White House Aide Bess Evans '07 Honored by American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
June 14, 2016
Elisabeth W. "Bess" Evans, associate director and senior policy adviser for the White House Office of Public Engagement & Domestic Policy Council and 2007 graduate of DePauw University, was today presented with an award by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The nation's largest organization dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, AFSP honored Evans for her dedication to suicide prevention. (photo,l-r: AFSP Vice President of Public Policy John Madigan; AFSP National Board Chair Nancy Farrell, Bess Evans, and AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia)
"We thank Ms. Evans for collaborating with organizations like AFSP, which has led to an important dialogue on how to advance suicide prevention," said Bob Gebbia, CEO of the organization.
An item at Yahoo! News notes, "Through her own work in the White House, Bess has tirelessly promoted suicide prevention and mental health policies throughout the federal government, including the Affordable Care Act and efforts to ensure that people across the nation have health coverage for mental health and substance use disorders."
It notes the DePauw degree of Evans, who was a double major in sociology and communication and a Media Fellow and Holton Scholar. "Evans has been working at the White House for over four years and rose from being a Senior Policy Advisor for Public Engagement in the Office of Science and Technology Policy to her current role. Prior to joining the White House, Evans worked for the Justice Department and also worked on President Obama's campaign." (at left: Evans with DePauw President Robert G. Bottoms in May 2007 after receiving the Walker Cup, which recognizes the senior student judged to have contributed the most to the University during his or her four-year college career)
Read more here.
In 2013, Bess Evans returned to campus to speak on "Six Years with President Obama: A Perspective." In June 2012, she addressed her classmates at DePauw's Alumni Convocation. Her remarks can be seen and heard below.
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