American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's |
| Opening Remarks Joanne L. Harpel, AFSP Director of Survivor Initiatives |
| Surviving Suicide Loss: A Panel Discussion Lee-Ann Foster (Portland, Oregon) Gregg Keesling (Indianapolis, Indiana) Eric Marcus, moderator (New York, New York) Peggy Marshall (Dallas, Texas) Lucía Skinner (Mountain View, California) Sidney Zisook, M.D. (San Diego, California) |
| Closing Remarks Robert Gebbia, AFSP Executive Director Joanne Harpel, AFSP Director of Survivor Initiatives |
 | Lee-Ann Foster’s sister, Brittany, took her life in November of 2006. Brittany was a stay-at-home mother who actively volunteered with elders in her community and on a local ranch. Lee-Ann lives in Portland, Oregon and works as a Project Manager for the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the NW’s Native Youth Suicide Prevention Project called “Life is Sacred”. Lee-Ann honors her sister’s memory through a variety of activities including her participation in QPR training, local speaking engagements, and online networking with youth. She is also a member of the Klamath, Modoc, and Paiute tribes of Southern Oregon. |
 | Robert Gebbia has been AFSP’s Executive Director since 1997. Prior to joining AFSP, he was with United Way, and also worked as a Senior Health Planner for the New York City Department of Health. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from Hofstra University and an M.A. in Sociology from the New School for Social Research. |
 | Joanne Harpel became AFSP’s first-ever Director of Survivor Initiatives in 2002 after having served on AFSP’s national Board of Directors. Joanne is a former attorney with experience in non-profit administration, and is responsible for the full range of AFSP’s survivor programs, including National Survivors of Suicide Day, the Survivor Outreach Program, the Survivor e-Network, and the Support Group Facilitator Training Program. She is a survivor of the 1993 suicide of her brother Stephen, who was a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. |
 | Gregg Keesling lost his 25-year-old son, Chancellor A. Keesling, a Reserve Specialist in the U.S. Army, in June, 2009. Chancellor joined the Army in 2003 and was on his 2nd deployment to Iraq at the time of his death. He was an avid fisherman who was well-known within his unit for his sense of humor. The Keesling family moved to Indianapolis in 1996 from Jamaica and founded a staffing company called Workforce, Inc, which employs the welfare-to-work population. Gregg and his wife, Jannett, are leading an initiative to change the White House policy that prevents the U.S. President from sending letters of condolence to families who have lose a loved one to suicide while deployed in the military. |
 | Eric Marcus lost his father, Irwin, to suicide in 1970. A WWII veteran, Irwin worked for the U.S. Postal Service and was 44 years old when he died. Eric’s sister-in-law also took her life in 2008. Eric is the author of several well-received books, including Why Suicide? Questions & Answers about Suicide, Suicide Prevention, and Coping with the Suicide of Someone You Know, which is being re-released by HarperCollins in September, 2010. |
 | Peggy Marshall lost Edward K Mims, her husband of 18 years in September 2005. He was 55 years old and an accomplished CPA and Chief Financial Officer who had a reputation for a quick wit and outgoing personality that enlivened even the most routine professional presentations. Peggy works as a business consultant in Dallas, TX, and she recently earned a certificate in non-profit management. She facilitates a survivor of suicide loss support group, participates in Out of the Darkness Community Walks, and organizes an annual conference site for National Survivors of Suicide Day in Dallas. |
 | Lucía Skinner’s son, John, was a Senior in High School when he died by suicide in 2005 at the age of 17. John was a standout performer in many areas of his life. He taught himself to play the guitar and bass, enrolled in advanced-level classes at school, excelled in track and cross country, and had lead roles in school plays. Lucía facilitates several support groups where she lives in California, one of which is for mothers who are bereaved after the loss of a child to suicide. She also works as an English/Spanish Translator and has translated online materials for AFSP. |
 | Sidney Zisook, M.D., is a Professor and Director of the Residency Training Program for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. Author or co-author of over 200 articles, chapters, manuals, and books, Dr. Zisook is best known for his work on bereavement, stress, mood, suicide and psychiatric education, for which he has won numerous awards. A Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and member of the American College of Psychiatrists, Dr. Zisook also serves on AFSP’s Survivor Research Working Group and on the board of its San Diego Chapter. |
