RECLAIMING EMPLOYMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Intentional Peer Support
A New Zealander by birth, Chris Hansen is the Director of Intentional Peer Support, and has been co-teaching and developing Intentional Peer Support in the United States and in other countries for almost two decades. Chris has served on the board of the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry and has played a key role in the development of several peer-run crisis alternatives. Intentional Peer Support is a social enterprise owned by Chris Hansen and Shery Mead, working to develop into cooperative structure. Chris provides expertise in peer support and curriculum development to Reclaiming Employment TM.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Formerly Inc, Connecticut
Daryl McGraw is the founder of Formerly Inc, Connecticut's first criminal justice consultant agency which is predominantly staffed by formerly incarcerated individuals. His journey to creating Formerly Inc. began when he walked out of a Connecticut prison in 2010 equipped with nothing more than his GED and six composition notebooks filled with what he called his 5-year plan to successful community reentry. This led him to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Human Services and a Master's Degree in Organizational Management and Leadership as well as become a Certified Addictions Counselor, Recovery Support Specialist, and Criminal Justice Professional. Through his work he advocates for a better reentry process for returning citizens and a better connection between communities, law enforcement and encourages police transparency and accountability.
Giovan Bazan is an international motivational speaker and mental health consultant. He helps people enhance their mental wellbeing so they can create the life experience they truly desire. His positive energy and joyous personality has inspired people around the world. His ability to translate his lived experiences into a powerful message, resonates profoundly. He's small in size but big in wisdom. Giovan provides expertise in outreach and marketing to Reclaiming Employment TM
Iden Campbell is currently living in the Portland Metropolitan and Southern Washington area. He is a native of Brooklyn, New York and has lived in DC for his entire adult life. Iden has been a long-time professional activist, first as an advocate for those with Intellectual/Developmental disabilities and then moving to suicide prevention and mental health activism. Iden is a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner/CPRP and was the first certified Peer Specialist in DC. Iden has served in an advisory capacity to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and HRSA/Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP). Iden provides expertise in peer support and community forums to Reclaiming Employment TM.
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant With Griffin - Hammis Associates
Janet Steveley is a Senior Consultant with Griffin-Hammis Associates, working on various initiatives around customized employment and benefits planning. Since 1997, Janet has operated Workable Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm based in Ashland, Oregon which serves as an Employment Network under Social Security's Ticket to Work Program. Janet is well versed in optimizing public benefits having helped numerous individuals achieve their employment goals through Plans to Achieve Self Support (PASS). Janet brings expertise in Social Security Work Incentives and microenterprise development to Reclaiming Employment TM.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications at the Human Services Research Institute
Jessica Maloney is the Director of Communications at the Human Services Research Institute. She has over 15 years of experience as an editor and writer, and she's passionate about sharing research findings to promote social change. With a background in cultural anthropology and women's studies, she helps develop communications that are compassionate, respectful, and inclusive. And as a former college instructor and member of advisory committees for university centers on teaching excellence, she applies her experience to create user-friendly technical assistance materials and training guides. Jess provides expertise in graphic and web design to Reclaiming Employment TM.
BIO
Kila Robinett is a Research Assistant with Live & Learn, Inc.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Project Director, Co - Creator
BIO
Laysha Ostrow, PhD is the founder and CEO of Live & Learn, Inc. and the co-creator of Reclaiming Employment TM. Laysha has been self-employed since 2013. She conducts research on entrepreneurship, employment outcomes, and peer support. Laysha is passionate about strategies to promote decent work for people with disabilities and financial and personal empowerment for marginalized workers. As a person who successful transitioned from special education and SSDI to higher education and business ownership, Laysha's research and personal experiences informs the design of Reclaiming Employment TM.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Engagement Specialist
BIO
Leah Harris, M.A.is a mad, queer, disabled nonbinary writer, speaker, and workshop leader/facilitator. Leah has owned a training and consulting business since January 2016 and made the leap to 100% self-employment in 2020. Leah has worked in peer-run mental health care and substance use recovery, HIV care, juvenile services, vocational rehabilitation, housing, and other social service settings. Their areas of expertise include social justice-oriented approaches to resisting worker burnout; trauma-informed supervision of peer workers; trauma-informed and healing-informed approaches to care, service provision, and administration; and more recently, navigating grief and loss.
Lisa Smusz is a creative problem-solver with a knack for combining data and out-of-the-box thinking to produce measurable outcomes. Lisa brings more than 20 years of senior-management-level experience in developing, executing, and evaluating community mental health initiatives on local, statewide, national, and international projects. She provides content expertise and project management services to mental health and educational organizations across California, with a focus on stigma reduction, working with college-age young adults, and culturally responsive approaches to promoting mental health in diverse communities. Lisa is also an Instructor at California State University, East Bay where she has been teaching mental health, women's studies, and social justice coursework for the past 15 years.
Job Titles:
- Director of Howie the Harp Advocacy Center
Lynnae Brown is the Director of Howie The Harp Advocacy Center, a peer-run program offering comprehensive classroom training and online certification for people in mental health recovery to choose, get, and keep jobs as peer providers. She has a BS/BA in Business and Marketing and is a Certified Peer Specialist. Lynnae provides expertise in curriculum development to Reclaiming Employment TM.
Job Titles:
- Lead Web Developer for Reclaiming Employment TM
- Web Development
Matthew Hubbard is in charge of business administration and technology at Live & Learn, Inc. Matthew is the lead web developer for Reclaiming Employment TM, and is responsible for implementing content on the platform and ensuring it is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the ADA. Matthew spent the early part of his career in environmental sciences, gaining expertise in areas such as regulatory compliance, protocol implementation, and quality control. Matthew's core values of helping disenfranchised communities has allowed for a seamless transition into public health.
BIO
Morgan Pelot graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz with a double major in Psychology and Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and has worked with Live & Learn, Inc. since 2018. Morgan is the Project Manager for Live & Learn's CPS Career Outcomes Study and leads the biennial Peer Respite Essential Features survey. Morgan has trained and served as a peer counselor at Second Story Respite House and has worked with adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, providing job coaching and education about mental and emotional health. Morgan coordinates the user research component of Reclaiming Employment TM.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Instructional Lead, Co - Creator
BIO
Patricia Nemec, PsyD, CRC, CPRP is the co-creator of Reclaiming Employment TM. Pat is the sole proprietor of her consulting business and has extensive curriculum design and workforce development experience. Formerly, Pat was a professor in the Boston University program in rehabilitation counseling, and for more than 30 years has taught in the classroom and online in academic settings and direct service provider trainings. She is passionate about recruiting, teaching, and supporting learners with psychiatric disabilities and received the Award for Educational Innovation from the Annapolis Coalition for Behavioral Health Workforce Education and the RSA Commissioner's Award for Graduate Education.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and CEO of Peer Support Solutions
Vincent Caimano is the Co-Founder and CEO of Peer Support Solutions. He is a recognized expert and pioneer in the area of behavioral health technology. PSS serves people who live with behavioral health, chronic illness, and rare disease challenges. Vince has been President of Human Performance Consultation, Inc., Human Capital Architect at Accenture and Practice Director at Watson Wyatt, Towers Perrin, and Opinion Research Corporation. He earned a PhD in Organizational Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. Vince currently serves as a Director on the Board of the National Association for Peer Supporters.