Meet Our Team

In his previous role as Chief Program Officer at Stop Soldier Suicide, Keith was responsible for all programmatic activities and strategic efforts. During his six years with the organization, he has developed, implemented and evaluated a best-in-class clinical service model to deliver suicide prevention and early intervention treatment and support services to veterans and service members. Keith directly oversees our operations for our ROGER wellness service, research and evaluation activities, and community-based suicide prevention efforts including the development of veteran firearm safety teams in three North Carolina counties. Prior to his tenure at Stop Soldier Suicide, Keith was a senior public health administrator at the Wyoming Department of Health for ten years, as well as CEO of the Prevention Management Organization, a statewide public health prevention agency. Keith has a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Wyoming and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas Law School.

Sonja Batten is a licensed clinical psychologist. She was previously the senior psychological health adviser at Booz Allen Hamilton. As deputy chief consultant for specialty mental health at VA, she oversaw national mental health policy and led VA’s award-winning mental health public awareness campaign “Make the Connection.” Dr. Batten has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno and received specialized training at the National Center for PTSD and National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center.

Austin graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in Economics & Systems Engineering. He later earned his MBA from North Carolina State University. Austin is a U.S. Army veteran who served as an Information Technology and Information Awareness Manager with deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. After his military career, Austin was an Assistant Professor of Military Science followed by nearly a decade of managing channels and global partnerships for various enterprises.

Josh Holley is a Marine Corps veteran who earned an undergrad degree in Business Administration at the University of Tennessee and a Master’s degree in Accountancy at Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. In addition to his career in finance, Josh has been active in founding and participating in programs to help veterans start and manage small businesses and providing diligence support for venture capitalists.

Kathy is the proud daughter of an Army Veteran who has been leading non-profit organization fundraising for health equity, mental health, and wellness for over 20 years. Before joining SSS in 2022, Kathy served as the Senior Vice President for the American Heart Association, the EVP and Chief Strategy and Development Officer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Chief Development Officer at the Charleston Parks Conservancy--all organizations with incredibly impactful and life changing missions. Kathy attended University of Michigan- Ann Arbor and Central Michigan University and holds a BS in Political Science.