MCA PLC: Suicide Awareness and Prevention for Leaders – Presenter Biographies
Jackie Williams
Ms. Jacqueline Williams assumed her current role at Marine Corps Base Quantico as the Behavioral Health Branch Head in December of 2023. Her scope of responsibility includes leadership of the Substance Abuse, Family Advocacy, Community Counseling, and New Parent Support non-medical programs. As a Civilian Marine, she served as the Substance Abuse Program Director from April 2013 to December 2022. Throughout her twenty-year career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she has provided administrative leadership and clinical care to the child welfare, criminal justice, homeless, medically compromised, substance abuse, and mental health population.
Ms. Williams has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Hope College in Holland, Michigan and a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago, The School of Social Service Administration in Chicago, Illinois. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Organizational Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Col Melanie Bell-Carter, USMC
Colonel Bell-Carter currently serves as Chief of Force Resiliency, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Marine and Family Programs Division, Quantico, VA.
Enlisted in the Marine Corps and graduated from recruit training at
Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina in July 1992.
August 1992, she attended the Aviation Ordnance Course at Naval Air Station (NAS), Millington, Tennessee.
November 1992, she attended the AV-8B Armament Organizational Systems Maintenance
Course at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), Cherry Point, North Carolina.
February 1993, she PCS’d to MCAS Yuma, Arizona, as an Aviation Ordnance woman at
Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 13 (MALS-13).
February 1995, she joined MALS-36 in Okinawa, Japan as an Aviation Ordnance woman.
February 1996, she attended the Instructor Training Course, Norfolk, Virginia, upon completion, she transferred to MCAS Cherry Point, NAMTRAGRUDET, to attend the Curriculum Developers Course and served with Marine Attack Training Squadron
203 as an Aviation Ordnance Instructor.
July 1998, after a lateral move, she attended the Aviation Operations Course at Naval Air Station, Meridian, Mississippi. During this tour, she was selected for the Meritorious Commissioning Program.
October 1998, she attended Officer Candidate School, Quantico, Virginia and graduated in December 1998.
January 1999, she reported to The Basic School at Quantico, Virginia and graduated in July of 1999.
August 1999, she attended the Adjutant’s Course at Camp Johnson, North Carolina.
September 1999, she PCS’d to Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California.
There she was the Adjutant and Legal Officer for Headquarters & Service
Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group (FSSG). During this tour she attended the Legal Officer’s Course, San Diego, California.
March 2000, she became the Human Resources Officer for the 1st FSSG Headquarters.
March 2001, she moved to 1st Transportation Support Battalion, 1st FSSG as the Adjutant and Legal Officer.
March 2002, she moved to the I MEF Headquarters Group, and served as the Adjutant and Legal Officer. During that tour, she participated in Exercise Ulchi Focus Lens on Seoul, Korea. Additionally, during this tour, she deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM as the Officer-in-Charge of the Joint Visitors Bureau with Combined Joint Task Force 180.
June 2003, she PCS’d to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, as the Deputy AC/S G-1, Adjutant, and Airport Liaison Officer for the Depot and Eastern Recruiting Region.
July 2006, she PCS’d to Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and performed the duties of the Adjutant, Legal Officer, and PSD Company Commander for Marine
Aircraft Group 24.
June 2009, she PCS’d to the Pentagon HQMC, Programs & Resources Department as the
Administrative Officer, Security Manager, and Operational Sponsorship Manager.
June 2010, she PCA’d to the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, and served as the Staff Secretary and AC/S G-1.
September 2012, she PCS’d to Command Element, Marine Corps Forces Central Command
Forward, Naval Support Activity, Bahrain, as the AC/S G-1 and Headquarters
Company Commander. During this tour, she also served as the Deputy Officer-in-
Charge of the MARCENT Coordination Element – Bahrain. During this time, Colonel
Bell-Carter participated in CJCS Exercise Eager Lion as the CFLCC C-1 in Aqaba, Jordan as well as multiple MARCENT COOP exercises as Deputy Officer-in-Charge for the MARCENT Coordination Element-Bahrain.
August 2014 to June 2015, she attended the Air Command and Staff College; Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and earned the Master of Military Operational Art and
Science Degree.
July 2015, she PCS’d to Marine Corps Combat Development Command/Combat
Development and Integration; Quantico, Virginia and served as the AC/S G-1.
July 2019 – July 2022, she served as the Director or Management and Administration and Human Resources Directorate for the White House Military
Office, Washington, DC.
July 2022 – January 2023, served as the Assistant Chief of Staff (AC/S), G-1 at III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), Command Element, Okinawa, Japan.
Her personal awards include: Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, 3 Meritorious Service Medals, 2 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, 3 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, 2 Good Conduct Medals and a host of Meritorious Masts, Certificates of Commendations, and Certificates and Letters of Appreciations.
She possesses a Bachelor of Science – Management/Human Resources; Master of Art – Human Resource Development; Master of Art – Management & Leadership; and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science.
Colonel Bell-Carter has two children: Erik age 29 and Kennedi age 16.
Sandy U. Morrison, PhD
Dr. Morrison started her work at Headquarters Marine Corps in 2015 as a Research Analyst in Behavioral Programs, Marine & Family. After a year, she assumed the role of Section Head for the Research and Program Evaluation Section and was subsequently detailed to the Suicide Prevention Section as Section Head. She next took on the role of Assistant Branch Head – Integration (ABH-I) and has served as such since 2019. As the ABH-I, she coordinates the Integration Sections (Research, Data Surveillance, Curriculum Development, Combat and Operational Control, and the Embedded Preventive Behavioral Health Capability) and supports them in their mission to advance evidenced-based prevention and response across the fleet.
Dr. Morrison has a PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences from Auburn University. She has done graduate work in military suicide prevention and has served as the Marine Corps Death by Suicide Review Board Chairperson since 2016.
Rebecca Cunningham
Rebecca Cunningham is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor with over 18 years of experience in mental health and substance use treatment services. She graduated from Saddleback College and California State University Fullerton with degrees in Human Services, and later obtained her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan. In her current position as a clinical social worker, she mainly provides individual therapy and educational workshops at NMRTC Quantico. She and Dr. Strickland created the clinic Trauma Skills Workshop, which was the primary inspiration for their presentation today. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys photography and volunteering in her local community.
LT Jessica Strickland, USN
Jessica Strickland is a Clinical Psychologist with over five years of experience working with the veteran/military community. She graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience and Psychology, with a minor in Biology. She later received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, earning the degree Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). In 2019, Dr. Strickland commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, where she continues to serve as an Active-Duty Navy Psychologist. In her free time, Dr. Strickland enjoys hiking, gardening, and playing with her pups.