Let’s connect around bold ideas, meaningful partnerships, and mission-driven impact.

The loss of a close friend to suicide shaped Abby Ingber’s commitment to improving support for individuals and families navigating mental health challenges. Drawing on her experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising and program development, Abby works to expand access to evidence-based resources and bring clinicians, researchers, and families together in meaningful collaboration. Abby lives in Northern New Jersey with her husband, children and their dog, Elliott. She enjoys traveling and playing mah-jongg.

I help guide MSTR and other special projects so families can access support with clarity and ease.

Victoria Cavaliere came to the BPD Alliance through the MSTR program after leaving her job to keep her suicidal child safe. The program helped her get unstuck, become more supportive and effective, and return to the work she loves. With a background in nonprofit program development & implementation, project management, and software, she now oversees MSTR and special initiatives. Victoria is passionate about creating clear, supportive pathways for families. Fun fact: she was in the circus as a child.

Interested in financially supporting our goals? I’m your person.

From the Nebraska Sandhills, where cattle outnumber people, Jennifer Hill serves as the BPD Alliance’s Donor Relations and Grant Associate. She initially came for the webinars and classes, stayed for the mission, and now works to support the community that supported her.

Want to volunteer? Interested in the next big event? I’m the one to find.

Robyn Davis is a connector at heart. With more than twenty years of nonprofit program management and volunteer leadership behind her, she now serves as Coordinator of Events and Volunteers, where she brings people, ideas, and mission-driven work together to spark community impact. Robyn earned both her bachelor’s and graduate degrees from Penn State University and channels that same spirit of dedication into her love of fitness and her unwavering loyalty to Penn State football.

You’ll find me behind the curtain, greasing the gears.

Krista Cox’s life is brought to you by the letter P: she’s a poet, parent to two now-grown-ups, a paralegal for 20 years who is now studying to be psychologist, and a project manager for BPD Alliance. Family Connections™ and MSTR may very well have saved her life, which is why she stays passionately involved as a leader for both classes. Krista calls Dublin, Ireland home these days, and yes, she’ll gladly down a Guinness with you, or at least on your behalf.

I’m the Family Connections™ Leaders’ one-stop shop!

Celia Cheng is a visual thinker, loves jigsaw puzzles, gravitates towards sorting/organizing through chaos, and is an extravert; her past 20+years working career, as a technology/engineering program manager, was built around connecting people to purpose and action. Celia joined the BPD Alliance first as a volunteer Family Connections™ leader in 2023, and then Staff in 2024. She is deeply thankful to the NEABPD volunteer community for allowing her to connect people+purpose+action+heart!

I make it easy to enroll in our classes and access the support you need.

Elizabeth Suga grew up in Florida, attended Boston University, and now resides in Newton, Massachusetts. She is the proud mother of two daughters—one living in Boston and the other in Los Angeles. Elizabeth joined NEABPD after completing the Family Connections™ course, an experience that deepened her commitment to the organization and ultimately led to her role as Project Assistant.

In addition to her 15 hours per week with BPD Alliance, Elizabeth serves as the executive assistant to the head of school at a K–12 independent school. Her professional background includes many years as an elementary classroom teacher, followed by work with neurodiverse students at both the elementary and middle school levels, before transitioning into school administration.

An avid animal lover, Elizabeth would happily adopt as many homeless cats and dogs as her home could accommodate. For now, she channels that affection into caring for her two beloved cats.

Ann Mirabito chairs the Marketing Committee and is a marketing professor whose research focuses on health and well-being, particularly how people navigate deep uncertainty and high-stakes decisions within complex systems. She brings this expertise to strengthening how families find support through clearer communication and improved access to resources. Ann leads BPD Alliance’s efforts to enhance its website and outreach and to reduce stigma through informed, compassionate engagement.

Saadia Ali is a corporate lawyer at a technology company and brings her expertise in legal compliance to the Nominations & Governance Committee. She also serves on the Finance Committee, helping ensure the organization’s resources are aligned with its mission and goals. Having experienced borderline personality disorder as a teenager and now living in recovery, Saadia co-chairs the Lived Experience Committee, which develops and shares recovery-focused resources.

