Meet the NJ Chapter Board

Wendy Sefcik (Board Chair)

On December 1, 2010, Wendy’s 16-year-old son T.J. died by suicide. Since losing her son, Wendy has worked to educate herself on depression and suicide risk in the hopes of helping others. In addition to serving as Board Chair for the AFSP NJ Chapter, Wendy serves as Co-Chair of the NJ Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, is employed as the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for Bergen County and is a consultant for NJ’s statewide HOPES initiative to support survivors of suicide loss. Her passion is to help children and families maintain mental wellness and to understand when help is needed and how to connect to the appropriate resources.

Wendy, along with her husband Steve and son Matt, created Remembering T.J.—A Story of Teen Depression, Lessons and Hope. They have shared their story with over 30,000 people to raise awareness of depression and mood disorders in teens and suicide risk.

Wendy was the 2023 recipient of The MHA Child Advocacy Award, 2022 recipient of CBH Care’s Spirit of Caring Award, 2019 Honoree of Morris County Board of Freeholders for Stigma Free Advocacy, the 2018 recipient of the Changing Minds Award by Minding Your Mind, the 2017 recipient of the Suicide Prevention Excellence Award presented by the NJ Traumatic Loss Coalition for Youth and the recipient of the 2015 Courage Award for Outstanding Commitment to Mental Health by the CarePlus Foundation.

Inua A. Momodu, M.D., MPH, MBA, CPE (Board Member, President)

Dr. Momodu is vice president, chief medical officer behavioral health and AtlantiCare physician group president. In his roles, Momodu has oversight for all acute and ambulatory behavioral health and addiction treatment programs across the entire health system. His responsibilities include strategic planning, budget oversight, performance improvement, serving as liaison with administration, and maintenance of the highest standard of medical care across Atlanticare programs and the physician group. He provides leadership in developing corporate vision, mission, values, and culture for the medical group. Momodu joined ARMC in 2011 as medical director of AtlantiCare Behavioral Health. He brought prior experience as medical director of outpatient counseling services in several locations to his role and has assumed greater responsibilities over the years. Momodu attended the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and achieved his MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery). He earned his Master of Public Health from Tulane University in New Orleans, and His Master of Business Administration from Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey.

Inua joined the Board for the NJ Chapter in 2022 and is also a member of the walk committee for the Atlantic-Cape Out of the Darkness Walk.

Siobhan Power (Board Member, Advocacy Chair)

Siobhan is the Assistant Director of Survey and Evaluation Research at the Bloustein Center for Survey Research at Rutgers University. Her work at Rutgers includes managing all aspects of data collection and analysis for New Jersey's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS is one of the only sources of self-reported student-level data on depression and suicide in the state. Siobhan began volunteering for AFSP in 2010 at the Jersey Shore Out of the Darkness Walk. In 2016, Siobhan began to present the More than Sad and Talk Saves Lives™ programs to students, teachers, and community members throughout the state; she continues to present AFSP educational programs in NJ. Siobhan has served on the Board for the NJ Chapter since 2018 and is also a member of the walk committee for the Jersey Shore Out of the Darkness Walk. 

Christine Buck (Board Member, Social Media Ambassador)
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Christine was first introduced to AFSP at a Survivor Day event months after losing her brother to suicide in 2014. She immediately wanted to get involved with the NJ chapter and started by volunteering at the Jersey Shore Walk. She then joined as Social Media Ambassador in the fall of 2015 and has been on the NJ Chapter Board since 2019. Christine’s passion is to stand for those who have been cast aside. She wants everyone to know that their life has value, that their voice matters, and that they matter. Christine is dedicated to ending the stigma associated with mental health and breaking down the barriers that prevent people from getting the help they need and deserve. She is a Talk Saves Lives™ presenter and trained in Mental Health First Aid. Her motto is to “have courage and be kind” - Cinderella.

Make sure you’re following @afspnewjersey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest!

Matt Chrystal MA, LAC, NCC (Board Member, Bold Goal Champion)

In 2010 after a decade-long career in the sales world, Matt decided to step off the corporate ladder and shift his focus to assisting others in finding value in their lives. A graduate of Seton Hall University, Matt went on to receive his Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Kean University. 

 Matt currently serves as a wellness specialist providing in-home counseling to persons with mental illness, acts as a support coordinator linking developmentally disabled persons to resources, and works as an intensive in-community counselor working with children and families in crisis. During the evenings, Matt is an instructor for courses on mental health counseling at the Nathan Weiss Graduate School at Kean University.

 The common thread that Matt strives to weave amongst all mental health agencies is that of suicide prevention. Matt is an ASIST caregiver, a certified SafeTALK trainer, and has been a volunteer for AFSP facilitating suicide prevention workshops throughout the state.

Nicole McQueen (Board Member)
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Nicole received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work (2011), Masters of Science in Social Work with concentration in Clinical Practice with Families and Children (2012), and Masters of Business Administration (2014) from Monmouth University. She currently works as a per diem social worker for CareOne skilled nursing facilities in NJ. Nicole has personal and professional experience with mental health and suicide. She attended her first Out of the Darkness Walk in 2010 and has been walking ever since.

Nicole's passion for suicide prevention grew even stronger after becoming an AFSP Field Advocate in 2013. Nicole is dedicated to advocating for vulnerable populations, policy, and social change and building a culture that is competent in mental health. She strongly believes by addressing suicide prevention as a public health issue; we can make our communities safer.

