Reserve Your Spot on NYC Buses Headed to the Alliance Conference! Register Today!

黑料正能量 City Buses for Alliance Conference: Sign Up Today!

Our Annual Conference is a little over a month away! We are excited to announce that we have transportation available for a limited number of attendees from 黑料正能量 City. If you are interested in taking advantage of this transportation option, please complete the interest form by clicking below. Hurry! Space is limited and we encourage you to reserve your spot now!

SIGN UP FOR NYC BUSES

We have two buses which will pick passengers up at the following locations:

Fountain House – 425 West 47th Street, 黑料正能量, NY 10036 and
East Side of Union Square Park – 32 Union Square East, 15th Street, 黑料正能量, NY 10003

Buses will depart at 7am on Wednesday, September 29th and return from the Villa Roma at 1pm on Wednesday, October 1st. We kindly request that you arrive by 6:30 am at the latest. The buses will travel directly to the conference venue at Villa Roma, with an expected arrival time of 10 am. Please note that there is no cost associated with utilizing the bus transportation to and from the 黑料正能量 City pick up locations.

Bus registration operates on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t delay! We are eagerly anticipating your participation in the Annual Conference and look forward to welcoming you on board the buses from 黑料正能量 City!

See below for more details about the conference, including the full program as well as links to register and book your hotel.

REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE TODAY 听
ONCE REGISTERED, PLEASE REMEMBER TO MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION

Unbreakable! Harnessing Our Power,
Building Our Resilience, Inspiring Hope and Courage
Alliance for Rights and Recovery 43rd Annual Conference
September 29 – October 1, 2025听听听
Villa听Roma Resort, Callicoon, NY

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2025

11:30am Lunch and Welcome Remarks

1:00pm听听KEYNOTE听听听听听听HOW DO YOU ROAR: Pat Deegan, PhD
Founder and CEO, Pat Deegan听& Associates

2:30-3:45pm鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�WORKSHOPS ROUND 1

Clubhouse Comes Back to Upstate 黑料正能量!听
Members and Staff of the Hudson Valley Clubhouse and Venture House; Arvind Sooknanan, Fountain House Board of Directors; Moderator, Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Out of Chaos: Inspiring Hope Through My Journey of Recovery and Advocacy
Cohen Miles-Rath, Author of Mending Reality: An Advocate鈥檚 Existential Journey with Mental Health.

Developing Resilient Leaders Through a Culture of Mentorship
Jeffrey McQueen, Executive Director, Mental Health Association of Nassau County

Paying It Forward: Using Our Collective Wisdom to Empower the Next Generation of Peer Supporters听
Jeremy Reuling, Senior Director for Special Projects; Aviva Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer, Hands Across Long Island

Wellness, Recovery and Resilience Story Circles Part I听
Dr. Deborah Wilcox, Founder/ Chief Executive Officer of Confluency Consultants and Associates and Theresa Hall, member, Board of Directors, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Racial and Ethnic Inequities, Discrimination and Stigma in the Workplace听听
Paul Margolies PhD, Associate Director for Practice Innovation and Implementation; Karen Broadway-Wilson, Raymond Gregory,听 Gary Scannevin, Philip Thomas, Chanel Weathers, Implementation Specialists; Thomas Jewel, Project Manager and Norman Kim, DEI Officer, Center for Practice Innovations (CPI)

Resilience: Bathing in the Joy of Life 听听
Neville Morris,Director, PASS Youth Mentoring Program

4:00-5:15 pm鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�WORKSHOPS ROUND 2

Growing Peer Support Authentically: Opportunities and Challenges in Workforce Development听
Matthew Federici, CEO, Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery; Mark Salzer, PhD, Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences at Temple University College of Public Health

Trauma-Informed Community(ies) Engagement- What Is It? What Does It Take? Where Do I Start??听
Clarencetine Brooks, Assistant Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; James Rodriguez , Director for Trauma-Informed Services, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research听