Harry Bruell has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector and currently serves as CEO of PathPoint, a large human services and behavioral health organization in California. Having lost his daughter to borderline personality disorder, Harry brings deep empathy and personal commitment to the BPD Alliance. He chairs the Advocacy Committee, which focuses on reducing stigma, increasing access to treatment, and supporting individuals and families affected by BPD.

Jesse Finkelstein is a clinical psychologist and LBC-certified DBT clinician specializing in CBT, DBT, and exposure-based treatments. He is committed to the belief that effective behavioral health care depends on clear communication and practical, accessible tools. Through his work with the BPD Alliance, Jesse focuses on translating evidence-based therapeutic skills into user-friendly resources for families and individuals.

Julie Chesley is a strategy and leadership expert who advises organizations on strategy, governance, and leadership development in complex environments. BPD Alliance’s vision of fostering emotional wisdom aligns closely with her commitment to clarity, connection, and compassionate support for families. Julie brings her expertise to strengthening the organization’s strategic focus, governance practices, and long-term impact. Julie is the immediate past chair of BPD Alliance. A retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, she consults internationally and resides in Georgetown, Texas.

Laura Vitelli is deeply committed to the BPD Alliance’s mission as the parent of a young adult navigating mental health challenges. She has personally benefited from Family Connections™ and the BPD Alliance community. Laura is a fundraising consultant and co-founder of Staiger | Vitelli and Associates, where she helps nonprofits develop values-based fundraising strategies grounded in trust and relationships. She brings strategic insight, thoughtfulness, and a strong commitment to learning to her work with the BPD Alliance.

Desireé Caminos is a coach, educator, and mental health advocate with more than a decade of experience supporting emotional resilience, self-expression, and trauma-informed healing. With lived experience of borderline personality disorder, her commitment to this work is both personal and professional. As a board member, Desireé brings professional expertise and lived insight in support of the BPD Alliance’s mission to reduce stigma and advance compassionate, evidence-based education.

Silvia Giliotti is the former Director of NYC Operations for the New York State Office of Mental Health Suicide Prevention Center and maintains a private practice as a couples and family therapist. Trained in DBT, Silvia has taught family therapy at the Ackerman Institute and co-led numerous Family Connections™ and MSTR courses. She is deeply committed to supporting families impacted by suicide risk and to advancing human rights, social justice, and environmental responsibility.

Stacey Ahner has led successful fundraising initiatives across schools and universities and brings this expertise to BPD Alliance’s development efforts. She is deeply committed to ensuring that family support programs remain accessible and free of charge. With more than 20 years of involvement with NEABPD—now the BPD Alliance—Stacey brings deep institutional knowledge, unwavering dedication, and a passion for strengthening programs that meaningfully transform lives.

Andrea Gold is a clinical psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Bradley Hospital’s Pediatric Anxiety Research Center, where she serves as Team Lead for the DBT-X Track. Her work integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy with exposure-based treatments for adolescents with OCD and anxiety disorders alongside chronic emotion dysregulation. Andrea is passionate about reducing stigma related to BPD and contributes her expertise to developing collaborations, webinars, and educational initiatives that promote understanding, skill-building, and connection.

Diane DeMartino is a psychotherapist specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with a background in broadcast journalism. Through her clinical work, she has witnessed how stigma, misinformation, and fragmented systems of care exacerbate suffering for families seeking support. Diane brings this perspective to the Alliance by translating clinical science into clear, accessible public education. She serves as National Director of DBT Community Engagement at Camden Center and is the founder of Dialectical Strategies, her private practice and consulting firm.

Jim Yu brings more than 40 years of nonprofit experience, with extensive expertise in large-scale transformation and organizational culture change. He has held leadership roles across fundraising, grant management, relationship management, learning and conferencing, corporate relations, innovation, and digital engagement. Jim is a frequent conference speaker on topics including technology, change management, and relationship-centered leadership.

