We are thrilled to celebrate those individuals and companies who are working to make a difference in youth mental health and suicide prevention. Read more about our JED Gala honorees and presenters below. Thank you!
Host
Stephanie Wittels Wach, Co-Founder and CCO of Lemonada, Event Host
Stephanie Wittels Wachs is Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Lemonada Media, an award-winning podcast network with a mission to make life suck less. She was recently named among 2022’s Top 50 Most Powerful People in Podcasting, by Podcast Daily News and Inside Radio. Wittels Wachs co-created and hosts Last Day, Lemonada’s Gracie Award-winning flagship show confronting massive epidemics with humor, compassion, and a quest for progress. Its first season focused on the opioid crisis, which took the life of her brother, writer-producer-comedian Harris Wittels (Parks & Recreation, Master of None). Thanks in part to her wit and forthrightness, Wittels Wachs has appeared as a guest on a plethora of podcasts (from Comedy Bang Bang to Pod Save the People) public radio programs (NPR’s Morning Edition), and TV shows (Late Night with Seth Meyers). She’s the author of the best-selling book Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love, and Loss, which Kirkus anointed “a powerful debut” upon its release. She co-founded Lemonada Media with Jessica Cordova Kramer, who also lost her brother to an overdose, because, Wittels Wachs says, “Community is a life jacket.”
Awards
CVS Health JED Corporate Voice of Mental Health Award
Cara McNulty, President of Behavioral Health and Mental Well-Being – CVS Health
Cara McNulty, DPA, is President of Behavioral Health and Mental Well-Being at CVS Health, a leading provider of mental health and employee assistance program (EAP) solutions to members and communities around the globe. She oversees a national team that spearheads the development of CVS Health and Aetna’s programs, products, and capabilities designed to
offer individuals easy access to quality, innovative treatments and meet people wherever they are along the continuum of mental well-being. CVS Health’s integrated health care capabilities, resources, and local footprint enhance the mental well-being and health outcomes of communities and individuals across the country through an easy and meaningful experience.
Cara is a highly regarded executive leader and population health scientist whose success in driving population well-being outcomes spans the employer, government, payer/provider, startup. and education sectors. She is known for her ability to integrate confirmed health science into practical business models that drive measurable outcomes.
Focused on the increased need for mental well-being resources exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cara leads CVS Health’s strategy to expand mental health services and resources. Most recently, this included Aetna offering members cost-sharing waivers for mental and behavioral health telemedicine visits at the onset of the pandemic, as well as opening Aetna’s Resources For Living crisis and health support lines to all consumers, regardless of health plan.
Cara previously served as the North American leader of Integrated Wellbeing for Willis Towers Watson. Her responsibilities included advising clients on strategies focusing on employee engagement, clinical outcomes, and productivity. She sat on the company’s Health and Benefits Specialty Practice Leadership team and focused on integrated well-being, intellectual capital, and service development across physical, emotional, financial, and social dimensions.
As the former Head of Population Health, Team Member Wellbeing, and Guest Wellness for Target Corporation, she led efforts to implement the company’s health agenda. She developed strategies that improved all team members’ health, driving value and business growth while decreasing health care expenditures.
Cara is nationally recognized for her strategic design and implementation of Minnesota’s transformational population health care legislation, which to-date is one of the largest financial allocations in the country for initiatives known to be reducing health disparities and chronic diseases.
She holds a Doctorate in Public Administration from Hamline University, a Master of Science in Applied Health Science from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Huntsman Foundation, Visionary Award
David Huntsman, CEO, Huntsman Foundation
David H. Huntsman is an accomplished leader who serves as the President, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of The Huntsman Foundation. Driven by his father’s legacy and deep commitment to end suffering, David leads his family’s work to support two nationally recognized entities, the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. Both organizations are dedicated to alleviating the pain and suffering of those affected by cancer and mental health disorders, as well as advancing research to develop new treatments.
In addition to his work with the Foundation, David serves on the Board of Trustees at Utah State University and has previously served as a Trustee at the University of Utah. He has also served on several other community, state, and ecclesiastical leadership positions, including as an officer of Huntsman Corporation (HUN), an international manufacturer and marketer of chemical products.
David is a devoted family man and outdoor enthusiast. He cherishes his role as a father to eight children and grandfather to 12 grandchildren, and he enjoys spending his free time hiking and exploring the beauty of nature.
Christena Huntsman Durham, Executive Vice President, Huntsman Foundation
Christena Huntsman Durham’s vision for courageous conversations and transformative impact in mental health has inspired her work as Vice Chair, Executive Vice President, and Director of The Huntsman Foundation.
A key driver of the Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s national efforts to end the stigma surrounding mental health and substance use disorders, Christena’s influence has been felt across the country. Her stewardship of the Huntsman family’s $150 million gift to the University of Utah, which established the Institute, is a testament to her commitment to improving mental health outcomes for all.
