Julia considers herself a fearless learner. Trying to make a difference in this hectic, yet beautiful world energizes her. She loves diving into the unknown and finding the constellations of small details that make up people’s’ lives. During Julia’s sophomore year of high school, she lost her two closest friends to suicide. While struggling with her own of depression, she was faced with how to cope with the loss of these two incredible people in her life. She experienced great darkness and sadness, but always was and still is able to find the beauty in the world. Because of this, she created The Yellow Tulip Project, which is meant to smash the stigma associated with mental illness, and remind people that even in the darkest places, there really is always hope. This is a message she hopes to spread so no one ever has to feel alone.

Matt is a finance professional with experience in commercial and corporate banking as well as financial planning and analysis. Meticulously focused on finding solutions that drive straight to the center of an obstacle, Matt prides himself on the deeply analytical approach he takes to financing, development, and mentorship. During his time in commercial banking, he’s worked with non-profits and businesses ranging from small startups middle-market companies. Matt has also mentored entrepreneurs through SCORE, recently provided a series of financial management trainings to farmer cooperatives in the Philippines, and – during a hiatus from banking – taught 6^th grade Common Core math and science in Southeast Asia.

Matt personally understands that everyone’s life, regardless of its outward appearance, contains numerous challenges. One such challenge is often mental health and the perceived stigma attached to sharing struggles and feelings. Matt is excited to be a part of an organization that illuminates these struggles, seeks to eliminate this stigma, and help those grappling with their mental health to feel heard. He lives with his wife in Portland, ME. They enjoy skiing, tennis, traveling, and being active in the Portland community together.

Bill is a practicing attorney specializing in labor and employment law at Bernstein Shur in Portland, Maine.  Prior to attending law school, Bill completed a yearlong fellowship at the Dismas House of Massachusetts, a multi-faceted non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the reentry of ex-prisoners and recovering addicts into society.  At Dismas House, Bill was tasked with raising funds through grant writing and implementing strategic policy initiatives across its various programs.  Bill’s experience highlighted to him the need for society to rethink how it handles mental health, especially among teenagers and young adults, and the need for more mental health resources and outlets overall.  Bill is excited to use his experience and skillset to promote the YTP mission and remove the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

A Maine native, Bill resides in Gorham, Maine, with his wife, Bonnie, and their two pets.  In his free time, you can find Bill watching any of the New England sport teams and remodeling his 200-year old home.

Hi everyone! I’m Conrad Gabriel and I am a senior at Tulane University in New Orleans! Having grown up in Maine, I am fond of the outdoors and try to spend my time outside when possible. I have spent a few years with YTP through various roles but have always remained passionate about the mission of this beautiful organization. The world can be such a great place for everyone and I think we all deserve the support to feel that in whatever capacity may be needed and am so happy YTP is actively doing that!

Johann Sabbath is a strategy consultant by trade and changemaker at heart. He loves bringing people together around big ideas and building campaigns and organizations that seek to address meaningful problems.

He currently works with a small global consulting firm that helps companies understand competitive landscapes and make strategic decisions. He specializes in global financial services and insurance. Prior to his work as a consultant, he held strategy positions at IDEXX and WEX, two Maine-based publicly traded companies.

A generalist by any measure, in previous lives Johann started a wedding photography SaaS company, earned an MBA from Babson, roamed the South Island of New Zealand, rebuilt a regional Chamber of Commerce in Maine, pounded pavement on on federal healthcare reform and state marriage equality campaigns, ranch handed in Montana, aided for a U.S. Senator in Washington, DC, and interned at the White House.

He was introduced to community organizing as a UC Santa Barbara student where he worked with collaborators across the US System to implement environmental building and procurement policies.

Johann lives in Cape Elizabeth with his wife Yasmin, two young children Pemma and Bodhi, their dog Fozzie, and cat Lola.

Josh comes to Yellow Tulip Project with more than 25 years experience in marketing across ad agencies, technology, startups, animal health, financial services, non-profit and healthcare sectors. His career has spanned a diversity of roles, from campaign strategy working with Boston-based Arnold, one of the world’s largest ad agencies, to copy and speechwriting for United Way of Massachusetts Bay, to leadership and management with Fortune 500 insurer, Unum, where he led a team of six digital marketing strategists and creators.

In Maine, Josh has held creative and leadership positions with IDEXX and Covetrus, and also led marketing for early-stage startups locally and in New York City. He is currently managing content and communications for San Diego-based QuidelOrtho, a global in vitro diagnostics leader.

People in all walks of life face the pain and unique challenges of mental health, and Josh’s experience with friends, family and personally has been no different. After helping companies and brands position for growth and generate top-tier media coverage in outlets such as NPR, The Wall Street Journal, CBS, CNN, as well as industry media coverage, Josh is joining Yellow Tulip Project to elevate its message and profile for our mission to smash the stigma surrounding mental health, bringing hope, awareness and greater acceptance of the critical issues that can help save lives.

