Advisory Council
Roles, Structure, & Process
The Governor shall appoint the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Advisory Council to be an independent, non-partisan, voluntary group of individuals, organizations, and agencies (public and private) who promote community awareness of the signs of suicide and intervention strategies for the prevention of suicide.
The council’s goal is to coordinate implementation of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Strategy, based on the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
This information can be downloaded here.
TSPN Protocols
The TSPN Protocols, drafted in July 2023, provide the rationale and background for specific activities, relationships, and processes to direct the employees of TSPN, its staff, its Advisory Council, and its volunteers. It synthesizes and documents the working knowledge of what TSPN does to support suicide prevention efforts in Tennessee, and it provides consensus on how this work takes place. This document fully incorporates elements of the Executive Statement issued in 2021.
By-Laws
Click below to download the most recent version of the TSPN Advisory Council By-Laws
Current Members
Eastern Region
Scott Payne
Matthew Magráns-Tillery
Cherokee Health System
Anne Burnett Young, MS, CAS, LADAC II
Zero Suicide Initiative Task Force Co-Chair
Metro Drug Coalition (Knoxville)
Email:
ayoung@metrodrug.org
Greater Memphis Region
Audrey A. Elion, Ph.D.
Allison White
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Email: allison.white@mlh.org
Amber Marissa Whitsett
Alliance Healthcare Services
Email: amwhitsett@gmail.com
Greater Nashville Region
Becky Stoll, LCSW
Advisory Council Past Chair
Centerstone
Email: becky.stoll@centerstone.org
Charmaine Kromer
Youth Villages
Email:
Sheldon Walker
Metro Public Health Department (Nashville)
Email: sheldon.walker@nashville.gov
Mid-Cumberland Region
Brenda Harper
Regional Chair
Community Advocate
Email: bsharper@comcast.net
Joseph Chatman III, LBSW, MSW
Montgomery-Houston-Humphreys, Robertson, Stewart County Suicide Prevention Task Force
Email: jchatman3@yahoo.com
Stephanie D.H. Evans, Ph.D., LPC-MHSP, NCC
Private Practice
Email: stephaniedhevans@gmail.com
Northeast Region
Heatherly Sifford, BSPh
Regional Chair
Johnson City Medical Center
Email: heatherly.sifford@balladhealth.org
Brandy Rice
Frontier Health
Email: bgrice@frontierhealth.org
Dr. Drew Turner
East Tennessee State University
Email: turnerds@etsu.edu
Northwest Region
Sean Jones, LCSW
Regional Chair/Advisory Council Chair
Carey Counseling Center, Inc.
Email: sean.jones@careyinc.org
Stacie Fernandez
Perimeter Healthcare
Email:
Megan Gaylord, LPC-MHSP
Rural West TN Clinical Consultant JDC Program Youth Villages Specialized Crisis Services
Email: megan.gaylord@youthvillages.org
South Central Region
Nora Fielding, BA
Tyler Sanders, LMSW
Centerstone
Open Position
TBA
Email:
TBA
Southeast Region
Jim Lewis
Regional Co-Chair
Hixson United Methodist Church
Email: jimlewis1972@gmail.com
Christy Sentell
Regional Co-Chair
CHI Memorial Hospital
Email: christy_sentell@memorial.org
Jolene Cook
Chattanooga VA Clinic
Email: jolene.cook@va.gov
Southwest Region
Lynn Landrum Julian, MA
Amy Bechtol
Community Advocate
Email: amymitchellbechtol@gmail.com
Sarah Mays
Jackson-Madison Prevention Coalition
Email: sarah@jmprevent.org
Upper Cumberland Region
Anne Stamps, MA
Regional Chair
Volunteer Behavioral Health-Cumberland Mountain Mental Health Center / Dale Hollow Mental Health Center
Email: jstamps@vbhcs.org
John B. Averitt, Ph.D.
Cookeville Regional Medical Center/Cookeville Police Department
Email: jbaveritt@hotmail.com
Kristi Paling
Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth
Email: kristi.paling@tn.gov
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The Lifeline is a free 24/7, confidential, short-term crisis counseling line for those experiencing distress. It is a myth that 988 is only for suicidal individuals; it is available to everyone. Call, text, or chat 988 if you are overwhelmed, stressed, and need to talk with a trained counselor.
This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.