Vanessa Martin
Co-Chair
My name is Vanessa Martin and I lost my daughter Gabrielle in 2018 to suicide, she was 20 years old. Gabby struggled with her mental illnesses for five years before they became so overwhelming they took her life. I joined FASP because I want to contribute to a movement for essential change that is lacking in our mental health care and suicide prevention systems in Ohio.
I graduated from Youngstown State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Health degree. Over the last 20 years I have worked with individuals with Developmental Disabilities in the areas of guardianship, behavior support, and service and support administration.
I am interested in working with progressing mental illness recognition and suicide prevention education for children and their parents. I also would like to be able to help FASP with advocating for mental health care legislation through state and local governments.