Kristen Abell (she/her) is the Director of Website and Digital Projects at Mental Health America, where she provides oversight, strategy, and updates for the website, as well as managing digital tools/projects for the organization.
Prior to joining MHA in 2022, Kristen worked in higher education as everything from a communications director to a director of residential life, as well as working in women's centers and academic advising along the way. The majority of her communications experience has been as a web developer and content strategist providing oversight for a university websites.
Kristen has a master's in social work from the University of Kansas, and has been a long-time advocate for individuals experiencing mental health conditions. She has been writing and speaking about her own experiences with depression and anxiety for the past ten years, specifically addressing the needs of staff and faculty in higher education when it comes to mental health. Kristen lives in Utah with her partner and teenage son, as well as their dogs Margot "Tenney" Tenenbark and Alice "Ali" Cullen and her son's cat Eliza.