WALKERS POINT YOUTH & FAMILY CENTER - Key Persons
As Executive Director of Walker's Point Youth & Family Center, Audra O'Connell (pronouns: she/her) empowers her team to help youth and families in crisis overcome challenges they face and when done right, prevents them from ever happening. With her holistic perspective of homelessness, and her innovation-mindedness, O'Connell is a recognized expert in systematic ways to end homelessness, with national speaking credits to her name. She has been outspoken about the need for quality, consumer based service; as well as cross-systems collaboration.
O'Connell was named one of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Alumni Association's Graduates of the Last Decade, 2016; Nonprofit Center of Greater Milwaukee & Young Nonprofit Professionals of Milwaukee's Emerging Leader, 2016; and a 2017 Milwaukee Business Journal 40 under 40 recipient. She serves on numerous boards that look at addressing needs of the homeless in our community. She is currently a member of the Milwaukee Continuum of Care, the Shelter and Transitional Housing Task Force and the Wisconsin Association of Runaway and Homeless Youth. She was formerly in the State of Wisconsin Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness; State of Wisconsin Homeless Management Information Services Advisory Board; Milwaukee Emergency Food & Shelter Program Board; and COPE Workgroup of the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division Mental Health Redesign. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee with a B.A. in Comparative Religion and an M.S. in Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education. Audra is also a mother to five feisty girls and in her spare time operates an organic farm with her husband.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Director of Business Automation - MGIC
Job Titles:
- Director of Volunteers & AmeriCorp Programs
- Director of Volunteers & AmeriCorps Programs
Curtis Cook II is the Director of Volunteers & AmeriCorps Programs with years of experience working alongside community leaders and elected officials.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Treasurer
- Vice President
Dr. Lauren Hsiao-ling Mascari (pronouns: she or they) graduated with her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 2021, where she was an Advanced Opportunity Program Scholar. In 2016, she completed her Master of Science Degree in Educational Counseling, with a focus upon Community Counseling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Senior VP of Healthcare Client Services - Cielo
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Executive Committee
Mary Pickering (pronouns she/her) has been with the agency for 43 dedicated years and oversees the financial operations of the agency. Mary is meticulous and prides herself in attention to detail.
She is a Milwaukee native and has been married for 40 years to her husband Duane; and together they have raised two accomplished sons in their careers. Mary enjoys camping and hiking and has done so in many parks throughout the United States and Canada. International travel is important to her and finds it challenging for her physical, mental, and emotional health. Mary has visited these countries: Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, New Zealand, Croatia, Germany, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the UK.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President / Senior Operations Associate - Artisan Partners
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications & Fund Development
Megan is all in on helping to build a thriving Milwaukee. She has twenty years of leadership experience in financial compliance, nonprofit, and education spaces. In her current role with Walker's Point Youth and Family Center, Megan is working to increase visibility of the organization in the community, strengthen fundraising strategies, and advocate for the youth we serve with elected and community leaders. Megan proudly serves on the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, and volunteers her time as a Board Member of Street Angels. Megan is the product of a proud union family that valued community service. A guiding principle she learned as a youth at St. Ben's Community Meal Program that continues to inform her work today was Pope Paul VI's statement "if you want peace, work for justice."
Megan was born and raised in the Milwaukee area. She is a proud UWM Panther, a part-time soccer mom, and full-time mother of geeks.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Manager of Advocacy Services - Aurora Healing & Advocacy Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Associate Brand Manager - Commercialization SC Johnson
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Secretary of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Director of Housing
- MSCJ - Certified Youth Advocate, Director of Housing & Crisis Services
Tonya Lyons is the Director of Housing and Crisis Services at Walker's Point Youth and Family Center who oversees direct service operations for Insights, our transitional housing program and our Teen Crisis and Runaway Program.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Director of Community Outreach