Ellen Dalton has more than 30 years of experience in the human services and mental health fields as a senior administrator for Eliot Community Human Services (a large, Massachusetts based, non-profit). Ellen has a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and a master’s degree in Social Education from Boston University.

Most importantly, Ellen has gained experience and expertise in the area of youth suicide through the tragic and untimely death of her daughter, Nan. Ellen had nowhere to turn and she and her family were confronted with the stigma surrounding depression and suicide. She is working to transform her pain into finding answers and addressing gaps in the mental health system, gaps that had allowed Nan to slip through.

Realizing that most people are unwilling or unable to talk about suicide, she launched a campaign to open up the conversation and advocate for those whose voices rarely rise above a whisper. Telling the story of her family and Nan on WBUR and Chronicle, Ellen realized how prevalent depression and suicide were throughout families and communities. Using the unrelenting “what ifs” that consumed her daily quest to understand, Ellen established The NAN Project to bring awareness to schools, and hope to young people struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. She has become a well-respected advocate for those grappling with the darkness of suicide.

Ellen is the proud mother of four children, and currently resides on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

Jake Cavanaugh is Nan’s older brother and the co-founder of The NAN Project. Jake and Ellen started brainstorming ideas about how to promote mental health awareness way back in mid-2015, and officially launched The NAN Project at the start of 2016. Nowadays, Jake is the Executive Director of The NAN Project, heading up much of the outreach and training, with the help of an amazing, ever-growing team. His daily activities revolve around connecting with schools around Massachusetts, providing professional development workshops, recruiting Peer Mentors, presenting to students, and everything in between.

Jake graduated from Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in 2000, where Nan also attended. Upon graduating from the University of Miami, with a double major in Political Science and International Studies in 2004, Jake went to work on a presidential political campaign in Florida. Jake moved to China in 2005, where he soon met his wife and adopted a mangy street dog named Marley. He spent nearly 10 years living in the tiny metropolis of Suzhou just outside of Shanghai, working at a boutique market research firm. Jake returned to Massachusetts in 2015 and now resides in Beverly with his wife, Marley, and their newest family member, a Golden Retriever named Jasper.

Diagnosed with an anxiety disorder during her most turbulent year of high school, Lizzie MacLellan sees a lot of herself in many of the young adults she meets while working for The Nan Project. Whether she is presenting her own story or helping others to do the same, Lizzie strives to destigmatize mental health and empower those like her to use their lived experience to make a difference in their own lives and in their communities.

Lizzie graduated with honors from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a minor in Human Rights. The combination of these two fields has led to an understanding of mental health that is person focused, evidence based, and considerate of intersectional identities.

In her free time, you can probably find Lizzie visiting her family in Wareham, Massachusetts or at home in Waltham.

Donna Kausek, LMHC, is a seasoned professional in the field of mental health counseling, community-based clinical services and mental health and domestic violence training, with over 25 years of experience. Donna has served as the Program Director of the Mobile Crisis Intervention Program at Eliot Community Human Services where she supervised emergency, mobile, psychiatric evaluations and dispositions of children under 21 years old.

Donna has previous experience with Partners HealthCare, where she performed as the Employee Assistance Program Domestic Violence Specialist where she developed educational and training programs for health care providers responding to victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. She currently serves as the Clinical Director of The Nan Project at Eliot Community Human Services, where she offers support to peer mentors and provides a variety of mental health trainings for teachers, staff, and community stakeholders.

In her free time, Donna enjoys walking the beach, reading mysteries and watching the Red Sox, as well as spending time with her family in their home north of Boston.

Shilpa Thirukkovalur joined The NAN Project as a Peer Coordinator in March 2020 after graduating from UMass Boston in 2019 with a double major in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies. As someone who deals with mental health challenges, Shilpa has experienced firsthand the cultural stigma that surrounds being open about mental health and understands the importance of having access to support. Being a part of TNP’s team has allowed her the opportunity to listen and learn from the lived experiences of other Peer Mentors, and share with young adults what she wished she knew in high school about mental health: it’s okay to ask for help when you are struggling.

Shilpa came on board at a period of transition with The NAN Project pivoting to provide mental health education programming virtually. Some of her main responsibilities have been to develop short videos, webinars, and other virtual resources around topics like coping skills, social isolation, and how to identify warning signs and risk factors for suicide in young adults.

