Senator Darryl Ervin Rouson
SPECIAL GUEST

Senator Darryl Ervin Rouson has long been a trailblazer. In 1981, he became Pinellas County’s first African American prosecutor. He led the St. Petersburg NAACP from 2000 to 2005 and served on Florida’s Taxation and Budget Reform Commission and Constitutional Revision Commission. He was elected to the Florida House in 2008 and the Senate in 2016, now representing District 16. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and has chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee.

A champion for behavioral health policy, Sen. Rouson has focused on substance use disorder and mental health, sponsoring key bills like SB 282 and SB 1620. He’s celebrated 27 years of sobriety and often shares his recovery story statewide. His leadership has earned him the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from Drug Free America Foundation and the Torchbearer Award from Live Tampa Bay. Sen. Rouson holds degrees from Xavier University and the University of Florida. He and his wife Angela have raised five sons, and he practices law with Rubenstein Law in Tampa Bay.

Emma Benoit
KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Emma Benoit, became a dedicated advocate for suicide prevention following a life-altering suicide attempt in 2017. Once a high-achieving student and varsity cheerleader, Emma silently battled depression and anxiety. Her attempt resulted in paralysis but also marked the beginning of her journey toward healing, purpose, and advocacy. She now shares her story to raise awareness and inspire hope.

“Emma’s story captures the severity of the mental health and suicidality pandemic amongst the adolescent population in the United States. My Ascension is a serious yet uplifting story that provides hope, clarity and support to its audience from a personal perspective.”
– Saro Altinoglu, PSY.D, ROWI Teen and Parent Wellness Center

Lindsey Brown

Lindsay Brown, M.Ed. Ed.S. is the Director of Training and Partnerships with the Florida LEADS Zero Suicide Project, a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that works to build suicide safer communities throughout Florida. Lindsay has specialized in suicide prevention since 2007, beginning her work as a suicide hotline counselor and earning her master’s and specialist degrees in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida. Since joining the grant implementation team at University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, and Florida Behavioral Health Association in 2015, Lindsay has trained over 7,000 people in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention strategies and coached countless behavioral health, health, school and community support service systems across the state in suicide evidence-based practices. 

Nick Padlo

Nick Padlo is a small business leader, entrepreneur, and native of Jacksonville Florida. He received his undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy (West Point), where he served as the Chairman of the Honor Committee. After West Point, Nick served for 5 years in the United States Army. Where he spent 27 months in combat operations between Afghanistan and Iraq, earning the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge. He attended Stanford University for business school, and later went on to become CEO of an Inc1000 growth company. His move into substance abuse treatment is a result of his personal battle with depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder. After getting treatment himself, Nick defined his personal mission as helping others through similarly dark times. He believes that everyone can find their way back, regain their lives, and live a life free of suffering. Sophros was designed to be just that place, where clients across North Florida can develop a set of tools that can help them establish their own personal road to recovery.

Kevin Stamper

Kevin Stamper is a dynamic and influential public speaker, celebrated as one of the most captivating voices in professional communication today. A highly sought-after consultant, Kevin has worked with businesses, NGOs, and political campaigns worldwide, helping them shape and share their messages effectively.

With an M.A. in Professional Communication from the University of Tampa, Kevin combines academic expertise with hands-on experience, offering audiences a unique and practical perspective. His dedication to elevating communication skills has earned him the title of #1 Speaker in America by Toastmasters International, and in 2017, he placed 3rd in Toastmasters’ World Championship of Public Speaking.

Lynn Sherman

Lynn Sherman serves as the Executive Director of Health Programs for the City of Jacksonville on Mayor Donna Deegan’s executive team. A seasoned leader with more than 40 years in healthcare, she previously served as Executive Director of Community Health and Transformation at Baptist Health. Her work centers on advancing health equity and addressing social determinants of health through collaboration and innovation.

Lynn holds a Master’s in Health Administration and is a certified Community Health Leader through the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. She is a founding member and past board chair of 904WARD, a board member of the Northside Community Involvement, a board member of Leadership Jacksonville, a member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and co-leads the annual city-wide Girls Empowerment Conference.

Randi Glossman

Randi Glossman is the Commander of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) Health and Wellness Section, where she leads a robust portfolio of wellness-focused programs including Peer Support, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Officer-Involved Shooting response, Chaplaincy, comprehensive counseling, military spousal support, the station dog program, and more.

A 32-year veteran of JSO, Commander Glossman brings decades of operational experience and leadership to her current role. She served as a Crisis Negotiator for 23 years—rising to lead the unit—before being appointed to Sheriff Waters’ executive staff. She is trained in Peer Support and is ICISF-certified in Critical Incident Stress Management.

Dr. Sunil Joshi

Dr. Sunil Joshi was born and raised in Jacksonville. He grew up in Arlington and attended Terry Parker High School and then the University of Florida.  He practices Allergy/Immunology in his private practice which has 5 locations all over Northeast Florida.   

He is passionate about public health and is responsible for the #FluVaxJax initiative that increased influenza vaccination rates in Duval County during the COVID pandemic by offering free flu vaccine vouchers to those without health insurance. He was appointed by Mayor Deegan to be Jacksonville’s first Chief Health Officer in 2023. Dr. Joshi is passionate about all things Jacksonville and is excited about collaborating with leaders throughout the community to improve local health outcomes.