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
Regional Chair
Contact Care Line
Email: scott@contactlistens.org
Matthew Magráns-Tillery
Cherokee Health
Email: matt.magrans-tillery@cherokeehealth.com
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.
Regional Chair/Past Advisory Council Chair
Private Practice
Email: aelion1@yahoo.com
Spencer Bell, MBA, JD
University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
Email: spencer@spencerbell.com
Amber Marissa Whitsett
Alliance Healthcare Services
Email: mwhitsett@alliance-hs.org
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
Becky Stoll, LCSW
Advisory Council Chair
Centerstone
Email: becky.stoll@centerstone.org
Northeast Region
Heatherly Sifford, BSPh
Regional Chair
Johnson City Medical Center
Email: heatherly.sifford@balladhealth.org
Sherri Feathers, LCSW
Advisory Council Secretary
Frontier Health
Email: sfeather@frontierhealth.org
Dr. Drew Turner
East Tennessee State University
Email: turnerds@etsu.edu
Northwest Region
Sean Jones, LCSW
Regional Chair/Advisory Council Chair-Elect
Carey Counseling Center, Inc.
Email: sean.jones@careyinc.org
Monte Belew
University of Tennessee at Martin
Email: mbelew3@utm.edu
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
Open Position
Southwest Region
Lynn Landrum Julian, MA
Regional Chair/Advisory Council Treasurer
West Tennessee Healthcare
Email: Lynn.Julian@wth.org
Captain Jeff Shepard, MBA
Jackson TN Police Department
Email: jshepard@cityofjackson.net
Dana Townsend
West Tennessee Healthcare
Email: dana.townsend@wth.org
Upper Cumberland Region
Anne Stamps, MA
Regional Chair
Volunteer Behavioral Health-Plateau 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
Jessica Roberson
Upper Cumberland Development District
Email: jessica.roberson@ucdd.org
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The Lifeline provides 24/7, free, confidential, short-term support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.
This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.