Erin Belfort is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist practicing in Portland, Maine. She is a Mainer and after going ‘away’ for her medical school in Vermont and then residency and fellowship in Boston, she was thrilled to return to her home state to pursue her career and to raise her two children (and boxer dog!) alongside her husband. She is a dedicated medical educator and clinician. She spent more than a decade working in a multi-disciplinary gender clinic and cares deeply about supporting children and adolescents to be their authentic selves. She has particular expertise in the impacts of social media on youth and in family therapy training and practice.

Jenna Fabrique is a seasoned professional in the financial services industry, currently serving as a Client Experience Marketing Manager with a focus on ETF product offerings. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing with a minor in Psychology from Saint Mary’s College of California. Since starting her career in 2017, Jenna has developed extensive expertise in client engagement and strategic marketing.

Outside of her professional life, Jenna actively volunteers with the East Bay SPCA through their Jog-A-Dog program, combining her love for fitness and animals.

In 2023, Jenna faced the profound loss of her brother after his courageous battle with mental illness. This personal tragedy has driven her commitment to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. In honor of her brother, she established the Hope Garden in San Ramon in 2024, a community space dedicated to fostering awareness, support, and healing for mental health challenges.

Suzanne co-founded The Yellow Tulip Project with her daughter Julia in 2016. She currently serves as the Director of Global Initiatives, on the YTP Board of Directors and as an advisor to YTP’s special projects including the I Am More:Facing Stigma and Young Men Moving Mountains exhibits, Storytelling Alchemy and other community partnerships.   She is an out of the box thinker and a creator who loves working on projects that make a positive impact on this messy but beautiful world. She served as YTP’s Executive Director from its creation until June 2023.  Prior to her work as a mental health activist, Suzanne has over 30 years of experience in building understanding and cross-cultural awareness as an adjunct professor, principal of an intercultural consulting company and a facilitator.  She has a B.A. in Asian Studies from Bowdoin College, an MA in Chinese Politics from the School of Oriental & African Studies in London and will be pursuing a masters in Global Mental Health from the University of Edinburgh this fall. She looks forward to combining her background and experiences in cross-cultural understanding with mental health activism.  There she will be exploring stigma across cultures and working globally to expand YTP’s youth driven, community focused message of hope and stigma reduction. She loves sharing her story and the story of YTP and believes in the simple and compelling message of  YTP and wants to spread it both nationally and internationally since mental illness impacts one in five people worldwide. She is the recipient of The New England Patriots Foundation Myra Kraft Community Volunteer Award, United Way of Southern Maine Individual Advocate Award and the Maine Biz NEXT Award recognized as one of  seven individuals who are changing Maine’s economy and making a significant impact in their industry.

You can reach Suzanne at: suzanne@theyellowtulipproject.org

Caitlin joined Maine Medical Center’s Philanthropy Department in 2016. In her role as the Leadership Gifts Event Manager, she supports the Major Gift Officers and Executive Leadership at the Medical Center by planning and executing first-class events.

Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Design degree from Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Utilizing her skills and knowledge, she brings a creative and fresh approach to her work in event coordination.

Before joining MMC, Caitlin’s professional career was in the field of Higher Education Administration. Most recently, she served as the Executive Assistant to the President of Union College in Schenectady, New York, where her duties included supporting the President’s fundraising efforts, organizing campus-wide and special events, as well as conferences and meetings for its Board of Trustees.

Caitlin resides in Portland, where she enjoys its vibrant art and music scene, diverse culinary offerings, and the State of Maine’s beautiful great outdoors. Additionally, she is inspired by positive change through giving back and is delighted to be participating on the board of the Yellow Tulip Project.

Dan Featherstone is a seasoned digital strategist, currently serving as Unum’s Digital Marketing manager. Prior to Unum, Dan spent five years on the digital marketing team at CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) as their Sr. Digital Marketing Producer where he was responsible for developing and implementing digital marketing campaigns across a wide range of platforms.

An alum of UNE, Dan received his degree in Political Science. He currently lives in Portland, ME with his beloved dog Nori. Someday, Dan aspires to be a professional boat captain, and can often be seen sailing around Casco bay.

Hey Changemakers! My name is Danielle, and I’m a Junior at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. I am the active, passionate, and enthusiastic Director of Outreach for the Yellow Tulip Project. 

In 2018, I joined the Yellow Tulip Project after a presentation at my high school and after learning more during my time at Seeds of Peace. Once I heard our momentum’s message, I knew, in my heart, that I had to get involved. The journey to healing and finding inner peace is far from linear, and it’s time we started walking together on this long and winding road. Hope does happen, and we are truly never alone. We are all endlessly worthy and innately deserving of the purest form of happiness. 

Together, we can and will ‘Smash the Stigma’ and save lives. I’m ready to change the world and thrilled to immerse myself in this beautiful community of mountain movers! Feel free to reach me at outreach@theyellowtulipproject.org.