10th Annual Who is Jay? Mental Health Symposium

The 10th Annual Who is Jay? Mental Health Symposium took place on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at the Ocean Center in Daytona, with more than 300 registered.
The morning keynote speaker for the event, Sgt. Kevin Briggs.  Dubbed the “Guard of the Golden Gate Bridge” because of his work preventing more than 200 people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay and author of Guardian of the Golden Gate: Protecting the Line Between Hope and Despair. 

The keynote during lunch was by Founder and CEO of COPE Notes, Johnny Crowder.  

Here are a few photos of the keynote presenters, the founders of the Jay’s Hope Fund, and local musician, Bob Hartland, who entertained and welcomed attendees in the morning.

Johnny Crowder, Founder & CEO of Cope Notes

Breakout Presentations were provided by popular speakers from previous events as part of the “Greatest Hits” theme:

• Dr. Kevin Hill (Director of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Author of Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed and Co-author of Medical Cannabis: An Evidence-Based Guide

• Dr. Nekeshia Hammond (Distinguished Psychologist, Executive Coach, Founder of Hammond Psychology & Associates, Creator and Host of the well- received show “Mental Health Moment with Dr. Hammond”, former President of the Florida Psychological Association and immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Ryan Nece Foundation)

• Tina Miller (Founder & Executive Director of Florida Recovery Schools of Tampa Bay, Inc.)

Other presenters included Sam Eaton, Dr. James Munro, and SMA Healthcare’s own Crisis Response Team.