Alejandro Villanueva US Army Veteran, Retired Professional Football Player

Alejandro Villanueva was born at Meridian Naval Air Station in Mississippi in September 1988. The son of a Spanish naval officer, Villanueva spent time in Rhode Island, Spain, and Belgium while his father worked for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He grew up playing rugby with other children on the military bases and learned to play American football while attending the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) American High School in Mons, Belgium. After graduating, Villanueva was recruited by the United States Military Academy, where he played college football for the Army Black Knights at several positions.

At the end of his senior year, Villanueva entered the 2010 National Football League (NFL) Draft but went undrafted. Despite his NFL dreams, he also wanted to serve. “As soon as I graduated, especially with all my classmates at West Point who were all going to serve, my mind and my heart were going to Afghanistan, that’s where I wanted to be,” he told NFL.com in 2014.

After graduating and being commissioned as a second lieutenant, he attended the Infantry, Airborne, and Ranger Schools at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. Later that year, Villanueva deployed to Afghanistan for 12 months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a rifle platoon leader. On Aug. 25, 2011, his platoon was ambushed by the Taliban. While under intense enemy fire, Villanueva carried the wounded to safety. He was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions.

Villanueva went on to serve two more tours in Afghanistan before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014. He was cut later that year, but the Pittsburgh Steelers saw his potential and placed him on their practice team. Villanueva left the Army in 2015 having attained the rank of captain. He made his first NFL appearance that same year in the Steelers’ opening game against the New England Patriots. In 2017, he signed a four-year contract with the Steelers and became the first graduate of a military academy to be named to the Pro Bowl since 1951.

In September 2017, Villanueva came into the spotlight for choosing to stand for the national anthem alone while the rest of his teammates remained in the locker room. Explaining his decision to stand, he said, “I do it because of all the Veterans, all the soldiers I served with.” In the 24 hours following that game, he became the top-selling player in jerseys and t-shirts in the entire NFL. Speaking of his time in the Army, Villanueva said, “Serving my country was the greatest honor of my life. Not everyone gets to come home to their family and loved ones like I did.” In 2021, after four years with the Steelers, he signed a $14 million, two-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, before announcing his retirement in March 2022.

Major General Mark Graham, U.S. Army (Retired) Executive Director, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC) National Call Center and Vets4Warriors

Major General (retired) Mark Graham is currently serving as the Executive Director, Rutgers UBHC National Call Center which includes the national Vets4Warriors peer support program, twelve peer support helplines, the New Jersey state suicide crisis line, a National 988 Backup Center, the UBHC Access/Transfer Center and a COVID related line to connect those impacted with clinical services.

MG Graham retired from the US Army on August 1, 2012 after almost thirty-five years of service. His final position was as the Director (G-3/5/7) U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In this position, he oversaw the plans, operations, and training for Army forces (active and reserve component) stationed in the Continental United States and ensured conventional forces were prepared for worldwide deployment and combat.

MG Graham and his wife, Carol, are tireless champions of military and civilian efforts to promote mental health and suicide-prevention awareness, and to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health care. To honor the memory of their sons, 2LT Jeff Graham who was killed by an IED in Iraq in February 2004, and their son Kevin a Senior Army ROTC cadet who died by suicide in June 2003 while studying to be an Army Doctor at the University of Kentucky, the Grahams established the Jeffrey C. and Kevin A. Graham Memorial Fund to provide the “Question, Persuade, Refer” suicide prevention program at the University of Kentucky. The Grahams were instrumental in establishing the Jeffrey and Kevin Graham Memorial Endowed Lectureship in Psychology for the study of depression and suicide prevention at Cameron University, in Lawton, Oklahoma. Additionally, they support the ongoing efforts of the Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention Partnership, Colorado Springs, Colorado (El Paso County), through the “Jeffrey and Kevin Graham Support Services”. The Graham’s story is featured in the award-winning book, “The Invisible Front: Loss and Love in an Era of Endless War”, by Yochi Dreazen.

MG Graham was commissioned a second lieutenant of Field Artillery in December 1977 at Murray State University. Spanning almost 35 years, MG Graham served in key command and staff positions in the United States, Germany and Korea. Past assignments include Field Artillery Battalion Command at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Brigade Command in California as the first Active-Duty Army Colonel to command a National Guard brigade in peacetime; Commander of the Battlefield Coordination Detachment, Osan, Korea then the Executive Officer to the U.S. Forces Korea Commander; Chief of Staff and Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Field Artillery Center and Fort Sill; the Deputy Commanding General of 5th U.S. Army/Army North where he supported evacuation and relief operations following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; then as the Commanding General of Fort Carson, Colorado and Division West of First US Army.

In addition to his Bachelor’s degree in political science, MG Graham holds a Masters of Business Administration from Oklahoma City University and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the National War College.

MG Graham’s numerous military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Colonel Kenneth Mintz, U.S. Army, Retired

Kenny Mintz is originally from the North County of San Diego, California, where he graduated from Fallbrook Union High School in 1987. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY and graduated in 1991, and received a commission as an infantry officer in the United States Army.

