Meet the AFSP CO Chapter Board Members

Zachary McFarland – Board Member

   What is a fun fact you know?

• Coconut tastes like sunscreen smells

   What is a hidden talent you have?

• Pencil sketching/drawing

   What do you do to relax?

• Driving, listening to music, anything to do with water

  What is your favorite food?

• Cornbread, brisket, meatloaf, and banana pudding (can you tell I grew up in the south?)

   When you were little what did you want to grow up to be?

• A virologist

Vanessa Lopez – Board Treasurer and owner of chapter mascot Pablo the Pig

 If you could be any superhero, who would you be?

• I would be batman because he drives a cool car

What is your favorite thing about non-profit work?

• I love being able to give back to the community and make connections with others who share the same passion

What is your favorite saying?

• “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou

What are your core values?

• Kindness, Compassion, Community and Optimism

Alyssa Caselli – Board Member

   What is your connection to the cause of AFSP?

• I have volunteered for AFSP since 2016 after losing my father to suicide

   What do you do for work? 

• I am a social worker currently serving in the United States Air Force

   What is your favorite quote? 

• "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." - Anthony Caselli

Jo Anna Demarrais – Board Member and Fort Collins Walk Chair

   How are you connected to the cause?

• This cause has become very close to my heart after losing my 40-year-old son, SSG Brian Michael Reed by suicide on March 14, 2016. He was a member of the Army Special Forces 82^nd Airborne and served on 3 deployments to the Middle East where he suffered a traumatic brain injury. After his death, I felt like my world was pretty dark so I reached out to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and completed my first Out of the Darkness Walk (OOTD) in Fort Morgan in 2016. After that Walk, I was honored to become the co-chair for the inaugural 2017 Fort Collins (FTC) OOTD Walk and have served as Walk Chair for the Fort Collins OOTD Community Walk since.  

    What is one of your favorite sayings? - (I'm not sure which is my favorite!)

• This, too, in time will pass 
• Take the lemons life gives you, and make lemonade

    What are your hobbies?

• Spending time with family and friends, cooking, entertaining, traveling, volunteering and gardening

    What is your favorite food?

• Ice cream - (without a doubt LOL!)

Nick Jahahn - Board Member

  What are your hobbies?

• Photography, fishing and constantly learning.

  What is a fun fact or hidden talent you have?

• Lightning can heat the air around it 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

  What are your core values?

• My core values include Knowledge, Commitment, and Self Acceptance.  

  What is one of your favorite sayings?

• In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. -Uncle Iroh

  How are you connected to the cause?

• Mental health and healthcare have been at the forefront of my career path since I was a teenager. The shocking loss of my dear friend Robert Stepanian on October 20^th, 2018 to suicide catalyzed my focus on the prevention of such a tragedy. I believe that by educating others and showing compassion to those around us, together, our community can lead a healthier and happier life and no one else will lose a friend or family member to suicide.

Amanda Howe - Board Member

What is your connection to the cause/AFSP? 

• On November 28, 2019, I lost the love of my life to suicide.  He was the funniest man I had ever met, with an extraordinary brain and a vibrant soul.  His daughter had died by suicide several years previously, and he was never able to move past that loss.  When he died, I swore that I would honor his memory by using his story to help others.

What is your favorite food?

• My mother’s spaghetti.  She makes the sauce from scratch, and it is epic.  I could eat it for every meal.

What do you do to relax?

• Relax?  What’s that? 😉    I have two adorable calico cats that help bring my blood pressure down and reduce my stress.  They are my little angels.  (I’m an unapologetic crazy cat lady.) 

What are your hobbies?

• I read a lot (mostly fluff with no literary value but much entertainment value, especially mysteries) and, during the right time of the year, I go fly-fishing in Wyoming.  I also like to work hard on my application for the award of World’s Best Aunt by spending as much time as possible with my nieces and nephews. 

Amanda Sink - Board Chair

Tosha Toste - Board Secretary 

Elise Luter - Board Member and Advocacy Chair