You can find Shilpa exploring Boston, visiting museums, especially the Museum of Fine Arts, or reading in a cafe. She currently resides in Somerville, MA, with her cat, Marlowe Raju.

April joined The Nan Project as a Peer Coordinator in September of 2022, bringing her skills in peer development and passion in changing the conversation around mental health. She has worked in the behavioral health field since 2016 in a community outreach setting where she supervised peer specialists and provided one-on-one support to young adults. As part of this work, she helped youth navigate barriers and build the strength and resilience needed for recovery. As a member of the research advisory board at one of the nation’s top psychiatric care hospitals, she helps ensure that the research approaches taken are recovery-oriented and trauma-informed.

April is passionate and excited to use her lived experience with mental health challenges to break down stigma in schools, youth serving organizations, and for all those that work to support young people.

In her free time she likes to be active by doing yoga, boxing classes and snowboarding.

Nissa joined The NAN Project in February of 2021 to help support young adults in schools across Massachusetts. She is originally from New York City and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the State University of New Paltz with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Spanish, and a minor in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies. She is passionate about improving social conditions for historically excluded communities and addressing the mental health challenges that are prevalent within them.

Outside of work, Nissa volunteers as a Rape Crisis Counselor and enjoys live music, reading, watching movies, and spending quality time with friends.

Max T. (they/them) has been with The NAN Project since February 2022 and serves as the School Outreach Coordinator. In addition to facilitating conversations with students about mental health in schools across the state of Massachusetts, they are certified to facilitate Question, Persuade, and Refer (an evidence-based suicide prevention training) and Adult Mental Health First Aid. Max has lived experience with mental health challenges and is committed to encouraging others to take a community-oriented and collective care approach to supporting one another.

Karla Flores joined The NAN Project in September 2022 as the Community Outreach Coordinator. In this role, she collaborates with youth-serving organizations across Massachusetts to promote mental health education, build community partnerships, and support young people through outreach and engagement.

Karla also leads Spanish programming, delivering presentations in Spanish to schools and community groups to increase mental health awareness in Hispanic communities. Karla is passionate about using her social work background and lived experience to break down barriers and foster understanding.

Shannon joined The NAN Project in June of 2023 as the Communications Coordinator. Shannon graduated from Endicott College in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Her work at The NAN Project focuses on spreading messages of hope through both Communications and Marketing avenues, including coordinating all social media and online presence for the organization.

Shannon is passionate about mentoring others and helping to increase recognition around social issues that are important to her. She has a deeply personal connection to mental health and hopes to work towards reducing the stigma, especially within P.O.C communities.

During her free time, Shannon enjoys creative writing, going to see live music, and exploring local parks with her dogs.

Nicole is a clinical psychologist with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Neuroscience. With over 12 years of experience in the field, she has developed expertise in psychological evaluation and diagnosis, including developmental assessments. She is certified in the use of the ADOS-2 for the evaluation of Autism Spectrum Disorder and has extensive experience working with individuals with developmental disorders. As part of her clinical practice, she has also conducted suicide prevention and risk assessments.

Nicole previously served as the Coordinator of the Psychology Unit at a hospital in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she oversaw clinical services and contributed to the development of evidence-based practices in mental health care. Her work integrated neuroscience into clinical practice, particularly in the areas of assessment, early detection, and diagnostic precision. Her professional trajectory highlights prevention and comprehensive evaluation as essential components of quality mental health care. She has collaborated closely with multidisciplinary teams in hospital and community-based settings, supporting individuals and families through clinical interventions and psychoeducation.

In her free time, Nicole enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and discovering new cultures.

Jorge joined The NAN Project in July of 2025 as the Everett Outreach Coordinator to identify resources and develop new connections and friendships with partners across the City of Everett.

Jorge is originally from Colombia and graduated from University of Massachusetts, Boston with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a Minor in Supply Chain Management. He went on to earn a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a minor in Healthcare Management from Cambridge College.

Jorge is passionate about bringing awareness to suicide prevention and mental health among young people, and improving living standards for vulnerable communities.

Outside work, he is a Permanent Deacon for the Archdiocese of Boston, enjoys soccer, reading and spending time with his family, friends and his beloved Dante, a rescue dog.