Recovery Centers, Drop-ins and Psychosocial Programs Learning Collaborative听
Matthew Petitte, Statewide Advocacy Specialist, and Jason Erwin, Regional Advocacy Specialist, NYS Office of Mental Health; Robert Statham, Employment Training and Technical Assistance Facilitator, Alliance for Rights and Recovery; Kimberly DeSantis-Johns, Program Manager, and Tracey Svenson-Gates, Catholic Charities of Broome County; Jennifer Chandler, Manager, Access-CNY; Karen Boliver, Associate Director, Northern Regional Center for Independent Living (NRCIL)

Centering Humanity in Supervision: A听Peer Support Approach to Trauma-Informed Leadership
Bryant Pugh, Director of Statewide Training and Shamona Kirkland, Statewide Trainer, Mental Health Empowerment Project; EllenHealion, Director for Peer Bridger Services and Technical Assistance, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Strategies to Promote Successful Re-Entries听听
Helen Skip Skipper, Executive Director, NYC Justice Peer Initiative; Amy Brinkley, Executive Director/Founder, Paul鈥檚 Plan Ministries; Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Considering Recovery Farms as Part of the Recovery Ecosystem I: A Discussion
Livia Davis, Chief Learning Officer C4, Project Director, SAMHSA Program to Advance Recovery Knowledge (SPARK); Cherene Caraco, CEO, Promise Resource Network

Building Recovery Together: Core Skills in Partnering and Active Listening
Kirk Cooper-Johnson, Britt Higgins, Steve Nawotniak, Hannah Taber, 黑料正能量 Psychiatric Rehabilitation Training Academy at the Alliance for Rights and Recovery

5:30辫尘鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�Cultural Diversity Bash and Fashion Show

6:15辫尘鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�Dinner

7:15pm鈥傗€傗€傗€傗€傗€偺� Wellness, Recovery and Resilience Story Circles Part II, III
Deborah Wilcox, PhD, Founder/ Chief Executive Officer, Confluency Consultants and Associates and Theresa Hall, member, Board of Directors, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

7:15辫尘鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�Healing Through Hip Hop, Luis Lopez, Conference Co-Chair

8:15pm听听听听听听听听听Peer Support Meetings
9:00pm听听听听听听听听听Open Mic with Michael Skinner
9:30pm听听听听听听听听听Dancing with DJ Jenkins

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2025

7:30 am BREAKFAST

8:30-9:45am鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�WORKSHOPS ROUND 3

From Division to Dialogue: Bridging Clinical and Peer Perspectives听
Jeremy Reuling, Senior Director for Special Projects, Hands Across Long Island; Jennifer Levesque, CEO, Recovery Options Made Easy; Liz Breier, Chief Advocacy Office, NYS Office of Mental Health; Dana Foglesong, National Senior Director Recovery and Resiliency Services Magellan Health; Dan Roman, Training and Shift Manager,听People USA; Moderator: Shannon Higbee, Chief Strategy Officer, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Community as the Heart of Healing
Deborah Faust, Family Mental Health Advisor, Mental Health Association in NYS

Reclaiming Research: Lived Experience Leadership for Justice, Healing, and System Transformation
Nev Jones, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh; Oscar Jimenez-Solomon, PhD 黑料正能量 State Psychiatric Institute; Shannon Pagdon, Graduate Student, University at Pittsburgh; Sarah Porter, PhD Candidate, University of Washington; Jeff Ciak, PhD Candidate, Virginia Commonwealth University; Todd Wittenberg, Research Analyst, University of Pittsburgh

Engaging and Supporting Unhoused Individuals Panelists TBA

Strengthening Peer Support Through Meaningful Collaboration听听
Rebecca Evansky听Executive Director, Wellness Collaborative of 黑料正能量 Independent Practice Association

Litigation, Legislation and Representation 听
Ruth Lowenkron, Director of the Disability Justice Program, 黑料正能量 Lawyers for the Public Interest; Heather Simms, Deputy Director, and Anne Thieling, Chief Operating Officer, Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey; Elena Kravitz, Senior Advocate/Investigator Disability Rights New Jersey; Vanessa Ramos, Senior Advisor, Disability Rights California. Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Drumming Circles withChrys Ballerano

