Featured Speakers
Featured Speakers
During the seminar, you will have the opportunity to hear from national experts in grief, trauma, health and wellness and more. Below is a list of the speakers and presenters who will be in attendance.
Make sure to also download the TAPS Events app. Recommended session schedules for different grief programming and speaker information are all built into the easy-to-navigate app.
Jennifer Baldwin, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LCPAT
Jennifer, a board-certified art therapist, holds a Master's in Art Therapy from The George Washington University. She has been practicing in the Northern Virginia and D.C. area since 1997, blending art therapy with traditional talk therapy to support grief and trauma recovery. Certified in grief and trauma therapy through the Wendt Center, Jennifer is also adjunct faculty at George Washington University and a certified art therapy supervisor. She has led workshops and clinician training, helping others use creative expression for healing. Jennifer has worked with hospice and is currently part of a private group supporting those grieving the loss of a loved one.
Audri Beugelsdijk
Audri Beugelsdijk is the TAPS Vice President of Development, leading strategic fundraising efforts to secure resources and support for military families of fallen heroes. With her educational background in psychology, specialized training in bereavement, and ten years leading TAPS Survivor Services, Audri brings expertise in addressing the needs of bereaved military survivors. A Navy veteran and widow of CTRSN Jason Springer, USN, Audri’s commitment to TAPS is both personal and professional. She has dedicated her life to advocating for military families, creating networks of care for those navigating grief and loss, and treating others with love and compassionate curiosity.
Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer, the surviving spouse of Brigadier General Tom Carroll, a former staffer in the Reagan and Bush White Houses, and the President and Founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the leading national Military Service Organization providing comfort, care, and resources to all those grieving the death of a military loved one. Ms. Carroll founded TAPS following the death of her husband in an Army C-12 plane crash November 12, 1992.
Frank Campbell, PhD, LCSW, CT
Dr. Frank Campbell is the Executive Director Emeritus of the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, where he is developing the first National Training Center for Suicidology. He is also Senior Consultant for Campbell and Associates Consulting where he consults with communities on Active Postvention efforts and Forensic Suicidology cases. During his more than thirty years of working with those bereaved by suicide he introduced his Active Postvention Model (APM) in 1997 it is most commonly known as the LOSS Team (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors). His work with survivors and victims of trauma has been featured in three discovery channel documentaries, multiple professional journals, and several book chapters. Frank has been a consultant to TAPS for years, beginning with the very first National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar in 2009.
Stacie Fredriksson
Stacie serves as a Home Base Family Outreach Coordinator and brings to Home Base 10+ years of non-profit experience working with service members, veterans and their families. A veteran herself, Stacie served 14 years in the Air Force on active duty as an intelligence officer supporting flying and space operations as well as an ROTC instructor at the University of South Florida before transferring to the Air Force Reserves where she served the last 9 years of her career at USCYBERCOM, retiring in 2016. Stacie is married to her husband, also an Air Force veteran and together they have two children and two dogs who keep them both busy and focused on the importance of living each day to the fullest! A native of Texas, Stacie has adapted to New England and enjoys spending time outside, cooking, reading and traveling.
Jacque Francona
Jacque serves as a Home Base Family Outreach Coordinator and has been involved with the Home Base Program since its inception in 2009 and joined the staff as a member of the Family Outreach Team in August 2012. Francona is a Military-connected mother of four—one son and three daughters. Her oldest daughter is the proud and ever-concerned sister of three Military siblings. Jacque’s son served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 with 3rd Battalion/4th Marines. Her son-in-law is a Captain in U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He deployed to Iraq in 2008 and Afghanistan in 2011-2012 with 1st Battalion/6th Marines. Jacque’s youngest daughter attends the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Jacque received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Arizona 1982 and practiced in the medical surgical and home health fields before devoting herself full time to raising her family.
Pamela Gabbay, EdD, FT
Dr. Pamela Gabbay is a nationally recognized author and trainer who has served the bereavement field in many capacities during her career. She is a national trainer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and is the co-author, along with Andy McNiel, of Understanding and Supporting Bereaved Children: A Practical Guide for Professionals. As part of the Training Corps of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Dr. Gabbay travels throughout the country conducting trainings on their behalf. She has served in a variety of roles in her career, including being the Director of Operations and Training for The Compassionate Friends, the Director of The Mourning Star Center for Grieving Children, and the Camp Director for Camp Erin-Palm Springs. Dr. Gabbay holds a Fellow in Thanatology (FT) from the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and earned a Master of Arts degree in Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. She earned her Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University. Dr. Gabbay is a member of the TAPS Advisory Board.
Betsy Hart
Betsy serves as a Home Base Family Outreach Coordinaotr and is the wife of an active duty Naval Aviator and knows first-hand the joys and struggles of military life. Over the last 18 years, she and her family have found their way through nine moves, six deployments and countless detachments. She has spent the last 14 years as a full time mom to three military children. In addition to her adult life experience, Betsy is the daughter of a Vietnam veteran and a child and family therapist. Home Base’s mission to heal the invisible wounds of war is deeply personal to her. Betsy has a degree in Communication from Florida State University. She served as a volunteer for Home Base for 18 months before joining the team as a Family Outreach Coordinator at the end of 2018.
