Suicide Bereavement Support is comprised of a board of directors, people in the community who have either lost someone to suicide or are invested in helping support those who have.

Board President: 

Joan Hoff has worked for The Dougy Center, National Center for Grieving Children and Families since 1992. She coordinates peer support grief groups for children and families including groups for children who are bereaved from a Suicide Death, Violent Death, Parent, and Sibling deaths. She has over 40 years of experience in working with children and families and has served on a variety of local and national boards including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Survivor Council, Suicide Bereavement Support Group and the Willamette Falls Hospice Board of Directors. She helped to develop and is a National trainer for the AFSP Support Group for Children and Teens. She is a member of NOVA, National Office for Victims Assistance, American Association for Suicidology, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and National Alliance for Grieving Children. She conducts training nationally and internationally on issues related to program development; the impact of suicide, trauma and violent death on children, teens and their families; crisis response; and grief and loss issues for children and teens. Personally she has experienced the suicide death of her husband and is passionate about suicide prevention and postvention.

Secretary:

Georgena is intimately acquainted with grief, having experienced the death of both her brother and son by suicide. For years she simply survived, barely holding herself together. Since then she has learned how to thrive as shared in A New Mourning: Discovering the Gifts in Grief. Georgena now has a 20-year private practice specializing in grief. She facilitates the Peace House Suicide Support Group. Georgena has created "Reasons to Live" circles for those who’ve attempted suicide.  She's a frequent TV talk show guest, conference speaker, and teacher.

Treasurer: 

Eddie Dierickx sought grief counseling after his immediate and extended family had, for years, avoided seeking counseling due to the shock and shame associated with numerous suicides occurring in several generations of the family – the most pertinent of which was his father when he was 13 years of age. During his lifetime, three additional suicides occurred and an attempt by another family member. Finding a counselor that dealt specifically with suicide was difficult, but he located one that participated with Suicide Bereavement Support. He was asked to help the organization, then asked to join the board. Eddie has served as president due to his varied business and organizational background. Eddie has founded several companies, has acted as a consultant, and has been involved with business acquisitions and mergers. Eddie has held positions that range from sales to CEO.

Social Media Manager:

Keysa Lawrence graduated from Marylhurst University in 2016 with her BA in Social Science and a concentration in Gerontology. She graduated from PSU in 2018 with a Masters certificate in Gerontology. In September of 2018, Keysa became the Life Enrichment Assistant at a memory care facility in SE Portland, and left in April 2021 to focus on her Master's degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Keysa has been actively involved in AFSP's Out of the Darkness walks since 2010, and became a committee member as well as part of the Healing Conversations program in 2021. In addition to AFSP, Keysa has been volunteering at The Dougy Center since she was 7 years old. She has also created a documentary at NW Documentary about the death of her best friend who died by suicide in 2010. She joined the board in April 2014 to spread the word of SBS groups and bring more awareness to suicide prevention. Keysa actively maintains the SBS Facebook community page and SBS Facebook group. Keysa brings fresh eyes to the SBS board, and hopes to bring more awareness to teens and young adults. Eventually she will be facilitating an SBS group for teens and young adults, but would love to see a group for older adults 75+.

Facilitator Coordinator:

Kate Rocker