About Us

Leslie Halperin is CEO of Four Pines Fund, launched in 2023 with co-founders Debra and Bill Gottesman to transform suicide care.  With 20+ years bridging nonprofit and corporate sectors, she’s known for creating mission-aligned partnerships and impact. Leslie has advised individuals and families on strategic giving, led CSR efforts at values-driven companies like Ben & Jerry’s, and consulted on CSR strategies at companies including Dealer.com and Seventh Generation. Although new to the issue when she first began working with Debra and Bill, Leslie has spent the past six years deeply engaged in the field—listening to experts and people with lived experience to better understand what effective suicide care looks like and the barriers that prevent people from accessing it.

Lili Elkins is Chief Operating Officer at Four Pines Fund, bringing 25 years of expertise as a nonprofit management consultant for organizations seeking strategic planning, program growth, and financial sustainability. She spent 15 years as an adjunct professor at Columbia University, teaching public health finance, accounting, and strategic planning. Lili is a member of the New Jersey Bar and holds a JD from Rutgers, an MPA from Columbia, and a BA from Barnard College. Her career bridges public, nonprofit, and academic sectors, offering deep insight into mission-driven operations and leadership.

Ethan Bauer is Senior Program Officer at the Four Pines Fund, where he focuses on developing national grantmaking strategies to improve suicide care. Before joining FPF, Ethan spent nearly a decade at The Pew Charitable Trusts where he was responsible for program incubation and strategic planning across various issues including behavioral health, criminal justice, and civil legal systems. Most recently, Ethan served as a senior program officer with the Election Trust Initiative—a partnership between Pew, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation— where he directed grantmaking programs aimed at strengthening the field of election administration.

Michael Thompson is Director of the National Portfolio at Four Pines Fund. He has spent more than 30 years leading and advising nonprofit, government, and philanthropic organizations. Before joining FPF, Mike served as Senior Vice President at The Pew Charitable Trusts and, prior to that, spent 20 years with The Council of State Governments. Over the course of his career, he has authored dozens of reports — and has testified many times before the U.S. Congress and state legislatures — about strategies to increase access to behavioral health services for people with mental health and substance use disorders.

Alison Krompf is Director of Vermont Strategy at Four Pines Fund. In her role she is focused on developing impactful investment strategies to improve suicide care. Prior to FPF, Alison served as Deputy Commissioner of VT’s Department of Mental Health, as well as multiple leadership and direct service roles in community mental health, including serving hundreds of suicidal youth and young adults as a crisis clinician in rural Vermont. She has a BA and MA in Clinical Psychology and is completing a Ph.D. in mental health policy.

David Bender serves as Director of Grants Management at Four Pines Fund, where he develops systems that support responsive, efficient grantmaking. He brings a strategic mindset to how funding moves, guided by the belief that better processes lead to stronger outcomes. In his previous role at Pinellas Community Foundation, he oversaw operations and grants management and led major public-private efforts focused on mental health and disaster relief. Outside his role at Four Pines Fund, he serves on the board of PEAK Grantmaking. He is fluent in English and Spanish and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Beloit College.

Bill Gottesman is a retired family physician and a co-founder of Four Pines Fund. After Bill and Debra lost their son Alan to suicide in 2015, they learned that our health system is very poorly equipped to help individuals struggling with suicide. Bill and Debra are committing their energy and resources to expanding high-quality, evidence-based suicide care, inside and outside of clinical settings.

Debra Lopez Gottesman was a practicing psychiatrist for over 35 years. She trained in Contemporary Psychoanalysis and in several trauma-focused psychotherapies and received the Bruce Gibbard Award for Clinical Excellence from the Vermont Psychiatric Association, in recognition of her dedication to patient care and teaching.  As Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Debra helped train a generation of psychiatry residents. After losing her son, Alan, to suicide in 2015, she and Bill dedicated themselves to expanding the availability of high quality, evidence-based suicide care to all who need it.

Clara joined the board of Four Pines Fund in 2023. She is Bill and Debra’s daughter and Alan’s younger sister. She has an M.A. in Social-Organizational Psychology and uses her knowledge of organizational development, culture, and leadership to help Four Pines Fund grow.