For the next 30 years Kenny served as an Army officer in various assignments around the world. He deployed 6 times in his career – two operational deployments to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Following his first assignment in the 82nd Airborne Division, Kenny was posted to a unit in Germany. While stationed in

Europe, he deployed twice to Bosnia-Herzegovina. On his second deployment he commanded a 130-soldier company responsible for patrolling and enforcing peace in the eastern part of the country along the Serbian border. Kenny served next at Fort Polk, LA and Fort Leavenworth, KS. Following promotion to Major, Kenny served in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY, deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq. After a 15-month long combat deployment to Iraq serving as the Chief of Operations for a 6000-soldier Infantry Brigade Combat Team responsible for the area of operations south of Baghdad known as the “Triangle of Death”, Kenny was posted to Australia to serve as the US Infantry Exchange Officer to the Australian Army. Kenny and his family spent two years in the Hunter Valley region northwest of the city of Sydney. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel while in Australia, and returned to the 10th Mountain Division in early 2010 to take command of an infantry battalion about to deploy to Afghanistan. Kenny commanded an 850-soldier infantry battalion in Afghanistan from 2011 – 2012, where he led his unit to pacify the birthplace of the Taliban in Zhari District, Kandahar Province. Upon his return from combat in 2012, he attended the United States Army War College, where he received his Masters of Strategic Studies in 2013. Upon graduation and promotion to Colonel in 2013, he once again returned to the 10th Mountain Division to serve as the Chief of Operations for the 16000-soldier Division. He deployed to Afghanistan again in early 2014 with the Division Headquarters responsible for planning and coordinating operations in the eastern part of the country. Following redeployment from his final combat operation, Kenny took command of a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Brigade at Fort Dix, New Jersey where he was responsible for all ROTC programs in the Northeast region of the United States. Kenny’s final assignment in the Army was as the Director for the Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, PA. Kenny retired from the United States Army as a Colonel in June of 2021.

Following retirement from the Army, Kenny began planning and preparing for his next mission to walk across America. On 1 April 2022, he began his 3300-mile journey at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. After walking through 13 states and going through 8 pairs of shoes, he completed his walk at Swami’s Beach in Encinitas, CA on October 22nd.

The walk was inspired by his mom, who died of Pancreatic Cancer in 2020. She drove from Washington DC to San Diego in 1974 to start a new life with nothing but a four-year-old Kenny, a suitcase, and a dream. She eventually co-founded a successful defense contracting company in San Diego. Kenny took care of his mom during her 5-and-a-half-year battle against this deadly cancer. He raised over $100K in support of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and two veterans-focused charities – the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, and Operational Resiliency.

Kenny currently resides in Carlisle, PA where he is writing a book about his walk across America. He has four grown children: Ruth (26), Emma (24), Margaret (23), and Max (21).

Amy Cook Suicide Prevention Project Manager, New Hampshire NAMI

Amy has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of New Hampshire and is currently working to complete an M.B.A. at Southern New Hampshire University (anticipated completion February 2024). She has 20+ years of experience working with vulnerable, underserved populations in New Hampshire in a variety of settings including both non-profit and state government. Amy currently works at NAMI New Hampshire (National Alliance for Mental Illness) where she is leading efforts to make the organization’s nationally recognized Connect Suicide Prevention and Postvention Trainings more accessible to diverse audiences such as military/Veterans, deaf and hard of hearing, LGBTQ+, Spanish-speaking, and tribal communities. Prior to joining NAMI New Hampshire in January 2023, Amy directed the Division of Community Based Military Programs at the NH Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services in its efforts to support programs, organizations, and businesses in New Hampshire serving Veterans and their families. Accomplishments in this position included establishing the state’s NH Veteran-Friendly Business Network and leading efforts to enhance and expand New Hampshire’s Ask the Question Campaign so military and Veterans are identified when seeking care or services at community-based organizations. Amy has been elected to serve as the Chair of the NH Suicide Prevention Council for the next two years and also continues to serve as the Co-Chair of the Military & Veterans Committee for the Council. She has served as the Governor-appointed Team Lead for the NH Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families funded by SAMHSA and VA since 2018. And, over the past few years she has been honored to provide technical assistance and consultation related to strategic planning and implementation for teams working to design suicide prevention efforts for military/Veterans in other states and U.S. Territories as a result of that work.

Timothy Jones United States Navy Veteran, Founder/CEO Colorful Voices

Timothy M. Jones, he/him, is Founder and CEO of Colorful Voices, a certified LGBTE providing education, training, and speaking engagements about Sexual Assault, Rape Prevention, and Suicide Prevention.

At the age of 7, Timothy became a crime survivor. He became a violent crime survivor in 1999 while serving in the United States Navy. These tragic events were the catalysts for Timothy’s healing. With support from the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Allegheny County Veterans Treatment Courts, Timothy reclaimed his “colorful” voice.

Since 2015, Timothy’s mission is to inspire hope and empower healing to those who have experienced post-traumatic stress, sexual assault, and other forms of trauma. He has facilitated trainings and provided education at various institutions and organizations nationwide including the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, and Hofstra and Kent State Universities.

In 2023, Timothy and Colorful Voices were highlighted by the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in Washington D.C. Timothy believes that where colorful voices lay dormant and doubtful, these voices and dreams can once again be re-ignited with hope, healing, and action!

Karen Heisig Area Director, Greater Central NY Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Karen Heisig is the Area Director for the Greater Central NY Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She began her journey with AFSP in 2009 after losing both her husband, an Army veteran, and her brother-in-law, but suicide. After 10+ years of volunteering in the Western NY Chapter, Karen joined the AFSP Field Staff team in January 2020. She lives in Rochester, NY, has two young adult children, two finicky cats, and a deeply rooted belief in AFSP’s mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.