Joan has worked for the Saginaw County Medical Society (SCMS) for 31 years, serving as Executive Director for the past 11.  She became involved in the Network after three suicides in the medical community and the death of her son’s best friend, all in 2017.  Because of the drastic increase in suicides and the lack of services for those who may be having suicidal ideation, Joan believed all physicians, starting in medical school, should be trained in suicide awareness.

In 2018, Joan proposed a resolution through the SCMS on suicide awareness training for health care professionals which was researched and written by CMU College of Medicine students.  The resolution was unanimously approved by the Michigan State Medical Society House of Delegates in April 2018.  Six weeks later, it was presented at the American Medical Association’s Annual Meeting, where the AMA unanimously adopted a new policy to increase awareness and physician training on suicide in medical schools.  Joan has hosted several safeTALK trainings and presentations through the SCMS in an effort to train local physicians and the community in suicide awareness.  She also includes a monthly column on the Network in the SCMS journal, The Bulletin.  www.SaginawCountyMS.com.

Beverlee Wenzel is Executive Director of The ROCK Center for Youth Development and Discover You™. Wenzel led the creation of Discover You™, a unique social emotional learning and positive psychology solution providing programs over 10 years to over 20,000 middle and high students. Wenzel has 35 years of intentional business and non-profit leadership. Her qualifications include being a Certified Public Manager through Saginaw Valley State University, Certified Fundraising Manager through Lily Fundraising School, and an Applied Positive Psychology Practitioner. Wenzel is an active speaker and presenter in areas including positive psychology, social and emotional skills, fund development, and non-profit leadership. Recent presentations include state and national afterschool conferences, 5th World Congress on Positive Psychology, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In partnership with the Michelle McQuaid group, Wenzel co-created the Certificate in Creating Wellbeing and the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology.

Lisa Sullivan has been a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at Covenant Healthcare for the past 21 years. Prior to that, she worked as a CRNA for 3 years in Chicago and as a staff RN for 4 years. Nursing and caring for people has always been her passion. Her education includes a Bachelor of Nursing degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters of Nursing from DePaul University.

When she moved to Saginaw in 1999, she became involved with the Saginaw County Medical Society Alliance. The Alliance worked closely
with the American Medical Society to support the medical family, fundraise, and provide nursing scholarships to local residents.

Lisa has been very active with Nouvel Catholic Schools participating in many fundraising activities as well as serving as the President of the Home and School Association at both the elementary and high school. She is also very involved in her church, St. Thomas Aquinas as a lector and eucharistic minister.

Lisa is married and lives in Saginaw with her husband Michael and dog Shamrock. She has 2 adult children, Matthew and Katie, whom are her greatest achievements. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling.

Julie Hart is the Performance Improvement Manager at MidMichigan Health. In this role, she is responsible for managing projects with a goal of improving workflows and processes in order to achieve the Institute of Healthcare Improvements quadruple aim of improving quality, patient, and clinician experience while decreasing cost and improving access to care.  Prior to her current role, Julie worked as the Policy and Governance Supervisor and in Continuing Medical Education with MidMichigan.

During her career at MidMichigan, she has been involved in a number of projects and initiatives including helping to establish an Interdisciplinary Bioethics Committee, implementing a new policy infrastructure and platform, and starting the physician wellness committee, modeled after the Stanford model for physician wellness.  She has served on the Schwartz Rounds for Compassionate Care Committee, the Spiritual Care Conference planning committee, Health Sciences Library Committee and the Opioid Taskforce.  Additionally, she was the founding chair of the Inclusion and Diversity Council.

Her education history includes a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Northwood University and a Master of Science in Administration with a concentration in Health Care Administration from Central Michigan University.  She also has a Provisional Teaching Certificate grades 7-12 (major: social studies; minor: psychology).

Julie lives in Midland with her husband Steve and two Australian Cattle Dogs Nova and Copper.  She has two adult sons Dan and Conner, two wonderful daughter-in-laws Michele and Taylor and a five year old granddaughter Aurora.  In her free time Julie enjoys the outdoors, crafting and shopping.