Our Team

Donna Thomas is the mother of James Thomas. She founded James’s Warr;ors to raise awareness about mental health and suicide. She presently works as a school nurse in Saratoga County. Previously, she worked as a nurse for 12 years throughout Dutchess County. Currently, she wears many hats, including a paralegal, realtor, CCD instructor, as well as a volunteer for many organizations, including dog fostering. In her spare time she enjoys adventures with her daughter and spending time with her Husband and dogs.

A licensed Clinical Psychologist with a private therapy practice in Beacon, NY called BFF Therapy.  Dr. Arnoff has specialized in children, adolescents, and young adults presenting with anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation for the past ten years. Over the last two years she has also worked at Family Court in Dutchess County conducting forensic evaluations.  She is fluent in American Sign Language and provides therapy and assessment services to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals, as well.

Dawn Cavaccini is a mom of two, Joey and Danielle. Employed by the Wappingers Central School District for the past eight years, she currently works at Van Wyck Junior High School. The Thomas family has been considered an extended part of hers for over fifteen years.  Consequently, she is committed to the James’s Warr;ors mission to change the stigma associated with mental health and bring awareness to suicide prevention. 

Erika is a health law attorney in Manhattan. She graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2016 and obtained her Masters in Public Health from George Washington University, Milken Institute of Public Health in 2021. Although Erika currently resides in Brooklyn, she is a Dutchess County native. She is honored to be a member of James’s Warr;ors. 

Alexa is an eighth grade math teacher at Van Wyck Junior High School. She grew up in Dutchess County and graduated from Arlington High School. She completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Education from SUNY Oneonta in 2013 and went on to obtain her Master’s in Special Education at Touro College. Helping people is something she’s passionate about and she is proud to be a member of James’s Warr;ors.

Phillip is a water operator in Putnam County. He grew up in Dutchess County where he still currently resides there with his fiancée. He was a friend of James Thomas’s and has now helped organize 3 successful car shows and the first-ever golf outing with James’s Warr;ors.

Phillip cherishes being a member of James’s Warr;ors and appreciates all the work they do for our communities.

Stacey Lee, New York State Notary Public, is the Office Manager/Registered Support Staff at Professional Financial Consultants in Wappingers Falls, New York, and previously the Office Manager at Southern Dutchess Behavioral Group.

Crissy and her husband are long-term friends of the Thomas family. She has three adult children and lives in Dutchess County where she has worked for over twenty years in education, counseling, and substance use prevention.

Jamie Murphy has owned and operated Central Press in Millbrook, New York for the past twenty years. Jamie is a mother of two children, Joey and Nicole. She has been a resident of Dutchess County her whole life. She considers the Thomas family and James's Warr;ors to be very special, and she feels honored to be a member of the organization.

"John Burton is the host of Home From Here, the podcast that began with his own journey through suicide.  He grew up in Dutchess County, and is also a professional musician.  When Donna and Dawn came on the show he was so moved by their comprehensive understanding of and compassion for death by suicide that he asked to be involved."