by Elizabeth Araujo | Sep 21, 2009
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Meet our Featured Commentators who are all doing great work in the sector and sharing their insights, expertise and feedback right here on our compitition discussion forum. We invite you to follow their contributions and get in on the action!

• Alison Malmon is founder and Executive Director of Active Minds, Inc., the leading voice in college student mental health.  In 2001, while a junior at the University of Pennsylvania and one year after losing her college-aged brother to suicide, Alison started a student-run mental health awareness group on her campus.  Upon graduating, Alison grew that student group into a nonprofit organization with now more than 200 chapters on college campuses throughout North America, which have earned her national recognition and acclaim. [Active commentator as of Monday, September 21, 2009]

• Sean R. Sullivan is a mental health advocate and professional. At the University of Maryland, he is the President of Active Minds at Maryland, changing the conversation about mental health. With the support of fellow students and NAMI Maryland, they engage in educational programming to reduce the stigma of mental illness. Professionally, Mr. Sullivan works as a fundraiser for St. Luke's House, providing community based mental health services to adults and youth at the poverty level with severe mental illness. [Active commentator as of Thursday, September 24, 2009]

• Steven Ramsland, EdD, is CEO of Buckelew Programs, a non-profit organization in California that creates homes, jobs, and hope for people with mental illness.   Over the past 20 years Steve has held executive positions in for-profit and non-profit organizations.  He has served on state and national public policy boards, and has developed new social enterprises and other services benefitting mental health consumers, their families, and the environment. [Active commentator as of Monday, September 28, 2009]

• Marc Peters works at Active Minds, the leading voice in college student mental health awareness. He also operates www.bipolarrealities.com, a personal blog on what it is like to live with bipolar disorder. Marc, a 2007 Harry S Truman Scholar, is a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in newspaper journalism and public policy studies. Before joining Active Minds, he served as national student blog director for Obama for America. [Active commentator as of Wednesday, September 30, 2009]

• Katherine Stone is a nationally-recognized advocate and author of Postpartum Progress, the most widely-read blog in the US on postpartum depression and other mental illnesses related to childbirth. Her blog was named one of the “Top 10 Depression Blogs” by Psych Central in 2007 and 2008, and is among the Top 10 Mental Health Blogs at Blogs.com. In 2008 she was chosen as a WebMD Health Hero, a national program recognizing individuals who overcome challenges and help transform healthcare. [Active commentator as of Monday, October 5, 2009]

• Greg Wild is the Executive Director of Heart and Soul, Inc. a  premier consumer-run mental health services agency. Mr. Wild was born to a family with a history of mental illness.  Mr. Wild, himself has suffered from mental illness (depression) in varying degrees most of his life.  In spite of Seasonal Affective Disorder, Situational Depression, and Dysthimia, he was able to get a Bachelor’s Degree, a Master’s Degree in Business, and a CPA license, and worked in management and community leadership positions for a number of years. In 2005, Mr. Wild received his C.P.R.P. Certificate and was hired to build Heart and Soul, Inc. [Active commentator as of Tuesday, October 6, 2009]

• Eve Sullivan is founder of Parents Forum and author of Where the Heart Listens, a handbook for parents and their allies in a global society. She serves on the boards of the National Parenting Education Network and the International Federation for Parent Education. She is the mother of three adult sons and for many years has hosted international visitors at her home in Cambridge, Mass. She works at M.I.T. as an editorial assistant for a physics journal. [Active commentator as of Wednesday, October 7 2009]

• Sara Abelson serves as Program Director at Active Minds, the leading nonprofit voice in college student mental health. She obtained her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Michigan and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University with a BA in a self-designed, interdisciplinary major focused on Human Social Behavior. Prior to her work at Active Minds, Sara served in numerous positions and on many projects related to young adults, mental health and health disparities. [Active commentator as of Monday, October 19, 2009]

• Jeremy Bersin has been working as an advocate of mental health issues for seven years now. After seeing the need to educate people about the resources available to everyone, he co-founded a program at his high school designed to teach students, faculty, staff, and parents about the need to seek the necessary help.  After transferring to University of Connecticut, Jeremy founded the Active Minds at UConn chapter, and has been the President of the chapter for one year.  He also serves as the President of the Active Minds, Inc Student Advisory Committee, and on the CT Youth Suicide Advisory Board.