Tyee Tilghman (he/him) is a storyteller, currently cultivating narratives as an actor, filmmaker, teacher, and private coach. He is a lover of language. Artistic voices ranging from the classical brilliance of Shakespeare, the earthy undertones of Zora Neale Hurston, the quick wit of Aaron Sorkin, and the lyrical calculus of Black Thought are the fuel that feeds the fire to teach, and create. Mr. Tilghman holds an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and a BFA in Drama from West Virginia University.

Shaina Fawn (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker with 18+ years of experience working with mental health and suicide prevention and intervention.  She was born and raised in the beautiful high desert of Northern New Mexico.  She was the oldest of two daughters and was raised by a single mother who suffered from debilitating depression her entire life.  This life experience inspired her to care deeply about mental health awareness and stigma.  In 2003 she started her career in the mental health field when she began volunteering at the crisis center on her college campus, working as a crisis support volunteer in suicide prevention and intervention.   She later found her way to social work and eventually to therapy and consulting.  She has been in the mental health field for nearly 20 years and has experience in child welfare, hospice, medical social work, and integrated care.

Ari Simon (they/them) leads workshops, training, coaching, and consulting around loss, grief, resilience, and wellbeing. Ari's practice equips people to best thrive in the face of grief & loss, increasing wellbeing, psychological safety, and successful outcomes. Their landmark program Grief at Work trains and supports staff in grief & loss competency and care, spurring greater resiliency in the workplace. In recent years, Ari has made entertainment and film a key focus of their work, bringing strategies and services that transform outcomes for talent, crew, and productions at large.

With a background in intersectional cross-sectoral engagement, their practice has moved communities and teams forward on mental health, climate justice, organizational values, gender inclusivity, community resilience, and death & loss. Ari’s work also explores intersections of death, dying, and grief with LGBTQIA+ identity and queer theory, and facilitates a monthly men's consciousness-raising group in Los Angeles. They are currently writing a book about this topic and the need for an expanded view on grief.

Ashley Aleman (she/her) is a dedicated and forward-thinking independent consultant whose professional experience includes work with school districts, nonprofit organizations, community-based programs, economic development organizations, and technology startups.

Emily de la Cruz (she/her) is a civil defense litigation attorney who recently relocated to Los Angeles, CA.  She has over a decade of experience handling personal injury, product liability, premises liability and professional liability matters, but her true passion is the niche practice area of funeral law.  Emily also has an undergraduate degree in psychology and is a strong advocate for destigmatizing mental health issues and substance abuse disorders to help those who suffer from them to confront their conditions and get the help they need. She can be reached at emilydelacruzattorney@gmail.com.