On May 21, 2015 the world lost a bright light and I lost my father to suicide. Michael Howard Tillotson was a loving husband, father, son, and a great friend to many. He owned his own videography and lighting company called MHT Productions. Mike loved hunting, fishing, and making kielbasa. He was a kind soul who would take the shirt off his back for anyone who needed help.
The idea to start the foundation came almost immediately after. My name is Erica Tillotson, and I am Michael's daughter and the founder of the Michael H Tillotson Foundation.
I knew I wanted something positive to come of this tragedy. As much as I wanted to start this journey right away, I knew that I needed to honor my own mental health and take the time necessary to grieve and begin to heal, so that I could be a better resource for others in the future.
I can't wait to see all that we can accomplish together!
- Erica
Erica serves as the president of the Michael H. Tillotson Foundation. By day, she is a management consultant with ScottMadden. She is the proud daughter of Michael Tillotson and the niece of Tim Tillotson, both of whom she lost to suicide as a young adult. Erica was born and raised in North Brookfield, Massachusetts and holds an MBA from Boston College and a BA in Government from Georgetown University. Erica is passionate about creating an open and honest discussion around mental health and using her experiences to help others.
Meredith is a communications professional and founder of marketing firm Foresight Messaging. A graduate of Duke University, she is also a competitive sailor and volunteer with the Maryland Medical Reserve Corps and Baltimore Museum of Art. Meredith joined the foundation's board in 2023. She is passionate about mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and helping survivors gain access to resources and connection.
Janelle works as a Senior Finance Manager at Procter & Gamble. Janelle has an MBA from Boston College (where she met the foundation’s president, Erica) and a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Cornell University. Her personal and career journey has driven her to be passionate about making mental health resources available for minors and removing stigmas surrounding mental health in the workplace.
Maggie Cleary serves as Special Counsel to Attorney General Jason Miyares. Previously, she served in Governor Youngkin’s administration as Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. Prior to accepting these appointments, she was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, in Roanoke, and an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Culpeper County, Virginia.
Maggie was born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia and graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown Visitation, magna cum laude from Georgetown University, and University of Virginia School of Law. She is proud to serve on the board of the Michael H. Tillotson Foundation. Maggie remains a steadfast advocate for improving the way our nation treats mental health.
Sue Barrett is an executive presentation coach, video producer/director and founder of Sweetwavemedia. Prior to founding Sweetwave, Sue ran the visual communications department at Aetna where she worked with Mike Tillotson producing events, media feeds, videos and live and on-demand streams. Mike was always one of her favorite cameramen- smart, talented, hard working, funny and sweet as pie.
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