Introducing AFSP’s New Chair of the National Board, Steve Siple: An AFSP Profile Interview
January 3, 2017 – 5 min read
By AFSP
January 3, 2017 - Steve Siple joined the AFSP National Board in 2006. This month, he takes on the new responsibility of chair of the board. We asked him the following questions to get to know him better and find out some of what he has planned for the organization’s future.
When did you first get involved in AFSP, and why?
I lost my father to suicide in 2001. After a long and difficult journey to find my “new normal,” I began wanting to help others who had been impacted by suicide. I was serendipitously introduced in 2004 to the Out of the Darkness Community Walks, which were in their very first season, and I volunteered as a walk organizing committee member in Cincinnati. That eventually led to my service as founding chair of the Cincinnati chapter. It was important to me from the very beginning that AFSP’s work is grounded in science, and that it seeks evidence-based solutions to the problem of suicide. That is what set it apart for me from other organizations in the field of suicide. I have since relocated to Birmingham, Alabama where I led the formation of the first walk here in 2011 and also served as the Alabama chapter’s founding chair. The community walks in which I have participated, the scientific progress, and the chapter system that AFSP has developed in recent years have provided me with the positive outlet I was looking for. And from the very first event, the walks have always been a place to share difficult stories with others, broaden public awareness and education, and find a true sense of hope.
What do you hope to accomplish under your leadership as chair of the AFSP National Board?
Glad you asked! My priorities as board chair revolve around two concepts: sustainability and ROI (Return on Investment). Our organization has been blessed with tremendous growth since its inception in 1987, especially over the past 5-10 years. Fast growing enterprises face a number of unique challenges. These can be harnessed for even greater future opportunity if they are addressed in a timely and positive manner. Some examples of our sustainability priorities would include the recruiting, retention and succession planning of our staff and volunteers; maintaining our reputation and brand; the continued growth and diversity of our revenues; and stakeholder inclusion and widespread collaboration. Closely tied to sustainability, and a growing priority for many national nonprofit organizations, is ROI. Without demonstrating consistent and promising return on our donors’ investment in us, our future success is at risk. At the core of this ROI concept is Project 2025, a top AFSP initiative that I am tremendously excited about. Additional focus items related to ROI include other social impact outcome measurements; making bold investments where AFSP is uniquely qualified; and striking a balance between our growth and innovation and our efficiency.
What do you see as the greatest challenges facing the organization, and suicide prevention in general?
The same thing I saw as the greatest challenge when I first joined the board: stigma. Don’t get me wrong. We’ve made incredible progress toward eradicating the stigma associated with suicide and mental health conditions and services in general over the past several years. But we need to keep fighting that fight. As I asked AFSP’s CEO Bob Gebbia at lunch after my very first board meeting: what was the turning point in battling the AIDS epidemic? It was reducing the stigma. Once that was addressed, the resource floodgates opened. It’s the same thing with suicide. After I lost my father, the first thing I felt (after gut-wrenching grief) was a sense of not belonging. I was completely ignorant of the reality of suicide and largely uneducated on mental health in general. Nobody should have to feel that way. We really have made progress since then, but “good enough” isn’t enough. We need to continue to do our work envisioning a world in which the full treatment and widespread practice of preventive measures are used for mental health, not in addition to our physical health, but simply as a part of our overall health.
Have there been significant moments that stand out to you as particularly memorable or important since being involved in AFSP? Any moments which you’re personally most proud of?
Wow, there are so many to choose from! Well, our growth in general has been amazing to watch. Our annual budget has just about quadrupled since then; the fact that we have chapters in all 50 states still blows me away; and the growing diversity of our work (such as adding our advocacy arm) has really developed in a very thoughtful way. A couple of the more personal victories for me would be the establishment and staffing of a CFO position around the time of my service as the national board treasurer and the rebranding and broader marketing of ISP that began when I served as chair of a special committee for the program. Finally, and this is a huge one to me, is how we have embraced those with lived experience of mental health conditions in recent years. To me, that’s where the rubber meets the road.
In 5 years, if AFSP were to be on the cover of your favorite magazine, newspaper, or website, what would the story be about?
That we now live in a world in which the full treatment and widespread practice of preventive measures are used for mental health as an integral part of our overall health programs. To this end, I have to share an encouraging text that I received from my mother recently. It read, “Had breakfast with a dear friend yesterday and was sharing about your AFSP work. With tears in her eyes she wanted me to personally thank you. Her daughter was suicidal about a year ago but got the proper help and it has changed her life!!!” We still have a very long way to go, but stories like that indicate to me that we’re on the right path.
When you’re not helping us to #stopsuicide, what do you do with your free time?
My wife and I are in the latter stages of raising three boys, ages 19, 17 and 13. So there’s not really a lot of “free time.” That said, we love traveling and attending SEC football games, and I am a huge MLB fan. Also, I enjoy fitting in whatever exercise possible. I swam on the varsity team for my university, raced road bicycles in my 20’s and ran half marathons in my 30’s. These days I mostly hike. In early November, I hiked from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon down to the Colorado River and back up in a single day -- something that is strongly discouraged by the National Parks Service -- with eight other guys. It wasn’t my idea, and I barely made it, but it sure was fun.