Community Advisory Board
The Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention Community Advisory Board serves as a source of community partners’ expertise and insight to inform IFIP priorities and provide feedback. Members have non-profit, practitioner, and/or community perspectives and advise the Institute on grassroots and local perspectives, engaging partners, and translating research into action.
Gene Ananiev, PhD
Program Manager, Promega
Madison, Wisconsin
Dr. Ananiev is a competitive shooter and a scientist. He has a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology and works full time as a researcher in the field of drug discovery. His academic and personal background gives him a unique perspective on research and firearm policy. As a competitive shooter, he is deeply concerned about the erosion of individual rights to keep and bear arms in the U.S. As a scholar, parent, and full-time employee of an educational institution, he is also deeply concerned with security and safety. He is interested in studying the effectiveness of firearm laws both in the U.S and globally.
Kadee Anstadt, EdD
Assistant Professo, University of Findlay
Findlay, Ohio
Dr. Kadee Anstadt is recently retired as an urban superintendent from Toledo, Ohio. She is an assistant professor at the University of Findlay and directs the Educational Administration program preparing future principals and superintendents. Kadee also works with The Collaborative, an architectural firm in Toledo, Columbus, and Ann Arbor as an Educational Specialist supporting superintendents and higher education in school building projects that support safety but inspire learning. Her passion for keeping students safe was intensified after several firearm tragedies while she was a superintendent including a school shooting at a football game in 2022. Dr. Anstadt serves on several community boards including Hope Toledo, Connecting Kids to Meals, The Boys and Girls Club of Toledo and The Ability Center of Greater Toledo and is a National Faculty member for Battelle for Kids.
Tia Bell, MA
Founder and CEO, T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project
Washington, District of Columbia
Tia Bell, the founder of FOuR, LLC and The T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project, deeply understands at-risk youth’s struggles. She was the oldest child of an adolescent mother in Washington, D.C., and experienced 7 out of 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) before the age of 10. Firearm violence affected many loved ones, including her mother, a survivor, and her late uncle. Despite these challenges, Tia found peace in basketball, earning Gatorade Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007, and later graduated with a degree in Sport Management from NC State University. Multiple knee injuries ended her basketball career, but she discovered a new calling in supporting youth and preventing firearm violence. Tia now works to prevent firearm violence through positive youth development, public health, and cultural responsiveness.
Sarah Derwin
Health Educator, Marquette County Health Department
Marquette, Michigan
Sarah Derwin is a public health educator with the Marquette County Health Department, where she has worked since 2009 on interventions related to injury prevention, substance abuse, and firearm safety. She serves as the project director for multiple grants focused on suicide prevention and leads the Marquette County Suicide Prevention Alliance, fostering community and tribal partnerships across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Recently appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to a state commission on suicide prevention, Sarah brings expertise in firearm safety in rural areas. Her approach emphasizes safety as a gateway to reducing firearm-related injuries and deaths. As a rural resident and parent of two children from a local tribe, she advocates for interventions reflecting cultural and rural values.
Jonathan Garvey
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Analyst
Lansing, Michigan
Jonathan Garvey serves as the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Analyst for the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. In his role, Jon serves as liaison for the Michigan Governor’s Challenge – a state-level collaborative effort within the national Governor’s Challenge to prevent suicide among service members, veterans, and their families. Jon also facilitates the Michigan Veteran Connector Program, which helps businesses, schools, community organizations, and healthcare institutions identify service members, veterans, and their families among their populations, and connect them to benefits earned through dedicated service.
A 16-year U.S. Army Veteran (2004-2020) with assignments in artillery, cavalry, and infantry units, Jon has served on multiple combat and operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jon received his commission as an active duty artillery officer through Michigan State University’s ROTC program and holds a bachelor’s degree in social science.
Alia Harvey-Quinn
Founder and Executive Director, FORCE Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Alia Harvey Quinn, the daughter of Black Panthers, has dedicated her life to activism and community-building, with a focus on uplifting grassroots leaders. Her passion for creating a safer Detroit grew from working with youth impacted by criminalization and violence. As the founder and Executive Director of FORCE Detroit, she leads efforts to address gun violence through Community Violence Intervention (CVI). Before founding FORCE, Alia organized justice-impacted leaders and safety advocates as Detroit Director of Michigan Faith in Action. Alia has 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, program design, and community organizing, focusing on justice, safety, positive youth development, coalition building, and redistributive resourcing. Her visionary leadership has played a significant role in shaping Detroit’s strategy within the White House Community Violence Intervention Initiative
Cynthia Joseph, LMSW, CAADC
Director and Therapist, CST Counseling and Transitional Services, Inc.
