Alison Malmon defines herself as a sister first. When her big brother Brian died by suicide during her freshman year of college, Alison was devastated – and was left with more questions than answers. Why him? Why hadn’t she known how much he was struggling?

Turning tragedy into action, she started a group on her campus at the University of Pennsylvania to give students like herself the platform and tools to change the conversation about mental health. Now, more than 15 years later, Alison has cultivated that small student group into the internationally recognized nonprofit organization, Active Minds.

Alison shares her story to inspire others to speak out and be heard, to not suffer in silence, and to help fight the stigma surrounding mental illness, and continues to inspire audiences with her story and calls to action.

During her first year in college, Alison Malmon’s brother Brian died by suicide after a long and silent struggle with schizoaffective disorder. Searching for answers, Alison looked for a student organization on her campus that was talking about mental health. Finding none, she started her own. Today, with more than 400 campus chapters, a dozen widely acclaimed national awareness and advocacy programs, and a network of more than 15,000 students, staff, and community volunteers, Active Minds has become the young adult voice in mental health.

As its Executive Director, Alison has led Active Minds, Inc. for over 15 years. While dispelling the myths, fear and shame that surround people who struggle with their mental health, Alison mobilizes communities to take action and join the mental health movement. She has been recognized by the Association of University Women as a Woman of Distinction; has been named one of the “Top 15 Global Emerging Social Innovators” by Ashoka and American Express; and been named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine. She has received the Destigmatization Award from the National Council of Behavioral Healthcare; Tipper Gore Remember the Children Award from Mental Health America; and more. Alison has been profiled as a “Person You Should Know” on CNN, and in stories in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed, and Glamour Magazine. In addition to her work at Active Minds, Alison serves on advisory boards for the Crisis Text Line, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Elijah’s Journey: The Jewish Response to Suicide, and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

Alison is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and has been Executive Director of Active Minds, Inc. in Washington, DC since founding it in 2003. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three daughters.