Christena’s passion for helping others extends beyond mental health. She serves on the Boards of numerous organizations, including the National Ability Center, Catholic Community Services, The Road Home, Huntsman World Senior Games, Moran Eye Center, and the Jon M. Huntsman Community Shelter Trust.
Despite her many service commitments, Christena is a lifelong athlete who never misses a workout and can always find time to compete in a race. She is happily married to Richard Durham, with whom she shares seven children and 12 beautiful grandchildren.
Selena Gomez, American singer, Actress, Producer, and Businesswoman
Voice of Mental Health Award
Selena is an actor, producer, recording artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She launched Rare Beauty and the Rare Impact Fund simultaneously in 2020. The Rare Impact Fund aims to raise $100 million dollars to expand access to mental health services and education for young people around the world. Through Selena’s steadfast commitment to mental health, she continues to share her own story and use her personal platform and brand, to connect more people to resources and destigmatize mental health. One percent of Rare Beauty sales go directly to the Rare Impact Fund.
Audrey Wang, Mission San Jose High School
JED Student Voice of Mental Health Awards
Audrey Wang is a Taiwanese American coder, mental health advocate, community leader, and high school junior from the Bay Area, California. She coded a platform named Affective Cookies, which inspires users to improve their mental health through inclusivity and empathy. She held workshops teaching 700+ Taiwanese youths about mental health. At school, Audrey leads her peers in building friendships with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and performing diabolo, an ancient Chinese sport desiged to alleviate stress. She serves as a youth advisor to Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, GoodforMEdia, Common Sense, and the Technology & Adolescent Wellness (TAM) Program to drive change in social media and youth well-being. Through her innovations, she has been recognized as a Pete Conrad Scholar, NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Winner, Apple WWDC22 scholar, and the youngest Bay Area Inno Under 25 recipient. Her leadership has been awarded the President’s Award for Excellence, the Outstanding Citizenship Award, the National Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award, and the National Point of Light Inspiration Honor Roll.
Jose Caballero, Florida International University
JED Student Voice of Mental Health Awards
Jose Caballero (he/him) is a Latino, queer, and was born and raised in Nicaragua. He moved to Miami in 2018 and has developed a passion for advocating for mental health in historically marginalized communities. In 2021, he founded the first mental health awareness organization, In Touch, at Miami Senior High, a 118-year-old school that lacked mental health awareness and support for students. In Touch currently has over 400 members who are working on expanding a more open-minded understanding of mental health in their community by sharing students’ stories and having candid mental health conversations. After graduating from high school in 2022, he continues his mental health advocacy by serving as editor-in-chief for the Get In Touch blog, where he writes about mental health stressors and uses his psychology major to educate people about current issues in communities and society. From helping organize the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Southeast Florida’s community walks to participating in Mental Health America Young Leaders Council, Jose is a passionate, charismatic, and down-to-earth individual who shares his intersecting identities, journey, and background through his advocacy
PRESENTERS
John MacPhee, CEO, The Jed Foundation
John MacPhee brings 25 years of leadership and management experience from the business and not-for-profit settings to his role at JED. Passionate about supporting young adults in their transition to adulthood, John advises several organizations including the S. Jay Levy Fellowship for Future Leaders at City College, Trek Medics, Crisis Text Line, the Health Policy and Management Department at the Mailman School of Public Health, and HIV Hero.
Earlier in his career, he served in executive positions for Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. and Forest Laboratories, where he oversaw functions such as business development, alliance management, clinical development, regulatory affairs, sales, and marketing. John continues to contribute to the development of novel medications for disorders such as Parkinson’s disease through Board roles with Adamas Pharmaceuticals and Blackthorn Therapeutics.
In 2016, John received The Allan Rosenfield Alumni Award for Excellence in the field of public health from the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. He earned a B.A. from Columbia College, an MBA from New York University, and an MPH from Columbia University.
Phillip Satow, Co-Founder and Chair, JED Board of Directors
Phil Satow is Chairman of the Board of Directors of JDS Therapeutics, an innovative health care company in the nutritional supplement industry. He was Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of JDS Pharmaceuticals LLC, which developed and marketed branded pharmaceutical products before it was acquired in 2007. Phil is the former president of Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and former Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of Forest Laboratories, Inc., its parent company. In addition to Forest Laboratories, he was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of three other publicly traded pharmaceutical companies. Phil is also a past president of the Columbia College Alumni Association, a recipient of Columbia’s John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement and the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor paid to a member of the Columbia College community.
He co-founded The Jed Foundation in 2000 (where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board) with his wife Donna after the loss of their son Jed. Phil has subsequently been an active member of the suicide prevention community, serving as a Board Member of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and as a former Co-Chairman, with the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, of a suicide task-force that created “A Prioritized Research Agenda for Suicide Prevention: An Action Plan to Save Lives.”