Ashlynne Haycock-Lohmann
Ashlynne is Director, TAPS Government and Legislative Affairs. Ashlynne is the surviving daughter of SFC Jeffrey J. Haycock, who died in an Army training accident, and Nichole C. Haycock, an Air Force Veteran who died by suicide. Ashlynne holds a bachelor's in political science from American University and has been deeply involved with TAPS, attending and mentoring at the Good Grief Camp. She advocates for surviving families and previously served on the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Education and as a Negotiated Rulemaker for the Department of Education.
Jason Howland
Jason brings proven leadership, project management, and educational instruction, resulting in expertise managing multiple large-scale and high-risk projects, as well as engagement of diverse teams and human behavior at all organizational levels. His leadership skillset includes 20 years of military service and is rounded out by expertise in Strengths-Based Leadership and Six-Sigma (yellow belt) certifications, with graduate education as a Project Management Professional. Jason has a Master's Degree in Human Relations and certifications as a trauma informed yoga/meditation instructor, Four Lenses facilitator, and NETA personal fitness coach.
Jenny Howland
Jenny is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a specialty in neuropsychology and a passion for service and expertise in providing life-improving human performance and resilience tools for military, first responder, and civilian populations. This passion is propelled by a unique combination of strong clinical diagnostic skills, demonstrated cognitive neuroscience research experience, accoladed public speaking, and background in program management and evaluation. Jenny has training and certification in other holistic areas,including mindfulness/ meditation, integrative wellness/medicine, trauma-informed yoga, nutrition, heart rate variability, and biofeedback.
Jenna Preston, PsyD, LP ART-BC
Dr. Preston is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Registered, Board Certified Art Therapist. She earned a Master's in Art Therapy from The George Washington University and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology, Washington, D.C. Dr. Preston is a proud (retired) military spouse. Her husband retired from the Air Force in 2015. Her career includes serving children, adolescents, and adults with multiple treatment settings to include a unique opportunity to work with the Metropolitan Police in Washington, D.C. and opening a private art therapy practice while stationed overseas. Currently, Dr. Preston works as a Clinical Psychologist at Buckley Space Force Base serving all six branches.
Andy McNiel, MA
Andy McNiel is the Senior Advisor of Youth Programs for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). He is an author and trainer on topics related to grief, bereavement, and end-of-life. Andy has been an advocate for healthy children, teenagers, and families throughout his career. He brings his dedication and expertise to TAPS, where he oversees, develops, and facilitates programming for young military survivors. He is co-founder and an executive partner of The Satori Group, LLC, a national education, management, and consulting company focused on grief and loss. He is the former CEO of The National Alliance for Grieving Children, Executive Director of The Amelia Center at Children's of Alabama, and Director of Counseling Services for Hospice of Martin and St. Lucie (now Treasure Health) in South Florida. Andy is a trainer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; a co-author of Supporting and Understanding Bereaved Children: A Practical Guide for Professionals; and he previously served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC). Andy holds an M.A. in counseling and a B.A. in religion.
Jason Stout
Jason Stout, recipient of the 2024 Richard Louv Prize for Innovation in Nature Connection, has spent over 25 years guiding grieving individuals toward healing through nature-based experiences. As a Youth Programs Advisor for TAPS, he helps develop Good Grief Camps, Family Camps, and Healing in Nature workshops, training volunteers and mentors to support grieving survivors. Having faced profound personal loss, Jason found healing in the outdoors, leading him to create a wilderness program for grieving teens. He has consulted for organizations like Outward Bound and the National Park Foundation and is featured in the documentary In Our Nature.
Carla Stumpf Patton, EDD, LMHC, NCC, FT, CCTP
Dr. Stumpf Patton serves as the Senior Director of Suicide Prevention & Postvention Programs at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), where she oversees programs and services provided to military community members and families after a suicide loss. She is a suicidologist and subject matter expert in the areas of grief, trauma, and suicide prevention, intervention, and Postvention, is a registered ASIST trainer in suicide first aid, and is trained in Psychological Autopsy Investigations and Crisis Response Planning. Dr. Stumpf Patton holds a B.S. in Psychology, an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Guidance Counseling, and a Doctorate of Education in Counseling Psychology. Her dissertation research focused on military families bereaved by suicide, and was a key contributor in the development of the TAPS Suicide Prevention Model™. Dr. Stumpf Patton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a Certified Fellow Thanatologist, a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, a Florida Qualified Supervisor, and a counseling educator in higher academia. She is the surviving spouse of Sergeant Richard Stumpf, an Active Duty U.S. Marine Corps Drill Instructor and Gulf War Era Combat Veteran who died by suicide in 1994, several days before their only child was born. She is remarried to a retired U.S. Marine, who was also a suicide survivor widower, with whom she shares five children.
Candace Wheeler
Candace Wheeler is Senior Director of TAPS Government and Legislative Affairs. Candace Wheeler first joined TAPS in 2018 as the Senior Advisor for Policy and Legislation. As a staunch military-family advocate with over 30 years of experience, Candace works to protect the rights and earned benefits of surviving families. Her advocacy on behalf of TAPS and military survivors on Capitol Hill has directly impacted legislation and survivor benefits, including the passage of the historic Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022; the elimination of the Survivor Benefit Plan — Dependency and Indemnity offset or “Widow’s Tax.” Prior to joining TAPS, Candace was the Vice President of Strategic Communications and Marketing at the American Logistics Association, and she previously served as the Government Relations Deputy Director for the National Military Family Association. She holds a Master of Political Management from George Washington University, a B.A. in international relations from the University of Southern California, and an executive certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University.