Community Advisory Board
The Community Advisory Board was formed to advise the center, assess progress and accomplishments, and help strategize. The Community Advisory Board will be comprised of a diverse group of key stakeholders to bring distinct viewpoints relevant to enhancing practice-based suicide prevention approaches for youth in our target clinical and community practice settings.
Tony Coder
Tony is the Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF). As ED, Tony leads the charge to support community-based efforts in Ohio to reduce the stigma of suicide, promote education and awareness about suicide prevention, provide training and development, and increase resources and programs that reduce the risk of lives lost to suicide. Prior to joining the OSPF, Tony served as the Director of Programs and Services for the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, where he managed Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care, the Statewide Advocacy Network, and the Committee to Address Suicide for the organization. He has also served as the Director of State and Local Affairs for Smart Approaches to Marijuana and as legislative director for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Tony holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Toledo.
Grace Kolliesuah, MA, MSW, LSW
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Grace Kolliesuah is chief of the Bureau of Children, Youth and Families within the Office of Community Treatment at Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services where she oversees the implementation of Ohio’s comprehensive array of behavioral health initiatives and services for children, youth and families. Kolliesuah has worked on several national children’s initiatives and in 2017 was appointed to the Consensus Study Committee of the National Academic of Sciences, Engineering and Medicines, Bureau of Children Youth and Families. The Committee produced the 2019 consensus study report on Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development among Children and Youth: A National Agenda.
Kolliesuah holds a Master of Social Work from The Ohio State University, Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Akron.
Bill Long, MD
Dr. Long has been active in Children’s Practicing Pediatricians for over 20 years and currently serves as President of that organization. Being a community pediatrician in Columbus has enabled Dr. Long to stay involved with teaching medical students and residents. He has helped recruit mentors for the Pediatric Education in Community Sites (PECS) program. He has been on the Continuing Medical Education (CME) committee and served as the chairperson for four years. For a few years, he coordinated Pediatric Grand Rounds. Dr. Long also served a stint as a medical staff officer, and he was Medical Staff President in 2004.
Austin Lucas
Austin Lucas serves as the Program Director for the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF). He has been employed full time with OSPF since January 2018. He manages suicide prevention programming, training, events, education, and resources for federal, state, and foundation grants. Additionally, Austin is the project lead for the Suicide Prevention Plan for Ohio Implementation Team, which ensures the goals and objectives in the Suicide Prevention Plan for Ohio are exceeded by the end of 2022. Austin works with various community-level partners in the State of Ohio, including local suicide prevention coalitions, government agencies, Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) Teams, mental health organizations, and many others. He is passionate about empowering communities to spread suicide prevention training, knowledge, and skills throughout their locality.
His passion for suicide prevention derives from his personal struggles with depression as well as having many friends and family members that live with mental illness. Austin is a certified Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR), Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), and Working Minds instructor. Austin currently lives in Westerville, Ohio and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from The Ohio State University.
Denise Meine-Graham
Denise Meine-Graham has 35+ years of leadership experience both as a corporate executive and as the founder of LOSS Community Services in Columbus, Ohio (2014). LOSS Community Services supported over 5,000 suicide loss survivors through 2021 under Denise’s leadership.
Denise is currently a contractor supporting other communities and states as they launch and enhance their suicide postvention programs.
Denise is a certified thanatologist, has completed Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s Death and Grief Studies Certification, is a Psychological Autopsy Investigator, and is trained in suicide prevention programs (QPR Trainer, CALM Trainer, ASIST, CAMS, and How to Share Your Story Trainer).
Drey Meine is Denise’s son and is her pride and joy. He was 19 years old when he took his life in 2012. Drey was a warm, fun-loving, ornery kid who had friends and family who loved and still love him very much.
Angela Sausser
Angela Sausser is the executive director for the Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO) which represents Ohio’s 88 county public children services agencies. Prior to joining PCSAO in August 2014, Angela simultaneously held three positions with the State of Ohio. She served as Chief of the Bureau of Children and Families for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; served as Project Director for the department’s four-year federal SAMSHA system of care grant; and retained her governor-appointed position as the Director of Ohio Family and Children First Cabinet Council, a post she held throughout her state government career of nine years under three administrations.
Prior to her appointment at the state, Angela was an independent management consultant working with state and county agencies throughout the country on system transformation strategies and, locally, formed a nonprofit to reduce infant mortality in Columbus. Angela began her career as a caseworker and supervisor for a private foster care agency in Cincinnati.
Angela graduated from The Ohio State University with a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Management and a Master of Social Work in Social Administration. She currently serves on the John Glenn College of Public Affairs Alumni Society Board, on various state advisory councils, boards, and workgroups, and on Ohio’s Team for the 2023 National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health – Cohort 12.
David Schenkelberg, LPCC-S
David Schenkelberg, LPCC-S is currently the Chief Clinical Officer at Hopewell Health Centers, Inc. and is a licensed professional clinical counseling with supervising counselor designation.
David has clinically supervised and managed programs within the community mental health system for the over 20 years. These programs have included, outpatient mental health services, residential, outpatient AOD services, school and college based mental health, case management, crisis intervention – including mobile crisis, intensive home based treatment, supported living, crisis stabilization unit, partial hospitalization, peer support, supported employment, integrated care, comprehensive care management, wellness programming, jail based services and re-entry, SAMI, drug court specialized court dockets, and adolescent sex offender treatment.
Ten years ago David was part of an executive team which successfully merged an FQHC with a CMHC. Since that time he has been devoted to integrating primary care and behavioral health within Hopewell Health Centers. Throughout 2017 he was on the executive team which effected a merge with a neighboring CMHC. He has worked with community partners in multiple capacities within 7 county region that HHC services. He led implementation of Hopewell’s first primary care clinic within a community mental health center.
David is the project director for a SAMHSA Primary Behavioral Health Care Integration Grant, Part of the project leadershop for Certified Community Behavioral Health Certification, First Episode of Psychosis implementation, Zero Suicide and PIPBH grant implementation. He manages contracts with the local community mental health boards and state contracts/grants.