Board of Directors

John R. Urso, along with his wife, Gail, is a co-founder of Kevin’s song, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to educating the community on the causes and prevention of suicide. The organization was founded to honor Kevin, John and Gail’s oldest son, who died by suicide in March 2013. John and Gail have two other sons: Brian who resides in Naples, Florida and Justin who, with his wife Carrie, resides in Fort Worth, Texas.

Upon graduating from law school, John joined the University of Detroit School of Law’s Urban Law Program and subsequently became the Director of the Urban Law Clinic, a free legal aid clinic that allowed law students to represent indigent clients under attorney supervision. During his tenure at the University of Detroit Law School, John joined the law faculty. He was elected to the position of Judge of the Municipal Court of Grosse Pointe Park.

John is now engaged in the private practice of law in the Metropolitan Detroit area.

Gail Urso has lived and worked in the Metropolitan Detroit area for most of her life. As a professional Interior Designer for over 35 years, Gail has had the pleasure of helping people find comfort and pleasure in their homes and places of work.

When their oldest son Kevin died of suicide in 2013 at the age of 41, Gail and her husband John, co-founded Kevin’s Song to educate people about the prevalence of suicide in our society, the fact that the stigma associated with mental illness prevents people from getting the help they need, and the preventive measures available to prevent suicides. She is also gratified that Kevin’s Song offers hope and healing to those who have experienced the loss of a loved one by suicide.

Gail and John have a son Brian who resides in Naples, FL and a son Justin who lives with his wife Carrie and daughter Evie in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kathey McGovern has more than 25 years of experience as an interior design and home renovation professional. She has managed significant interior design projects in Michigan, Arizona, Colorado, California, New Hampshire, Maine, Illinois and Florida. She is passionate about the work Kevin’s Song brings to our communities.

Bill Gough has more than fifteen years of experience in the financial services industry with a particular focus on developing and managing equity portfolios. His experience also includes advising both private and institutional clients across a broad range of asset classes including equities, fixed income, and derivatives. He is a member of our Investment Committee and focuses on equity research, investment selection, and portfolio management.

Bill graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy with a BA in Business Administration. He has attained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Detroit.

La Toya is a legal support professional, radio personality and a small business owner. She is also the host of “Speaking Of Love Podcast”, created in honor of her father who took his own life in a murder-suicide. Since the tragedy, La Toya has become an advocate for mental health & suicide prevention. As a minority woman, La Toya is nationally recognized by Black Women In Radio (BWIR) for her outstanding & influential contributions to Black radio culture and digital media around the globe.

Before switching career paths, La Toya worked as a school office administrator for nearly two decades. In 2017, she was awarded the National Life Changer Of The Year Award for positively impacting the lives of her students. La Toya is also the Executive Board Secretary for the Down Syndrome Guild of Southeast Michigan. She is a respected community leader who believes that spreading love is the secret to her success.

Linda Finkel was raised in the Chicago area. Linda received her undergraduate degree in Education from the University of Michigan in 1965, taught for three years before starting a family, and then earned a graduate degree in Guidance and Counseling from Wayne State University. From 1984 to 2004 she served as a member of the Bloomfield Hills Board of Education and was president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer during that time. Other boards on which she has served include the Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Family Service, the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, the Bloomfield Hills Schools Foundation, Kevin’s Song, and the Cancer Thrivers Network (for Jewish Women). Linda is also an active member of the Jewish Women’s Foundation, as well as a dues-paying member of a couple of other organizations. Bob and Linda have five grandchildren – the best part of growing older!

Robert J. Finkel is an attorney with more than 45 years of experience in the field of labor and employment law and a founding member of Finkel Whitefield Selik, which was formed in 1984. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan (B.A.), his Juris Doctor from Wayne State University (J.D.), and his Master of Laws in labor law from New York University (L.L.M.). He has argued cases before various state and federal courts and before numerous state and federal agencies as well as having been appointed and served as a labor arbitrator, mediator and hearing referee. During his years of practice he has negotiated and/or served as labor counsel in hundreds of collective bargaining situations across the county and lectured extensively on the subject of labor and employment law. He has been married to Linda Sonn for 52 years and has two children and five grandchildren. Some of his hobbies are travel, golf and the imbibition of scotch whiskey.

Susan Francis is a native of Michigan and a graduate of Central Michigan University with a degree in Education. Now retired, she spent her professional career working with preschoolers and elementary children in various Michigan cities. As a member of Central United Methodist Church in Detroit, she is involved with the peace and justice community. She is on the steering committee for the Swords Into Plowshares Centerand Gallery. Susan is a member of the Beaumont Grosse Pointe Hospital Assistance League and is a buyer for their Gift Shop. She is also a member of the Beaumont’s Patient and Family Advisory Council. It is her hope that through Kevin’s Song educators will be provided tools they can use to recognize and help children who are in need of mental services.

Sarah Gough grew up in the Grosse Pointe area and currently resides there as a stay-at-home mother of three children. Sarah chairs the Kevin’s Song Education Task Force. The Education Task Force supports and facilitates suicide awareness and prevention programs in Grosse Pointe Schools by engaging parents and community as well as engaging with schools systems throughout Metro Detroit. Sarah and her husband Bill are chairing the 3rd annual Kevin’s Song Starry, Starry Night Fundraiser in Spring if 2019. Sarah is a lifelong friend of the Urso family and grew up with Kevin, Brian, and Justin.

Karen Hiyama is a long-time resident of Huntington Woods, Michigan. There, she and her husband Joe Schodowski raised their three kids. Karen and Joe met at Kalamazoo College, where their eldest, Ella, attended and met her husband Ben while they both studied physics and played soccer. Karen and Joe’s sons, Jackson and Lucas, are students at the University of Michigan. In her professional life, Karen has worked as an attorney for the federal government including the U.S. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Karen became aware of Kevin’s Song after losing Joe to suicide in October 2019. Karen is forever grateful for the education and support the organization provided her and her kids in the aftermath of Joe’s death. She is honored to serve on the Kevin’s Song board and hopes to provide support to others seeking a better understanding of suicide.

