Our Leadership

My name is Whitney Shumway, I am a Social Worker in Southeast Missouri. I came to AFSP as a  person with lived experience and as a loss survivor. Due to the struggles that our family has faced and does face it is my mission to help create a community where my son is safe to talk about his mental health and one where families feel empowered to intervene safely.  I found out about the AFSP when looking for training regarding mental health and suicide for children. My son was struggling and I wanted to know how to help him in the best way, counseling was not going to be enough. I knew immediately this was a group I belonged to, I was invited to a walk in my community and have volunteered since that time. My first out of Darkness walk was 2018, it was beautiful to see my community come together with love and compassion for each other. I soon became the Mineral Area Out of The Darkness Walk Chair and built out the planning committee; we were able to really start bringing education to our community as a result of funds raised at the walks. In 2020 I became part of the Missouri Board of Directors. Since my time involved with the AFSP I completed my Master's Degree in Social Work with an emphasis on Health and Behavioral Health, served as Board President and have recently been appointed as Board Chair. My focus area is Prevention Education as a trainer for most of the programs AFSP offers as well as Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), safeTALK, Question Persuade Refer (QPR), Mental Health First Aide (MHFA), Youth Mental Health First Aide (YMHFA), and Conversations for Suicide Safer Homes (CSSH). We have seen the chapter grow across the state and begin to flourish. There is a lot of great work happening in Missouri around suicide prevention and it is an honor to be a part of that work. 

Hello. My name is Julie Hart.  I am a wife, mom, grandmother, friend, volunteer and retired.
In 2013 our family dynamics forever changed after we lost our youngest son, Jimmy to suicide after a five-year failed relationship and a broken heart.
After trying to cope with the horrific painful loss of my Son, I decided to seek out AFSP.  Since 2014 I have proudly held a seat as a Director of the Board.  It is my pleasure to currently also serve on the Executive Team, Chair the Nominations Committee, be a member of the Healing Conversations Team and hold a position on the St. Louis Out of The Darkness Walk committee.
Volunteering with AFSP has helped my person heal my grief and has also enabled me to "Be a Voice" for those who have gone too soon and bring hope to survivors.
If I can eliminate the stigma that surrounds suicide, educate and advocate anyone about mental health and be a part of keeping any other family from this tragedy.  Then, my goal as a volunteer has been successful.
The Missouri Chapter has several opportunities and levels of involvement, to learn more about these opportunities please fill out the Volunteer application here.

Jacque Christmas has worked for the Missouri Department of Mental Health for twenty-eight years and has served as the Fatality Review Coordinator since 2008.  In 2012, Jacque lost her 27 year old drug addicted son. Jacque combines her experience as the Fatality Review Coordinator and that of a bereaved mother to support and educate others impacted by suicide and other special circumstance deaths.  Jacque was a certified Question, Persuade, and Refer Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor, and trained over 1000 people from 2013-2022.  Jacque serves as the Missouri Director for A Voice at the Table/Impacted Family and Friends.  She has facilitated the Re-Energize and Re-Connect Emotional Wellness Workshop series for suicide attempt and suicide loss survivors in Joplin, Missouri, and the Finding Inner Peace Workshop series for families impacted by a loved one’s suicidal experience virtually. She is a certified Mental Health Recovery and Wellness Recovery Action Planning® Facilitator and uses WRAP® in her own mental health recovery and wellness.  Jacque is a member of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), and was appointed Secretary to the Board of Director’s of AAS in August, 2021.  In 2020 Jacque joined the advisory panel for Johnny’s Ambassadors, a not-for-profit focused on educating parents and teens about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development and suicide.  Jacque is the chairperson for the Joplin Out of the Darkness Walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and joined the board of the Missouri Chapter in 2023.  Jacque received a lifetime achievement award in Suicide Prevention in MO in 2022. 

My name is Vicki Dolan. I became involved with the AFSP after losing my daughter, 19-year-old Carolyn to a totally unexpected suicide in 2012. After trying to cope with this unimaginable loss, I decided that part of my healing was to do whatever I can to save one person or one family from the same devastation. I am extremely proud to be a member of this organization where we are trying to decrease the incidents of suicides through prevention and increase support to those survivors of this important social issue. 

My name is Pat Harkins and I’m the Loss & Healing Committee Chair for the Missouri Chapter of the AFSP. I volunteer because I lost my son Alex to suicide 11 years ago. He was 21 years old. By working with the AFSP, I can hopefully help to prevent suicides, teach others how to recognize the signs of suicide and provide hope to those who have lost a loved one. 

My name is Charles Knoll, I am part of the family that works at Walter Knoll Florist. Like many folks that have become active in the AFSP, my life’s story includes the heartbreak of losing a child – Bradley. My wife, Tammy, and daughter Lindsey have been living this reality since St. Patrick’s Day 2012. My first experience with AFSP was the Out of the Darkness Walk. I saw firsthand how my family and friends from both church and work had a place to come together. To my surprise our team numbered over 100 and I knew right away that I wanted to be part this. I help with the few hours I can steal from my business, setting up programs, sometimes just moving tables and chairs. The more I give the more I get from this movement. It has been inspiring to watch the numbers go up and up of lives that are touched in a healing and supportive way. I want to invite you to reach out to us and find your level of involvement. Our chapter has several opportunities and levels of involvement, to learn more, please fill out our Volunteer application here.

My name is Kerry Ogden. I started volunteering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) as an Advocate and part of the Education Committeee to raise awareness, implement educational programs and bring resources to my community that has been affected by suicide. Educating the public about mental health and suicide prevention provides communities the knowledge they need to recognize the warning signs of a mental health crisis and how to seek help.

My name is Sue Powderly and I lost my son Matthew in December 2011 to suicide. I joined the AFSP to have something positive come out of this devastating tragedy. I hope to use my time and talents to help others who are suffering and to bring mental illness and suicide “out of the darkness.”