Liz Santamorena has a professional background in human resources, specializing in training and development. She co-leads multiple Family Connections™ classes each year, mentors emerging leaders, and supports community-building through her work on the Leader Engagement & Support Committee. As a member of the Programming Committee, she contributes to program expansion and content fidelity. Liz and her husband are parents of an adult daughter with borderline personality disorder, and Liz is an active partner in her daughter’s recovery journey.

Julie Frantsve-Hawley is President and Owner of Impact Health Strategies and a faculty member at A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies, with expertise in evidence-based medicine and public health. Motivated by personal experience supporting loved ones with borderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation, she is deeply committed to expanding access to effective, evidence-based mental health care. Julie serves on the BPD Alliance’s Board of Directors and Advocacy Committee and co-leads Family Connections™, contributing both professional insight and personal dedication to advancing the BPD Alliance’s mission.

Shannon Fallon brings a background in law, accounting, and philanthropy to her work advancing mental health and education. After a successful career as a CPA and attorney, she shifted her focus to raising her five children and to community leadership. Shannon has served on the Foundation Board of Trustees of UC Law, San Francisco, and on the Board of St. Elizabeth Seton School. She is currently a Partner at Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund and serves as RJS Chair for City Year Bay Area, where her philanthropic efforts center on expanding opportunity and access for underserved communities.

Luciana Payne, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in work with parents, couples, and families. She contributes to research on innovative interventions for families affected by emotion dysregulation and has co-authored publications on adapting DBT for couples and families. Dr. Payne provides national and international training and co-founded The Be Center in 2020 to support parents and families. She is a co-creator of Managing Suicidality and Trauma Recovery, a free program supporting parents of suicidal and self-injuring youth, and serves on the Boards of Directors of the Center for Trauma and Stress Education. Her work has helped improve care for hundreds of families in adolescent and young adult treatment settings.

Elizabeth St Clair is the former General Counsel to several health care not-for-profits in New York. In 2018, searching for ways to support her child with BPD, she discovered Family Connections™. Learning and practicing the skills transformed her family.  She is honored to contribute her expertise to further the BPD Alliance’s mission, both by chairing the Board’s Governance and Nominations Committee and as a Family Connections™ leader. She lives in NYC.

Alan Fruzzetti is an internationally recognized researcher, clinician, and educator in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). He is a Research Fellow at the National Suicide Research Foundation/University College Cork and serves as Lead for supervision and implementation for the National DBT Team in Ireland. Alan is also on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno.

A past president of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD Alliance), Alan continues to advance the field through his service on the Boards of Directors of the DBT Board of Certification and the World Association for DBT. He is a co-founder of both the Center for DBT and Families and the Center for Trauma and Stress Education.

Alan has authored more than 125 research and clinical publications, written two books, and serves as editor of the Guilford DBT Practice Series. He has trained professionals and educated the public in more than 25 countries, with a particular focus on DBT with parents, couples, and families. He is the co-creator of BPD Alliance’s no-cost Family Connections™ program, which supports loved ones of individuals with borderline personality disorder, severe emotion dysregulation, and suicide-related challenges, as well as the Managing Suicidality and Trauma Recovery program, which provides education and skills to help families navigate crises and promote healing. 

Alan has founded and directed outpatient and residential DBT programs for adults, adolescents, and families, testified before U.S. Congressional committees on suicide-related issues, and received numerous honors for his contributions to research, teaching, and community service. He earned his AB from Brown University and his MS and PhD from the University of Washington.

Cathleen Payne is a lawyer, educator, and child and mental health advocate who has lived with borderline personality disorder since 1970. She has contributed her professional expertise and lived experience in her roles as former Board Secretary and current Board Member Emeritus. Since 2016, Cathleen has supported the BPD Alliance through a wide range of initiatives, including strengthening governance and infrastructure, recruiting board members, presenting at BPD Alliance-Yale conferences, launching the Lived Experience Committee, researching and drafting grants, developing continuing legal education and 9-8-8 training programs, contributing to AI tool development for the Ohio Department of Mental Health, and serving as a trusted lived-experience resource.