SPEAKERS

Gwendolyn Anderson obtained her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Georgia in 2013. She is the Director of Psychological Health with the Alaska Army National Guard. Prior to her current role, she was employed with the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Senior Social Worker. She has nearly a decade of experience working with the military and veteran population with an emphasis on medical readiness, psychosocial rehabilitation, and case management for homeless veterans.

Monique Andrews is an Alaska Army National Guard Soldier since 2006 where she has worked as a Victim Advocate, Master Resiliency Trainer, Suicide Prevention Specialist, Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist, and a Resilience and Risk Reduction Program Coordinator. She currently works as the Supervisor of Behavioral Health at Providence Alaska Medical Center’s Mental Health Unit and is a member of Alaska’s Statewide Suicide Prevention Council, The Alaska Mental Health Board, The Alaska Psychological Association, and the Alaska Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. She is also the owner of a Step Forward Counseling and Consulting, LLC in Anchorage, AK. In addition she is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Alaska Pacific University. Monique received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, Alaska. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate at Alaska Pacific University with a graduation date set for Summer 2023. Her research focuses on resilience and other factors associated with the prevention of Suicide. Monique is also a Licensed Professional Counselor, a certified Chemical Dependency Counselor by the state of Alaska, and certified Victim Advocate through the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program.

Becky Bitzer is a Senior Manager with Agnew::Beck, joining the team in 2017. She holds a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Becky strives to bring the social work values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the individual, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence to both her personal and professional life. These values guide and bring success to her work connecting with stakeholders statewide. Becky brings an understanding of both the civil and forensic behavioral health systems, serving as analyst and best practice researcher for the 2019 ASHNHA Acute Behavioral Health Care Improvement Project and the 2019 Division of Behavioral Health Forensic Psychiatric Hospital Feasibility Study. Becky recently completed her role as project manager for the AHHA Acute Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Care Improvement Project released in early 2023 and is the current project manager for the HB 172 Patient Rights Report to the Legislature and the Crisis Now Initiative Project Management contract.

Julie Ann Rocco is a suicide loss survivor and a suicide attempt survivor. Julie is also the Founder, President and CEO of What I Would Have Missed, Inc. where she seeks to create an international movement to prevent suicide and promote mental wellness by cultivating connections, community collaborations, and courageous conversations. She does this by creating unique conduits for suicide attempt and ideation survivors to share their stories and spark open dialogue about suicide and mental wellness. She is the podcast host of What I Would Have Missed and the creator and curator of the international What I Would Have Missed art exhibit. She is also the creator of The Life Line, an interactive activity of reflection and sharing grounded in our individual connections to suicide loss, suicide attempt and ideation, and anchors that help us stay. The Life Line becomes a piece of community art that produces an opportunity for continuous engagement and spontaneous conversations over the lifecycle of its installation. What I Would Have Missed, Inc. amplifies the power of lived experience by connecting our truth to a path that brings purpose to our pain. In our sharing, we encourage others to step into the expanded opening of love and acceptance which yields a reverberating echo of “You are not alone. I, too, know the struggle of trying to stay. I want to share my story.” Julie still has dark days and acknowledges the journey of finding hope, healing, and happiness is not linear, but she has fully committed to a future she is not willing to miss. And, it is not lost on her, this bio in its entirety is a life she would have missed had she died by suicide. Please, visit www.whatiwouldhavemissed.com where you will find links to our social media and podcast.

Carmen Wenger joined A2P2 in July 2017 as the program director for Help Me Grow Alaska. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Earth Science from Dartmouth College and a Master of Public Health Degree in International Health and Development from Tulane University. Carmen has worked in public health and community development in the United States, Latin America and southern Africa. Her work has centered around social justice causes, primarily focused on access to appropriate health services and other basic human rights. Carmen’s work in Alaska has included positions with the State of Alaska’s Immunization Program, the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness and the Joy Greisen Jewish Education Center. She has recently transitioned to the role of Director of Programs at A2P2.