Board of Directors
Below is a short bio of the current Board of Directors. These individuals graciously volunteer their time and efforts to govern and guide the Heroes Outreach Program. There are no paid positions within the organization, to include the board. We humbly thank each and every member of the board for their selfless sacrifice to help save our heroes' lives.
John Morlock
Founder and President
John joined the US Army at 17. He served as a combat medic and as a Satellite/Microwave Communications Systems Repair technician. He retired in 1997. Having attempted suicide himeself in 1998, hearing the staggering number of 22 veterans a day committing suicide, he started the Heroes Outreach Program to ensure his fellow veterans would not have to reach the same point of desperation he did. Learn more about John by visiting the About Our Founder page on this website.
Bobby Medlin
Treasurer
Bobby is a CPA with his own firm located in California, Missouri. Bobby helped form the original Board of Directors in 2016 and has served as the Treasurer since. His firm was instrumental in obtaining the organizations 501c3 status with the IRS. He and his team have worked tirelessly to provide the financial services required of our organization. His office is located at 301 S Oak St PO Box 410 California, MO 65018.
Lydia Porter
Secretary of the Board
It is with great pleasure that I serve as Secretary of the Board for the Heroes Outreach Program. I became aware of the great work of this organization through my friend, Lisa Thomas, MD, a retired VA psychiatrist and presently a Missouri State Representative. Dr Lisa and I not only share a passion for working with folks who suffer behavioral health issues, and our love for this great nation of ours (God Bless the USA), we also discovered that for some time as youngsters in North St. Louis County, Missouri we shared friends and lived 3 miles from each other! I do not believe in coincidences so the fact that we became fast friends 5 years ago, is a God given directive which leads me to why I became involved in Heroes. My Dad, Jack, enlisted in the US Navy to serve in World War II. At 17 years of age, a country boy from Monroe, LA found himself on a train to San Diego to train with the Marines and become a Pharmacist's mate. During the trip across America, the American Red Cross pulled Dad off the train to send him back to Monroe as his mother, Lydia Ann Street, age 47 years old had died. My grandmother, my name sake, had four sons serving in the US Armed Forces. Grandmother was buried on my Dad's 18th birthday, January 28th 1944. To this day, I believe my 40 year career in healthcare leadership, the desire to serve others, my unwavering patriotism and my quest to be a lifelong learner stems from being Jack Street's daughter. I am honored to be a part of Heroes. During my career, I have spent many years in behavioral health serving the depressed, the manic, the suicidal, the paranoid schizophrenic, the addict and the alcoholic. My 16 year old stepson commited suicide in 1995 and 15 months later my little boy, David age 5, died of an inoperable cancerous brain tumor 8 weeks post diagnosis. I understand the loss of a child. I have lost numerous friends to suicide. The torment it places on a family is undescribable. Therefore, my heart goes out to those who have dealt with death and destruction of life. I am committed to using my resources of experience, education and profession to help those in need who reach out to Heroes. It is a calling I plan to answer. Thank you. Lydia Jones Porter
Dave Griffith
Board Member
Representative Dave Griffith, a Republican, represents Cole County (District 60) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2018. Prior to his legislative duties, Griffith served as the executive director of the American Red Cross for six years. Griffith also served on the city council for Jefferson City. Prior to that, he spent 23 years working for KRCG TV in a variety of roles ranging from production to account executive. Griffith served in the U.S. Army 8th Special Forces Group as a Green Beret. Griffith is a member of the Kiwanis Club, Rotary International, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Easter Seals Association, Red Cross Board of Directors and the Special Olympics. He has been recognized with the Red Cross Heart of a Hero Award and an American Cancer Society Lifetime Achievement Award. Griffith is a graduate of Missouri Southern State University. Griffith resides in Jefferson City with his wife, Leigh. They have two children and five grandchildren.
Lisa Thomas M.D.
Board Member
Lisa is an American politician and psychiatrist serving as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives. Elected in November 2020 from district 124. She assumed office on January 6, 2021. After redistricting in 2022, she was reelected from district 123. Lisa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and psychology and Master of Arts in clinical psychology from the Washington University in St. Louis, followed by a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Missouri School of Medicine. She worked as a psychiatrist at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Columbia, Missouri until 2016. She is the part-time medical director of the Missouri Physicians Health Program. Lisa's memberships include American Medical Association, Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the Lake Arts Council, Missouri State Medical Association Council, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Rotary Club, Former Board Member/Mental Health Specialist with the American Red Cross, National Rifle Association (NRA). In the Missouri House of Representatives, Lisa serves as a Member of the Health and Mental Health Policy Committee since 2021 and the Professional Registration and Licensing Committee, Missouri State House of Representatives since 2021. She currentlyl serves on the following Missouri House of Representative Committees; Corrections and Public Institutions Committee, Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee, is the Vice Chair of the Health and Mental Health Policy Committee and sits on the Healthcare Reform Committee.