Young People’s Chorus of New York City
Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), a multicultural youth chorus internationally renowned for its superb virtuosity and brilliant showmanship, was founded on a mission of diversity and artistic excellence in 1988 by Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur Fellow and Musical America’s 2018 Educator of the Year. Elizabeth Núñez serves as YPC Creative Director, conductor, choral clinician, soloist, and founding Artistic Director of the SoHarmoniums Women’s Choir. Together, they now oversee one of the highest acclaimed choruses in the world, serving more than 2,000 children throughout New York City in its core after-school performance program, community choruses program, and schools program, which brings YPC’s curriculum to children in 20 schools. YPC was the first American chorus to win first prize in the history of the European Broadcasting Union’s Let the Peoples Sing choral competition; the first youth chorus to open Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival; and the first North American chorus to be named “Choir of the World” in 2018 at the International Choral Kathaumixw. In 2019, YPC was invited to join Jaap van Zweden, the New York Philharmonic, and The Crossing in the unanimously acclaimed, world premiere performances of Julia
Wolfe’s “Fire in My Mouth,” the live Decca Gold recording of which was nominated for two Grammy Awards. In addition, YPC provides critical tools for each child to succeed long after they leave YPC through its College Bound programming, which offers classes ranging from financial literacy to college application coaching.
Salome Agbaroji, Poet Laureate
Salome Agbaroji has been named the National Youth Poet Laureate of The United States ’23-’24, a program supported by Urban Word. This young Nigerian-American poet has written and/or performed spoken word poetry for the Golden Globes, NFL Rams Halftime Show, Vans, the likes of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors, Mrs. Tina Lawson, and many more. She works with Get Lit – Words Ignite, a Los Angeles based organization that aims to combat illiteracy and educational inequity in teens. Soon off to Harvard, Salome explores her passions outside of poetry, including expanding global literacy, telling immigrant stories, and injustices in the international community Website: salomeagbaroji.com Instagram:@salomeagbaroji
Thank You To Our Gala Supporters
Partner
CVS Health; Huntsman Foundation; Nancy and Fred Poses; Corinne and Robert Rooney; Strook Strook and Lavan
Sponsor
Karen Ling; Morgan Stanley Foundation; Patty and Doug Sacks; Jed David Satow Family Foundation; Sunovion Pharmaceuticals
Patron
Eric Blattman; Susan & Jonathan Bram; Barbara Burns; Margaret Jan Chi & Alex Chi; Citrone 33 Foundation; Melanie and Matthew Lippman; Maybelline; Kayla & Richard Pechter; Sage Therapeutics/Biogen; Angela and Mike Santone; Barbara & Michael Satow; Julie Satow and Stuart Elliot; Sarah Long and David Solomon
Supporter
AbbVie; Allianz; Atai Impact; Delta Airlines; GradGuard; Rita & Larry Lieberman; Lundbeck; MTVE; Molly O’Neill Frank & Lincoln Frank
Friend
The Bliss Group; The Centene Foundation & Fidelis; Computero; EBA Foundation; FINN Partners; Jordan Gray; The James B. Mintzer Foundation; Jolene McCaw Family Foundation; Kenvue; Jim & Cheryl Lebenthal; Major League Soccer; Nora and Marc Mazur; McGraw Hill; Judy and Jim O’Brien; Oui Therapeutics; PLM Foundation;The Sallie Foundation; ServiceNow; Stern Brothers; TD Cowen; Thrive Global; Ulta Beauty; Vibrant; Victoria’s Secret Pink; Vita Health; William Hood & Company
Premier
Carey & Co; Alyssa Dweck; Andrea Flink & Clay Rosenberg; Charlie Health; Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc; Regina James; Christopher Kosseff; Brian Krisberg; Deborah Leiter; Andrea & Tom Mendell; National Basketball Association; Sheila Nevins & Sidney Koch; Penserra; Katherine Ponte; Phillipa & Larry Portnoy; Propper Daly; Michele Rechler; Hayley Romer; Ropes and Gray; Snap Inc; Social Goods; TimelyCare; Jane Swergold; Richard Witten; Roberta & Richard Wool
Contributions
Kyle Ambrogi Foundation; Jennifer Davis; Jane & Mark DeFazio; Joni Evans & Bob Perkins; Macks Family Foundation; Mimi & Ed Fiorentino; Golieb Family Foundation; Angela & William Haines; Frances P. Harris; Gates Hawn; Steven Heller; R. Lee Hite; Elaine Hochberg; Carol & Richard Hochman; Fanghua Jiang; James Katz; Anahaita Kotval & Zubeen Shroff; Barrie Mandel & Harvey Schneier; Dorothy & Charles Plohn; Christine Schloder; Jill & Howard Sharfstein; Donna & Brad Weinberg