Lisa Wexler, Ph.D., MSW is a Professor in the School of Social Work and a researcher at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her decades-long participatory research program collaborates with Indigenous communities, primarily rural and remote Alaska Native villages, and aims to (1) translate research into strategic, self-determined community action; (2) describe and amplify sources of strength in rural Indigenous communities that promote youth wellness and resilience; and (3) develop practical multilevel approaches to reduce youth suicide risk across the prevention spectrum. The universal prevention approach of the Family Safety Net builds on the strong family orientation of many Alaska Native people, and encourages adults to promote safe firearm storage within their homes as an important way to keep young people safe.
Roberta Moto, BSW is the Wellness Program Manager for Maniilaq Association. She is a tribal member of the Native Village of Deering, Alaska. Her Inupiaq name is Anausuk. She is a wife to Ron Moto Sr. for 35 years, mother of 6, and grandmother of 9. She lives and works in Deering, Alaska. Roberta has been involved with the Family Safety Net since its beginning. Her work experience includes: ICWA Coordinator, Tribal Administrator, and Village Based Counselor. She has a Bachelors in Social Work with an emphasis in Child Welfare from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is pursuing a Masters of Social Work at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She serves on the ANCHRR Research Steering Committee, the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council, and the OPTin Kiana board.
Megan Leys, MSW (she/her/hers) is the Family Safety Net Coordinator at Maniilaq Health Services in Kotzebue, Alaska. Megan has worked in a variety of roles supporting young people and their families in communities across the nation in both rural and urban contexts. Through participatory and collaborative organizing and research, she is interested in working at the local level to find equitable, accessible, and sustainable solutions to promote wellness and community change. Megan has worked for Family Safety Net since 2022 after graduating with her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan with a concentration in program evaluation and applied research.
Avery Moje, MPH (she/her/hers) the Program Strategy & Research Dissemination Coordinator at the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and a Research Consultant with the Family Safety Net project. Her interests in the development and evaluation of violence prevention programs for youth, harm reduction, and community-based public health work led her to first join the Family Safety Net team as a graduate student in 2022. Avery holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Jennifer Shaw, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor in the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Since 2010, she has conducted community-engaged, participatory research on suicide prevention and other behavioral health topics in the Alaska Tribal Health System. These studies have focused on identifying protective factors among individuals with lived experience of suicide risk, cultural adaptation and implementation of suicide prevention interventions, and the use of routinely collected medical record data to reduce suicide risk in the Alaska Native community. Jen’s research aims to improve health equity through the delivery of clinical and community-based health services that center the values, priorities, and strengths of the individuals, families, and communities they serve.
