• Diversity of perspective and community context are key to systems change. That’s why we begin by administering JED’s comprehensive suite of assessments to understand your district’s strengths and areas of opportunity. Our assessment tools include a district self-assessment, a districtwide staff survey, a principal survey, and surveys for middle school and high school students.

• Drawing on the district self-assessment, the team is able to evaluate existing district- and school-level programs and policies that support crisis planning and response. Our review identifies strengths and areas for improvement by comparing your current policies to recommended best practices.

• Our team guides your district to create a system resource map of the programs, services, and supports currently available in the district to support student mental health, well-being, suicide prevention, and substance misuse. The system resource map helps leaders visualize the distribution of supports and resources, increase awareness of resource allocation (e.g., staffing, funding, evaluation processes), and evaluate for equitable implementation.

• Your district receives a data analysis drawing on the suite of assessments, the policy review, and the resource map to give you specific feedback on the state of your district’s mental health support system. The team also integrates information gathered from an in-person site visit and an environmental scan of school campuses. Taken together, these insights help our team gain a deeper understanding of your district community through a data-informed lens that propels the strategic planning process.

• Drawing on the assessment findings and customized feedback, our team works with your district to create a mental health strategic action plan that will serve as your roadmap for systemic change. The robust plan targets areas in each domain of the Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Districts. Our team guides your district to efficiently and effectively enhance what is already working and support innovation to address unmet needs.

• Our team is at the forefront of suicide prevention and comprehensive school mental health. Our experts help your district make informed decisions and enhance resources, policies, and programs with insight from JED’s extensive library of current research on clinically informed and peer-reviewed recommended practices.

• Our District Mental Health Specialists are experienced professionals in education, and they understand the challenges districts face today. Through expert insight, technical assistance, in-person site visits, and on-going consulting services, your district will receive personalized support as you implement your strategic plan and develop your team’s capacity.

• Our team of nationally recognized experts work to ensure your district is prepared to respond in the event of a suicide or other tragic event. In the event your district experiences a loss, our team can provide postvention consulting to help navigate the aftermath in your community. Our support is customized to compassionately address your immediate needs, reduce the risks associated with exposure to suicide, and support your students and staff in healing.

• The JED team administers a second round of assessments at the end of the initiative and provides a comprehensive post-assessment report to reveal growth and continued opportunities for system-wide integration.

• At your completion of the JED and AASA District Mental Health Initiative, your district will receive a detailed report about its progress in the program and the mental health and well-being of your district community, including data about students, leaders, staff. Your district will also create a sustainability plan to document success and outline future steps to maintain and build on your progress. 

• Districts take part in the initiative as part of a cohort working on the same timeline, with intentional opportunities to collaborate and problem-solve together. The cohort model empowers senior leaders to learn from peers who are equally dedicated to protecting student mental health.  You’ll also receive free access to newsletters, high-quality trainings by JED and AASA experts, and curated resources to meet today’s district mental health needs. 

• Upon completion, your district will be part of a broader alumni community of districts committed to excellence in school mental health. You’ll have access to an active network of resources, events, and professional development from JED.

Dr. Tony Walker leads JED’s Academic Programs team, supporting the implementation of JED’s programs and recommended practices for comprehensive school mental health and suicide prevention programming across our nation’s education landscape.

Before joining JED, Walker served as a leader at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute in his home state of Texas, contributing to public policy discussion on matters of school-linked mental health. He led a consulting team and portfolio of projects related to mental health programs and best-in-class student services within the state’s 1,200 school districts and over 200 higher education institutions.

Walker previously worked in multiple roles in public education, including as a teacher, a school counselor, and, most recently, an executive district leader of student support services at Uplift Education, a high-performing network of schools dedicated to providing excellent educational opportunities to more than 23,000 students in North Texas. Under his decade of leadership, Uplift developed and implemented one of the largest school-based mental health systems in Texas, allowing students and families direct access to licensed mental health clinicians in every school, robust social-emotional learning experiences, in-district family therapy services, and a full array of other wrap-around programs and supports.

Walker is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified School Counselor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in counseling from Missouri Baptist University, and a doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Texas Tech University. His research interests include leader coaching and mentorship, wellness programming, school-based mental health program development, and mental health crisis response across pre-K–12 and higher education systems.

