Ahmad Bahrami is currently the Division Manager of Public Behavioral Health for the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, as well as the Cultural Competency and Ethnic Services Manager for the Department. His team oversees the county’s suicide prevention efforts, including community and public relations, outreach and education, management of the Mental Health Services Act, and addresses health disparities within the system of care. Ahmad is a member of the California Department of Education’s Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup.

Stan Collins has worked in the suicide prevention and postvention field for over 20 years and is the co-founder of the Directing Change Program and Film Contest. Currently, he is working as a consultant, focusing on supporting the creation and implementation of suicide prevention curriculums and strategies. Stan is part of the California Department of Education’s workgroup that developed the “Model Policy for Youth Suicide Prevention” in response to AB2246.

Sierra Don is the Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer of Mogli’s Movers. A Fresno native, she has extensive professional dance and movement experience and is currently an apprentice in the Limón Dance Company ProLaunch program.

Sidra Goldman-Mellor, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of California, Merced, where she also serves as the Director of the Biostatistics and Data Support Core. Trained as an epidemiologist, her research focuses on the social, clinical, and economic determinants and outcomes of suicidal behavior and other mental health problems across the life course. Her work is regularly featured on media outlets including the Sacramento Bee and NPR.

Brandy Lidbeck is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and helped develop and lead the Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS) Team in the Central Valley. As a two-time suicide-loss survivor herself, Brandy is passionate about reaching survivors and connecting them with the support and resources that were not available to her at the time of her own losses. Brandy currently serves as the Chair of the Fresno County Suicide Prevention Collaborative (Fresno Cares) and is also the author of The Gift of Second: Healing from the Impact of Suicide.

Ashley Mills is a Research Supervisor with California’s Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. She currently is the lead staff on the Commission’s prevention and early intervention initiative, and was the lead author of Striving for Zero: California’s Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention, 2020–2025. Prior to joining the Commission, Ashley held positions with the California Department of Justice and the California Governor’s Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy.

Sergio Morales is the Associate Vice President of Programs for Essential Access Health and the President of the Board of Directors for the California School-Based Health Alliance. He has more than 20 years of experience working in community health and building innovative health programs with an emphasis on improving the health and well-being of communities of color, adolescents, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Monica Nepomuceno has been an Education Programs Consultant at the California Department of Education (CDE) for 14 years. Her areas of expertise are building relationships with local, state, and national partners to increase awareness of mental health issues in school communities and helping to build support and resources to address student and staff needs. Her role at the CDE helps her foster connections and leverage resources to help non-traditional partners connect with education.

Jennifer Parra is a Neighborhood Fitness Coordinator at Every Neighborhood Partnership in Fresno. She loves teaching parents about dance and fitness, which they then can take back and teach to their children and community.

Trish Small is the Senior Director of the Pupil Personnel Services Department for the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, where she oversees the provision of school psychologist services, All 4 Youth Trauma and Resilience Trainings, and tiered systems of support trainings. She is a champion of increasing access to mental health supports for underserved populations and integrating systems. Trish is one of the founding members of the Behavioral Health Leadership Team and Behavioral Health Partnership Contract.

Destiny Walker is a Teaching Artist with Mogli’s Movers. As a dance instructor for the City of Carson, she is bringing the same opportunities and experience she received as a child to her students. Destiny is pursuing her master’s degree in applied behavior analysis and certification in recreational therapy.

Candice Wilkins is a Clinical Social Worker and the Manager of the Center for Grief and Healing at Hinds Hospice, which includes management of the Survivors of Suicide Loss program. She has been with Hinds Hospice for seven years and in her free time enjoys spending time with her family and her Havanese dog, Mr. Chill.

NAMI On-Campus Clubs are student-led clubs that address mental health issues at high schools and on college campuses by raising mental health awareness, educating the community, supporting students, and promoting services. These clubs are open to all students, whether they live with a mental health condition, are a family member or friend, or have a general interest in mental health.