Saginaw, Michigan
Cynthia Joseph, LMSW, CAADC, is the Director and Therapist at CST Counseling and Transitional Services, Inc. in Saginaw, MI, with over 30 years of experience in administration, program development, and clinical practice. Her work spans sectors including substance abuse, mental health, forensic populations, and intimate partner violence, which became a focus after encountering a female parolee defending herself from domestic abuse. Until her recent semi-retirement, she served as a Jail Diversion Specialist and Prisoner Re-Entry Coordinator, providing intervention services to prevent re-incarceration. Cynthia has also been an Adjunct Professor at Mott Community College since 2001, preparing students for social work careers. In 2004, she founded CST Counseling, offering behavioral and mental health services, including counseling for intimate partner abuse and working with court-referred clients.
Elijah Kindred, MDiv
Director, Health and Wellness Department Bright Star Community Outreach (BSCO)
Chicago, IL
Elijah Kindred is dedicated to empowering marginalized communities, focusing on reducing healthcare disparities through culturally-tailored health curricula and advocating for patient-centered medicine. As health director at BSCO, he leads the Safer Together Coalition in collaboration with Northwestern University, using a public health framework to address community violence. Elijah holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Tennessee State University and a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago, with a research focus on religion and health in the African American community. He has co-authored three peer-reviewed publications, including one on a faith-based diabetes empowerment curriculum for African American churches. In addition to his professional work, Elijah mentors students and serves as a leader in community organizations like Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Bright Star Church Chicago. Elijah’s philosophy is encapsulated by the proverb, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Johanna Kononen, JD
Director, Law and Policy, Michigan Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence (MCEDSV)
Okemos, MI
Johanna has practiced law for 20 years. She supervises the Survivor Law Clinic which provides direct legal services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Johanna also leads the Coalition’s multidisciplinary policy team working to advance legislation and policies that support survivors obtain and maintain safety. She has been an active part of MCEDSV’s nonprofit management efforts, supporting domestic and sexual violence service programs across the state with their policy, employment, and legal questions. Johanna’s undergraduate degree was in nursing, and she started her legal career representing survivors in family law litigation under a DOJ Legal Assistance for Victims grant at legal aid. Johanna later moved to private practice, and throughout her career has continued to work on complex domestic and sexual violence cases.
Maureen Reddy
Investigative Consultant, retired FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC)
Detroit, Michigan
Maureen Reddy is a 30-year veteran of law enforcement, having graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Criminal Justice. She spent 27 years with the FBI investigating violent crime and white-collar crime, working as a Special Agent in Chicago from 1991-2006. Maureen later transferred to the FBI Headquarters in Washington DC, where she was a Supervisory Special Agent in the International Operations Division, later transferring to Legat Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. She worked closely with the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, receiving the Medal of Merit in 2011. Maureen later transferred to the Detroit Division of the FBI and became the Assistant Special Agent in Charge in 2015. She retired from the FBI and started a consulting firm with her husband.
Chris Yaw
Priest and Rector
St. David’s Gun Disposal
Chris is an Episcopal priest and rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Southfield, Michigan. Since 2022, the congregation’s Gun Disposal efforts have taken hundreds of firearms out of circulation in Metro Detroit via gun buybacks and disposal events in church parking lots. Guns are destroyed with chop saws and parts are then made into artwork. Chris also holds leadership positions with End Gun Violence Michigan and The Hyacinth Fellowship which supports those who have caused unintentional harm and death.
Nick Zambeck
Chief Physical Security Officer
Huntington National Bank
Nick is the Chief Physical Security Officer (CPSO) for Huntington National Bank, responsible for the safety and security of 20,000 colleagues and 1100 branches and corporate buildings in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. He retired from the FBI Detroit Field Office in 2019 with over 20 years of distinguished service in law enforcement, working primarily in violent crime, counterterrorism, and with the Critical Incident Response Group, Quantico, Virginia. He has served as a Trooper with the Michigan State Police, and U.S. Marines, retiring as a captain. Nick is active in local community service and has deployed in disaster recovery efforts.