Jennifer Reed is an educator and Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 15 years of experience and expertise in supporting the social, emotional, and mental health of students through strategic systems and program development. Before joining JED, Reed was the Director of Strategic Education Initiatives at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. She supported the growth, development, and implementation of innovative new school mental health programming across K–12, higher education, and other partners in Texas. 

Reed previously served as director of clinical services in the mental health services department of Dallas Independent School District, where she led one of the nation’s largest comprehensive school mental health programs. Reed’s multifaceted career has advanced collaboration between schools and strategic partners in identifying solutions to improve service delivery and ensure equity in access to high-quality school-linked mental health care for students and families.

Reed is a first-generation college graduate and reflects her family’s South Texas Latina roots in her hard work, dedication, and passion. She has bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and human development and family sciences from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in counseling from the University of North Texas. 

Michelle Mullen is an adaptable, versatile leader with nearly 20 years of experience in independent research, program design, evaluation, and implementation. She pairs her formal training in implementation science and commitment to equity with participatory action and stakeholder engagement to inform all aspects of her work, from designing interventions and programs to evaluating impact. Her areas of expertise are mental health, young adult services, young adult career development, and enhancing academic persistence in college students. At JED, Mullen leads a multiple disciplinary team that implements and evaluates programming focused on improving help-seeking and help-giving behaviors, enhancing mental health outcomes, and preventing suicide among teens and young adults in schools and other key settings.

Mullen is also a researcher in the Department of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School. Her research focuses on career development of young adults, standardizing complex interventions to better support college students with mental health conditions, and evaluating the effectiveness of various educational supports to enhance persistence among college and high school students. Mullen received her master’s degree from Boston University and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Sheril Menefee is an educator, mental health advocate, and leader with over 20 years of educational experience in the classroom and with national organization leadership. She has demonstrated a passion for school improvement by taking a holistic approach and using the practice of intentional culture formation. She has consulted with hundreds of schools and districts as the National Director of Schools at Character.org. She serves on the Okcharacter.org board of directors and volunteers as a state and national evaluator for Schools of Character. 

Menefee has a master’s degree in school counseling from Northeastern State University and is pursuing her educational leadership doctorate at the University of Oklahoma. She is certified in early education, elementary education, school counseling, and secondary administration. 

Menefee’s leadership and experience include international professional development, strategic planning, assessment, and evaluation of programs in Mexico and China. She has supported efforts to innovate in the implementation of comprehensive approaches to culture and climate improvement in both public and private schools, districts, and organizations in more than 32 states. 

Dr. John Malloy began his role as the Assistant Executive Director at AASA, the American Superintendents Association (AASA), where he will support the Leadership Network, in August 2024. Prior to joining AASA, John served as the Superintendent of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District in California and the Director of Education (Superintendent) at the Toronto District School Board, the largest school board in Canada. With an extensive background in education at all levels, John is a passionate advocate for equitable, accessible, and high-quality public education.

In the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, John elevated his vision for learning and student engagement. He led the adoption of the district’s Strategic Directions and Learner Profile, which define student success beyond academic excellence, emphasizing student well-being and access to necessary programs and services.

Throughout his tenure as a Superintendent, John has prioritized student voice, shared leadership, strategic and systemic decision-making, and the importance of building a positive culture for authentic engagement. He consistently spent time in schools, in classrooms, and with student leadership groups, ensuring that students had the space to share their stories and insights. His work has always been guided by the experiences and expertise of students, staff, parents, caregivers, and the wider community.

John believes in building positive school and workplace cultures that support mental health and well-being, are free of bias, and are full of potential. By strengthening relationships and building strong partnerships, he aims to foster curiosity, confidence, and independence in students. He believes that when students’ needs are supported, both learning and well-being improve.

Throughout his career, John has held multiple roles in six districts, including Assistant Deputy Minister of Education/Chief Student Achievement Officer, Superintendent (Director of Education), principal, vice principal, English teacher, and guidance counselor. He is also the author of numerous education-related articles and papers and a frequent presenter at educational conferences and seminars.

• Kuspuk School District

• Chandler Unified School District

• San Ramon Valley Unified School District

• Silvis School District

• Harford County Public Schools
• Montgomery County Public Schools

• Summit Academy North

• Minnetonka Public Schools 276

• Hardin Public Schools

• Vineland Public Schools

• Scarsdale Public Schools

• Fargo Public Schools

• Washington Local Schools

• Laurens County School District 55

• Stafford County Public Schools