Melanie A. Ciappi (Board Secretary)
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Melanie has been involved with AFSP after becoming a suicide loss survivor after losing her brother, Frank Jr., in 2009. Her entire family was led to find answers to help with their coping process, and they found the Out of the Darkness Community Walk later that same year. Melanie helped bring the first campus walk to Montclair State University in 2014 and joined the NJ Chapter Board in 2017. While on the board, Melanie has been the chair of the Hoboken Out of Darkness Walk and helped organize the first NJ Ride to Fight Suicide. Melanie will continue to share her story and use her experience to further AFSP’s mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.

Kelly Anderson (Board Member, Treasurer)
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Kelly was first introduced to AFSP in 2004 after the loss of her mom to suicide in 2003. She and her family drove from Virginia, where they lived, to New York City to participate in the only Out of the Darkness Walk available at the time. Kelly has since participated in several walks, including four Overnight Walks. In 2016, she began volunteering for the Bergen County Out of the Darkness Committee, eventually becoming co-chair of the walk in 2018. She continues to co-chair that walk. She also joined the Board that year. In addition, Kelly is also a Healing Conversations volunteer, speaking to survivors of suicide loss to offer support and resources. 

Kelly has been an educator for over 25 years. She is currently a middle school math teacher. Kelly especially likes working with middle school students since this is often a time in their lives when mental health issues develop. Kelly helped found the Stigma Free initiative in her community and is passionate about breaking the stigma around mental illness. Kelly and her husband, Russ, have two adult children.

Mike Sampson (Board Member)

Mike has been involved with suicide prevention and AFSP since 2018 as an Atlantic-Cape Out of the Darkness Walk Team Captain. He later served as an Atlantic-Cape Walk Committee member and recently joined the AFSP NJ Chapter Board in October 2020. Mike’s commitment to AFSP stems from the loss of his sister Michele in 1995 and the struggles faced by friends and other family members who have dealt with mental health issues.

Mike is a divorced father of two children who helps by his example that his children and others close to him will realize that mental health issues are every bit as real as physical health issues. Therefore, helping to break down the stigma that often prevents people from seeking the help they desperately need.  

Mike is the SVP of Operations at Hard Rock Atlantic City and has been able to rally support from his company and teammates in support of AFSP’s Annual Atlantic-Cape Walk to consistently raise more money each year. He hopes to use this platform to enhance awareness, recognition, and response from the local community in which he resides. 

Beth Stapleton (Board Member, Volunteer Coordinator)
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Beth was introduced to AFSP after losing her 21-year-old son Brian on May 27, 2018. Like many others, she began by participating in an Out of the Darkness Walk and quickly learned about the many ways AFSP fights suicide and supports survivors of suicide loss. Beth signed up to be a field advocate and advocates both virtually and in person. She is trained in Mental Health First Aid Adult/Youth and to present Talk Saves Lives™ and other AFSP programs. She believes that we must talk about our mental health and suicide prevention to actively fight the stigma and save lives. Beth is our chapter volunteer coordinator, working with our new volunteers to find opportunities for them to make a difference and be the voice for suicide prevention. She joined our Board of Directors in 2020 and participated in the 2020 Spring into Wellness Committee and cohosted the first International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day in November 2023. “Since losing Brian I have learned so much about suicide and the warning signs and risk factors. I want to use this knowledge to help others and honor my son’s memory.”

Lori Jarck (Board Member, Healing Conversations Coordinator)

Lori is a wife, mother of 3, and a former Preschool teacher. Lori’s youngest child, her 16-year-old son, Pierce, died by suicide on October 15, 2017. With a lot of help and support with her healing journey, she has taken that tragic event and turned it into helping others.

Lori wanted to help others out of that dark place and was led to AFSP’s Healing Conversations Program where she became a volunteer in 2019. Presently, she is the Healing Conversations Coordinator for our NJ Chapter.

She is a Support Group Facilitator and the Suicide Prevention/Education Representative at Stephy's Place, A Support Center for Grief and Loss in Red Bank, NJ. In addition, she is working on her certification in “Death and Grief Studies” under the supervision of Dr. Alan Wolfelt at the Center for Loss and Transition, based in Fort Collins, CO.

Lori is also a member of AFSP’s National Loss and Healing Council where she further focuses her efforts to help Suicide Loss Survivors.

She is thrilled to be joining the NJ Chapter’s Board where she can help promote AFSP’s mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.

Bryan R Welsh (Board Member, Bold Goal Champion)
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Bryan is the Director of Application Services at Hunterdon Health and a visionary non-profit leader dedicated to global positive change. He holds a Master of Science in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship from Temple University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business and Economics from Fort Hays State University.

His involvement with the NJ Chapter of AFSP began through the Fox Board Fellows program at Temple University, where he contributed to the Bold Goal initiative, formerly known as Project 2025. Bryan is an advocate for mental health, suicide prevention, health equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and other important causes. He continues to serve as a Bold Goal Champion, the Co-chair of the Mercer County Out of the Darkness Community Walk, and a member of the Advocacy Committee.

Bryan is a Talk Saves Lives™ presenter and dedicated to raising awareness, increasing resources, and reducing stigma. In addition to his work with AFSP, he serves as a Board Member of the Hunterdon County Mental Health Board.

His mantra, inspired by Walt Disney, is "it’s kind of fun to do the impossible."