The Steering Committee for this event included representatives from veteran and non-veteran peer programs, leaders from military and veteran service organizations, prominent researchers in the field, and VA and military leadership.
Conference Chairs
Michelle Kees, PhD, Associate Professor, M-SPAN and Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan
Jane Spinner, MSW, MBA, Director, M-SPAN, University of Michigan
Steering Committee
- Anthony Allman, CEO & Co-Founder, POS REP
- CPT Nick Anderson, State Family Programs Director, Michigan National Guard
- Meredith Beck, Consultant
- Megan Bunce, Director, Government and Community Affairs, America’s Warrior Partnership
- Bonnie Carroll, President & Founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
- Lt. Col. Erika M. Cashin, Founder, Lean In Military Chapter; Co-Founder, Lean In Women Veterans Chapter; USAF
- Matt Chinman, PhD, Senior Behavioral Scientist, RAND Corporation; Research Scientist, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
- Chris M. Crowe, PhD, Senior Mental Health Consultant and Liaison to the DoD Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and TBI, VA Mental Health Services
- Livia Davis, MSW, CSWM, VP, Organizational Culture & Development Project Director, Center for Social Innovation
- Lynda C. Davis, MA, MPA, PhD, Executive Vice President, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors; Executive Director, Military and Veteran Caregivers Network
- MAJ Mike Erwin, MS, Board Chair and Founder, Team RWB; US Army Reserves
- COL Steven Eshenaur, D.O., State Surgeon, West Virginia Army National Guard
- Cindy Gierke, CTR, Regional Community Program Peer Network Coordinator, USSOCOM
- GEN (Ret.) Mark Graham, Senior Director, Rutgers UBHC National Call Center; Director, Vets4Warriors, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care
- Catharine Grimes, MBA, Director, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
- Sean Hanna, LAc, MAOM, Director, Veterans Mental Health Program, Texas Veterans Commission
- William Hudock, Senior Public Health Advisor, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Kristy Kaufmann, Executive Director, Code of Support
- Kacie Kelly, MHS, Senior Program Manager, Mental Health Strategic Partnerships, Department of Veterans Affairs
- Wendy Lakso, Director, Outreach and Training, Defense Suicide Prevention Office
- Barbara Lau, Special Projects, Bob Woodruff Foundation
- Anna Laubach, MSW, Director of Special Initiatives, Robert R. McCormick Foundation
- Laura L’Esperance, MBA, Senior Vice President of Brand and Communications, Mission Continues
- Jackie Maffucci, PhD, Research Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
- Kyle Mitchell, Director of Veteran and Military Policy, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
- Marjorie Morrison, LMFT, LPC, CEO and Founder, PsychArmor Institute
- Paul Pfeiffer, MS, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan
- CAPT (Ret.) Jonathan Pruden, Warrior Relations, Wounded Warrior Project
- Rajeev Ramchand, PhD, Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist, RAND Corporation
- Bill Rausch, Executive Director, Got Your 6
- James Schmeling, JD, Executive Vice President, Strategic Engagement, Student Veterans of America
- Steve Schwab, Executive Director, Elizabeth Dole Foundation
- Terri Tanielian, MA, Senior Social and Behavioral Scientist, RAND Corporation
- Marcia Valenstein, MS, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan; Research Scientist, Department of Veterans Affairs