SPAN-California 2003 Board of Directors
Mark Chaffee
President
markch@adelphia.net
Mark is the current SPAN-California president and is spearheading the
California Suicide Prevention Planning Conference. He has been in Human
Resources for over 20 years. He has served on the board of directors
of the Light for Life Foundation of Southern California, with his wife
Michele. He is a survivor of his son's suicide. He and Michele reside
in Carlsbad.
Ester Ybarra-Bryant
Secretary
ebryant@bos.co.la.ca.us
Ester works for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She
provides suicide prevention outreach as a volunteer on the speakers
bureau for the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center/Minorities
Outreach Program, and is co-facilitator for Survivors After Suicide
bereavement groups. She is a survivor of her 13 year old son's
suicide. She resides in West Covina.
Sam Bloom
Past President
samlobloom@cox.net
Sam is a retired businessman and volunteers with the Los Angeles
Suicide Prevention Center. He and his wife Lois received the
prestigious 2003 Erasing the Stigma Award from the Didi Hirsch
Community Mental Health Center. They also received the Survivors
Service Recognition Award from the American Association of Suicidology
in 1998. He is a survivor of his son's suicide. He and Lois reside in
Rancho Palos Verdes.
Lois A. Bloom
samlobloom@cox.net
Lois is a retired advertising Senior Administrative Assistant. She and
her husband Sam volunteer with the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention
Center and Survivors After Suicide program. She edited the group's
quarterly newsletter for 16 years. She also received the Didi Hirsch
Erasing the Stigma Award in 2003. She is a survivor of her son's
suicide. She and Sam reside in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Linda Borders-Killian, LCSW, MFT
bordersls@aol.com
Linda is a mental health professional with over 25 years of experience
in various health settings and corporate health care. She is a licensed
psychotherapist currently with a private practice in Orange County. She
successfully designed and implemented SPAN-California's first annual
fundraising appeal. She is a survivor of her husband's suicide. She
resides in Fountain Valley.
H. Reese Butler II
reese@hopeline.com
Reese is the Founder and Director of the Kristin Brooks Hope Center,
which provides suicide prevention counseling and information. He also
founded the 1-800-SUICIDE national hotline, which links crisis centers
across the country. He is a survivor of his wife's suicide.
Originally from Northern California, he now resides in Virginia.
Michele Chaffee
micchaffee@adelphia.net
Michele is the SPAN-California director of communications and writes
and publishes the SPAN Report newsletter. She has been in PR/marketing
for 19 years. She and her husband Mark have volunteered with the Light
for Life Foundation of Southern California. She is a survivor of her
son's suicide. She and Mark reside in Carlsbad.
Leann Gouveia, M.P.A.
leann_go@hotmail.com
Leann is the Executive Director of Fresno Survivors of Suicide Loss,
Inc. She has brought many successful suicide prevention programs to her
community. She is a survivor of her mother's suicide. She resides in
Fresno.
Marilyn Koenig
o-ffs@inreach.com
Marilyn is Executive Director of Friends for Survival and publishes the
most widely circulated newsletter for survivors in California. She is a
survivor of her son's suicide. She resides in Sacramento.
Kathleen Snyder
spoc_pc@hotmail.com
Kathleen is a mental health professional who provides suicide
prevention, intervention and postvention training throughout
California. She is a survivor of her grandfather's suicide and her
husband's suicide. She resides in the Northern California town of
Rocklin.
Joan Stern, MFT
joans@crisis-center.org
Joan is Crisis Line Director of the Contra Costa County Crisis Center.
She is responsible for the operation of the agency's 24/7 crisis lines,
as well as for the training and oversight of 160 interns and
volunteers. She resides in Pleasant Hill.