Pete King has been a part of Kevin’s Song since it’s creation. Kevin’s Song has given him the opportunity to continue to be involved in creating awareness and offering resources that educate and enable people to live healthy productive lives.

Sidney King is a retired teacher. She taught English and Social Science classes at the middle school, high school and adult level. During her career as a teacher and parent, she enjoyed working on various committees, councils, and boards. Kevin’s Song has given her the opportunity to continue to be involved in creating awareness and offering resources that educate and enable people to live healthy productive lives.

Fritz Klingler is founder and president of FK Engineering in Madison Heights, Michigan.  FKE specializes in design for heavy underground construction, serving mostly municipal clients throughout the eastern united states.  Fritz has served on numerous non-profit boards, including the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers (Michigan Section), MSU College of Engineering Advisory Board, MSU Department of Civil Engineering Advisory Board, and others.

Fritz and his wife JoJo live in Troy, MI, and have been honored to be parents of three boys and a girl. Following the death by suicide of their oldest son Nicholas at the age of 17, Fritz and JoJo have become very involved in the cause of suicide education and prevention; and looking forward to the day when suicide is rare.

Paul Lavins is a Korean War Veteran who later graduated from Youngstown University with a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering.  He founded, owned, and operated American Induction Heating Corporation, a world-renowned supplier of induction heat treating equipment to domestic and international forging and heat-treating industries.  American Induction included four subsidiaries – American Induction Heating Southwest Inc., American Fabricators Inc., The Coil Works, Etchells American Ltd., and he co-founded Enercon Industries Corporation; a major supplier of cap sealing and corona treating equipment.

He and his late wife created The Dolores and Paul Lavins Foundation, a non-profit organization for educational and charitable purposes. In 2014, he also funded The Mayo Clinic Dolores Jean Lavins Center for Humanities in Medicine.  He is now retired and is an avid international fly fisherman: fishing in exotic locations such as Mongolia, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Lesotho, the Seychelles, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia.  He has 3 daughters, 7 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.

Tom McGovern is a retired United States Administrative Law Judge and former State of Michigan Administrative Law Judge. A Twenty three year general law practitioner specializing in civil and criminal litigation. Permanent neutral panelist 31st Circuit Court Mediation Tribunal. Veteran US Air Force (61 – 65), BA Western Michigan University (68), Juris Doctorate University of Detroit Law School (71). Tom is married to Kathleen McGovern and enjoys spending time with his three children and six grandchildren.

Leo Nouhan is principal attorney of Leo Nouhan and Associates, a Metro Detroit law practice – specializing in a variety of health care issues including insurance, provider reimbursement and contracting issues, employee benefits and commercial litigation. As a former in-house attorney for Blue Cross Blue Shield of MI, he is well versed in health insurance matters regarding mental health treatment, medical necessity criteria and the obstacles to coverage. In addition to his legal career, Mr. Nouhan is a Board Member of Kevin’s Song and acts as the coordinator of the Kevin’s Song Conference on Suicide which is hosted annually at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth Michigan.

Mr. Nouhan is a frequent speaker on health care issues and also presents to various groups on suicide prevention and the need for more collaboration among non-profits, the mental health provider community and state and national policy makers about the need for more resources and better access to suicide prevention and mental health services.

Kevin F. O’Shea is a senior partner at The Miller Law Firm in Rochester, Michigan specializing in complex commercial litigation.

Kevin is a lifelong resident of the Detroit area. After attending the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, he received his B.A. from Northwestern University. Kevin graduated from Harvard Law School with honors in 1987. He has successfully tried cases in a number of federal and state courts and in arbitrations across the United States.

Kevin has been an active member of the nonprofit community. He is a founding Board member and past Chairman of the Detroit Urban Debate League, the local chapter of a national organization that establishes and supports academic debate programs in underserved schools. Kevin is a member of the Board of Trustees of On My Own of Michigan, a local nonprofit organization that assists adults with cognitive impairments achieve independence. After the death of his younger son, Conall, by suicide in 2018, he determined to become active in the suicide prevention community. Kevin’s Song has provided him with that opportunity.
Kevin has two adult children and lives in Birmingham.

Justin Urso lives in Fort Worth, Texas, where he works as the Manager of Artistic and Production Operations at Texas Ballet Theater. A native of Grosse Pointe, Justin joined TBT as a professional ballet dancer in 2003 and became an arts administrator in 2016. In 2013, Justin graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.F.A. and earned his M.B.A. at Baylor University in 2019. Justin currently serves as the University Partnership Coordinator for TimelyMD in Fort Worth, Texas.

When Justin’s brother, Kevin, died by suicide in March of 2013, it had a profound impact on him. The work of Kevin’s Song has been an inspiration to Justin since it’s conception and he is honored to serve on the Board of Directors with this talented and passionate group of men and women.

Lawrence Wentworth, Ph.D. is the President/CEO, Wentworth & Associates, PC. Dr. Wentworth has been a practicing psychotherapist for over 30 years in the Tri-County area. He specializes in trauma and has been dedicated to suicide prevention groups for many years, and is a huge supporter of the work of Kevin’s Song. Dr. Wentworth is also the President and CEO of Wentworth & Associates, P.C., a full service mental health counseling agency in Utica, Michigan. There, he has over 40 staff made up of a psychiatrist, counselors, psychologists, clinical social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists. Dr. Wentworth enjoys supervision, consultation, and mentoring students and new clinicians to help end suffering and facilitate healing in our community.