oregon. She’s recovered from an eating disorder, and her healing journey spurred her passion for normalizing mental health, dismantling diet culture, and creating a world that's safe for everyone to show up as their authentic selves.

One month before she flew cross country to enter residential treatment for her eating disorder in May 2013, Tara’s friend and college varsity tennis teammate Paige died by suicide. This suicide loss, and her eating disorder recovery journey, fundamentally changed her values and who she was as a person. In 2016, she secured her first full-time marketing job, at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

After four years of managing AFSP National’s branding, marketing materials, and online stores, Tara left New Jersey to follow her dream of moving to Portland – just two hours from where she went to residential treatment years earlier. While she no longer works full-time in the non-profit space, she spends her free time volunteering for NAMI Multnomah as a Mental Health Presenter, Project HEAL as the National Blog Manager, AFSP Oregon as a Board Member, and formerly ANAD as a Peer Recovery Mentor; and compiling resources for those struggling with disordered eating. She also enjoys snuggling her rescue pup Mazie, hiking, reading, playing tennis, and resting. Visit her website taracriscuolo.com to learn more.

Maili Halverson (she/her)

Vancouver, WA

What year did you start on the Board?
2018

Why is volunteering important to you?
After my brother died by suicide, I learned about AFSP and all the good work that they do which led me to becoming a volunteer. With suicide prevention, families will not feel the pain that I felt after losing my brother.

What AFSP leadership roles do you have?
Healing Conversations Coordinator, Portland out of the Darkness Walk Chair, Programs & Education Committee

What AFSP event do you look forward to every year?
International Survivor of Suicide Loss Day and the Portland Out of the Darkness Walk.

What's something about you we may not know?
I love collecting vintage vinyl records and thrift store shopping.

Sam Havens (she/her)

Cottage Grove, OR

What year did you start on the Board?
2019

Why do you volunteer?
I volunteer for friends and family that I've lost, but mostly I volunteer for myself and my own mental health.

What AFSP leadership roles do you have?
Eugene Walk Chair

What are you most looking forward to this year?
I look forward to going to as many Out of the Darkness walks I can possibly go to. The sense of community is the best.

What's something about you we may not know?
My husband and I have 5 cats and 2 dogs!

Joan Hoff (she/her)

Oregon City, OR

Joan Hoff spent over three decades working at the Dougy Center, which provides grief support to children, teens, young adults, and their families. Her husband Larry died by suicide in 1995 and she now serves as a board member  for Oregon AFSP and coordinates survivors of suicide loss. She serves on AFSP's National Council for Loss and Healing, and is a National trainer for Facilitator Group coordinators. 

Joan has over 40 years of experience in working with children and families and has served on a variety of local and local and national boards including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Survivor Council, Suicide Bereavement Support. Coping After Suicide support group facilitator and trainer. She helped to develop and is a National trainer for the AFSP Support Group for Children and Teens. She conducts training locally, nationally and internationally on issues related to program development; the impact of suicide, trauma and violent death on children, teens and their families; crisis response; and grief and loss issues for children and teens. 

Stacey Jung (she/her)

Portland, OR

What year did you start on the  Board?
2024

Why do you volunteer? 
I volunteer with AFSP as a way to connect with others who have struggled with their own mental health like I have, or those who have lost others. It’s important to me to work towards removing the stigmas associated with mental health.  Working in K-12 education, I am also passionate about students learning about mental health and suicide prevention and that the adults in their lives, including those at school, are more prepared and able to identify warning signs and to build strong relationships, connevtions, and engage in meaningful conversations with our youth. 

What AFSP leadership roles do you have?
This is my first year on the board, I’m looking forward to supporting the advocacy team and fundraising.

What are you most looking forward to this year?
The Portland Out of the Darkness walk is the event that connected me to AFSP and the event I look forward to attending every year. I’m also looking forward to attending other OOTD walks and hopefully my first Loss Survivor Day. 

What's something about you we may not know?
I am an avid sports fan, you can find me at most Timber and Thorns games as well as playing fantasy football and watching NFL every Sunday during the season!

Bianca Williams (she/her)

Coos Bay, OR

Bianca Williams is the Owner and Director of a women's business enterprise called the Love and Compassion Center, located in beautiful Coos Bay, OR. LCC provides the community with a christian resource center and mental health support . Bianca is married to her husband of 17 years, and has 3 children and one grandchild. Bianca holds certifications as a QMHA-1, Peer Wellness Specialist, Family Support Specialist, and Certified Recovery Mentor. Bianca is a fierce advocate for human life and suicide prevention.

Bianca's background includes over 20 years of work in the field, and several successful businesses. Her hobbies include volunteer work, cooking, beachcombing, spending time with her cats, and two demanding and adorable French Bulldogs. Bianca's passion is bringing additional support to faith-based communities by reducing stigma and increasing education and outreach.