10:00-11:15am 鈥傗€傗€傗€俆OWN HALL: OMH COMMISSIONER ANN SULLIVAN
Moderator: Harvey Rosenthal

11:30-12:45pm鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�WORKSHOPS ROUND 4

Failure to Engage: Addressing Racial Bias and Inequity
Sakeena Trice, Senior Staff Attorney, NY Lawyers for the Public Interest; Taina Lang, CEO, Baltic Wellness Solutions; Daniela Maldonado, Housing Case Manager, Hands Across Long Island听听

Ethical Decision Making for Peer Specialists
Jessi Davis, Senior Administrative Program Coordinator, University of Texas at Austin, TIEMH; Ellen Healion, Director for Peer Bridger Services and Technical Assistance, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Crisis Respite 101: A Peer-led Crisis Alternative
Rose Osorio, Community Access, Inc; Jeff McQueen, Executive Director, Mental Health Association of Nassau County; Dominick Marino, Assistant Executive Director of Respite Services, People USA; Jennifer Levesque, CEO, ROME (Recovery Options Made Easy)

Peer Support at the Crossroads听听
Dana Foglesong, National Senior Director Recovery and Resiliency Services Magellan Health; Cherene Caraco, CEO, of Promise Resource Network, TBA;听Moderator: Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Criminal Justice Reform Initiatives in NYS听
Ismael Diaz Jr., Community Organizer, Center for Community Alternatives; Jayette Lansbury, Family Peer Advocate, NAMI Huntington; Victor Pate, Co-Director, Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement; Moderator: Scott Paltrowitz, HALT Solitary Campaign & Mental Health Alternatives to Solitary Confinement.

Disruption, Discovery, Balance: Recovery as Discovery; Finding Balance Through Lived Experience and Peer Support

Greg Parnell, Director, Recovery Education Advocacy and Leadership, Crestwood Behavioral Health

Innovative Peer Services: How We Do What We Do and Why We Are Successful
Steve Miccio, CEO and Kim Wing, COO, People USA听听听

1:00pm听听LUNCH
1:00pm听听MEMBERSHIP LUNCH (Invitation Only)

2:00pm听听KEYNOTE: FIGHTING FOR OUR RIGHTS!听
Leah Harris, Independent Journalist; Laura Van Tosh, Board Chair, aves-Mental Health (formerly Global Mental Health Peer Network); Vesper Moore, COO, Kiva Centers; Vanessa Ramos, Senior Advisor, Disability Rights California; Ruth Lowenkron, Director of the Disability Justice Program, 黑料正能量 Lawyers for the Public Interest. Moderator: Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

3:15-4:30pm鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�WORKSHOPS ROUND 5

Messages from the Movement听听听听听听
Laura Van Tosh, Board Chair, aves-Mental Health (formerly Global Mental Health Peer Network); Laura Prescott, Executive Director, Sister Witness International; Cherene Caraco, CEO, of Promise Resource Network, Chacku Mathai, Director, CRESTNY Institute at the Center for Practice Innovations, Vesper Moore, COO, Kiva Centers; Moderator: Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Building the Future: Training, Developing, and Sustaining a Resilient Peer Workforce
AnnMarie Wilhelm, Peer Specialist Training Coordinator, Greater Mental Health of 黑料正能量; Jim Ball and Kirsten Muth, Peer Services Administrator, MHA of Dutchess County

Psychiatric Advance Directives: A Tool for Advocacy and Empowerment
Kaely Whittington, CPRS Training Coordinator, On Our Own of Maryland; Ian Rodgers, Implementation Director for the Office of Advocacy and Peer Support Services, NYS Office of Mental Health, Matthew Federici, CEO and Ryan Tempesco, Program Manager, Doors to Wellbeing, Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery; Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

From Surviving to Shining: Peer Innovations and Recovery Across Every Season of Life, Mona Lisa McEachin, Assistant Program Director, Recovery Community, BestSelf Behavioral Health

