Annie Slease

Annie Slease is the co-founder of the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative. Annie enjoyed a 25-year teaching career before serving for more than five years as director of advocacy and education at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Delaware.

Annie serves on several statewide mental health advocacy initiatives. She is the mental health lead for the Delaware School-Based Health Alliance, the youth subcommittee chair for the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition, and she sits on the Education Committee of the Lt. Governor’s Behavioral Health Consortium as well as the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families Advisory and Advocacy Council.

Annie holds a bachelor of arts in Education from Benedictine College and a master of Education from the University of Delaware. She and her husband, Tom, have five grown children who live in five different states. Annie and Tom live in Newark with their cat, Daisy, and their pandemic puppy, Penny Rose.

Susan Veenema

Susan Veenema was an instructional coach for the Delaware Positive Behavior Support Project at UD’s Center for Disabilities Studies, where she led professional development and coaching on developing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and social skills.

Susan shared her personal experience living with bipolar disorder with students enrolled in UD’s Senior Seminar in Disability Studies. Advocating for a greater awareness of issues affecting people living with mental illness and the elimination of stigmas often associated with people living with mental illness has always been a passion of Susan’s.

Before joining CDS, Susan was a special educator, spending more than 10 years working with students with varied disabilities in residential and public school settings. Most of her teaching consisted of supporting students with autism. Susan is pursuing a graduate degree in Public Policy and Urban Affairs, where she hopes to continue supporting the educational needs of students with disabilities.

Away from work, Susan often can be found outdoors with her husband, and two daughters in Chester County, Pa. She loves reading biographies and history, traveling and being a foodie, and developed an appreciation for art while studying in London. She’s grateful whenever she finds the time to explore what’s new in the local art and food scene.