UA Little Rock Honors Reece for Making a Difference as Suicide Prevention Advocate

For more than a decade, Susie Reece, a senior applied communication major at UA Little Rock, has worked tirelessly as a suicide prevention and mental health awareness advocate.

Her work includes serving as a lived experience engagement coordinator for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Suicide Prevention Allies, and a consultant and speaker for her own company, SFA Consulting.

“I lost my father to suicide when I was 10 so I guess I’ve informally been a suicide prevention advocate ever since then,” Reece said. “In 2012, I started looking for opportunities to volunteer. I felt it was one of those subjects that I had personal experience in where a single person can truly make an impact.”

For her hard work, the Department of Applied Communication honored Reece with the Students Making a Difference Award, which recognizes students who have made a difference in their community in the area of applied communication.

In addition to her work and nonprofit, Reece also volunteers in several suicide prevention initiatives, including working with the Arkansas Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to implement suicide prevention programs in correctional facilities in Arkansas. She also volunteers with the National Alliance for Mental Illness to support suicide prevention for the LGBTQ+ community.

“I also do a lot of work with veterans,” Reece said. “My father had just started his transition out of active military status when he died so that is an area of passion for me.”