Dr. Berman is an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  Between 1995 and 2014 he served as Executive Director of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). Prior to this he attained the rank of tenured full professor of psychology at American University (1969-1991) and was named Director of the National Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide at the Washington School of Psychiatry (1991-1995).   He is a Past-President of the AAS (1984-1985) and of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (2009-2013).  He is the AAS’s 1982 Shneidman Award recipient (for Outstanding Contributions in Research in Suicidology), and 2006 Louis I. Dublin Award recipient (for outstanding service and contributions to the field of suicide prevention).  A Diplomate in Clinical Psychology and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the International Academy for Suicide Research, Dr. Berman maintains a private practice of psychological and forensic consultation in Chevy Chase, MD.  He has published over 175 professional articles and book chapters and has edited/authored 8 books.

Fred Bernstein studied architecture (at Princeton University) and law (at NYU) and writes about both subjects. He is the winner of the 2009 Stephen A. Kliment Oculus Award, given by the New York Chapter of the AIA for excellence in architecture writing, and a 2023 award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which recognized him as "a voice of clarity ... and integrity." He has published more than 500 articles in the New York Times and hundreds more in other publications, including the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Architectural Record, Architectural Digest, and many others.

Jill Harkavy-Friedman, Ph.D., is the Senior Vice President of Research and leads the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s research program which funds research grants, offers workshops and training to researchers and disseminates research findings to increase public awareness and support advocacy. During her 40 years as a clinician and researcher, Harkavy-Friedman has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and editorials and trained clinicians nationwide. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
 
Dr. Harkavy-Friedman earned her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, her PhD. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Florida and completed her internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital. After, she joined Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, establishing the Adolescent Depression and Suicide Program. In 1989, she moved to Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute where she is an associate professor in the department of psychiatry. Harkavy-Friedman joined AFSP in 2011 and maintained a clinical practice in Manhattan for almost 40 years.

A Princeton graduate, Thomas Joiner, received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Florida State University (FSU). Dr. Joiner’s work is on suicidal behavior and related conditions. Author of over 865 peer-reviewed publications, he is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior and was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Dublin Award for career achievement from the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). The Lawton and the Dublin Awards are the highest honors bestowed, respectively, by FSU and AAS. He was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2017) and was given the 2020 Cattell Award for lifetime contributions from the Association for Psychological Science. He was awarded the 2023 Stengel Award from the International Association for Suicide Prevention, their lifetime achievement award, bestowed on one researcher worldwide once every two years. A consultant to NASA, he was the Director of the DoD-funded Military Suicide Research Consortium, a multi-year, $70 million dollar project.

A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Joiner has authored/edited nineteen books, including Why People Die By Suicide (Harvard University Press), and Mindlessness: The Corruption of Mindfulness in a Culture of Narcissism (2017, Oxford). In early 2024, NYU Press published his The Varieties of Suicidal Experience. Dr. Joiner has made numerous media appearances and runs a part-time clinical/consulting practice specializing in suicidal behavior, including legal consultation on suits involving death by suicide..

Paul Muller is a retired marketing professional and lifelong San Franciscan whose advocacy has transformed suicide prevention in California. He founded the Bridge and Rail Foundation and led a 20-year effort that culminated in the installation of a life-saving barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge. Paul also directed a 14-county suicide prevention network and authored Organizing for Suicide Prevention. In 2025, he was named to Time Magazine’s Healthcare 100 for his profound contributions to public health.

Joel Sanders, FAIA, is an accomplished architect, designer, writer, and educator specializing in inclusive design. Sanders is the founder of JSA/MIXdesign, an inclusive design studio that makes everyday building types accessible and welcoming to all people. JSA/MIXdesign initiatives include Stalled!, an AIA award-winning project that responds to controversies surrounding transgender access to public restrooms, and MIXmuseum, a toolkit of strategies to make museums better meet the needs of their diverse audiences. In addition, Sanders is a Professor at Yale University, where his classes consider the intersection of architecture, inclusivity, and mental and physical health. Previously, he served as Director of Post-Professional Studies and held leadership roles at Parsons School of Design and Princeton University. His publications include Groundwork: Between Landscape and Architecture (co-authored with Diana Balmori) and articles on equity and inclusivity in public spaces. He also edited Stud: Architectures of Masculinity, exploring how architecture shapes male identity.