Recovery Through Group Process
Larry Hochwald, Program Manager, David Ferencz, Enrica Paladino and Rob Statham, Training and Technical Assistance Facilitators, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Leaning Into Language: Confronting Discomfort in Everyday Interactions
Jonathan Edwards, Faculty and Consultant, Columbia University School of Social Work; Liz Breier,听Chief Advocacy Officer, NYS Office of Mental Health

Meeting People Where They Are: Lessons from the INSET Peer-Led Engagement Model
Modupe Mujota, Chief Strategy Officer, Baltic Street Wellness Solutions; Ruthanne Becker, Chief Program Officer, Greater Mental Health of 黑料正能量; Melissa Wettengel, CEO, Hands Across Long Island (HALI); Jennifer Levesque, CEO, Recovery Options Made Easy; Moderator:Shannon Higbee, Chief Strategy Officer, The Alliance for Rights and Recovery

4:45pm听听听听听听听听听听ALLIANCE ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
5:30pm听听听听听听听听听听ALLIANCE ANNUAL MEETING

鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗€傗€傗€傗€傗€傗€傗€� EVENING PROGRAM

6:15pm听听听听听听听听听听Annual BBQ Under the Stars, Music by DJ Jenkins
7:00pm听听听听听听听听听听STAND UP FOR MENTAL HEALTH with David Granirer
8:15pm听听听听听听听听听听Peer Support Meetings
9:00pm听 听听听听听Open Mic with Michael Skinner
9:30pm听听听听听听听听听听Dancing with DJ Jenkins

WEDNESDAY October 1, 2025

8:30-9:45am鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�WORKSHOPS ROUND 6

How Peer Support Builds Healthy Relationships Across Human and Cultural Differences
Deborah Wilcox,PhD, Founder/ Chief Executive Officer of Confluency Consultants and Associates
This听workshop听will engage participants in dialogue focused on the various ways that mental health peer support builds healthy relationships across cultural and human differences. The dialogue will include voices and lived experiences of participants from culturally diverse communities, inclusive of faith-based, ethnicity, language, geographical, LGBTQI, ability more.

Inside Supportive Housing: Data, Stories, and Lived Experiences听
Joelle Ballam-Schwan, Director of Programs and Engagement, Rachel Barth, Senior Data Analyst, The Supportive Housing Network of 黑料正能量; Oscar Gamble, Medication Counselor, Concern Housing; Doug Cooper, Associate Executive Director, Association for Community Living

Spirituality in Recovery: Creating Space for All Paths
Katheryn Manglos, Jawonio; Amy Brinkley, Executive Director/Founder, Paul鈥檚 Plan Ministries and Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

黑料正能量 Needs Mental Health Self Direction!
Keith Aguiar, Program Manager, Community Access, Jennifer Sutton, Director of Employment & Family Services, Independent Living; Participants TBA

The Power of Peers: What Ohio鈥檚 Research Can Teach Us About Strengthening Peer Support in 黑料正能量
Michael Krause, Executive Director, Ohio听Peer Recovery Organizations (OhioPRO)

When Calling for Help Turns Bad: Approaches to Police Intervention and Alternatives to Forced Interventions听听
Susan Musante, Owner, Rehabilitation and Recovery Resources; Chacku Mathai, Director, CRESTNY Institute at the Center for Practice Innovations; Earl Miller, Director of Community Supports and Liz Mombourquette, Wildflower Alliance; Nze Okoronta, Co-Executive Director, Supporting Opportunities for Advocacy and Resilience; Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

Interrupting Oppression听
Shamona Kirkland, Statewide Trainer and Bryant Pugh, Director of Statewide Training, Mental Health Empowerment Project

10:00am KEYNOTE:听TAKING ON FEDERAL POLICY THREATS!
Congressman Paul Tonko; Paolo del Vecchio, Independent Consultant; Jennifer Mathis, Deputy Director Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; Rob Kent, President, Kent Strategic Advisors; Angelia Smith-Wilson, Executive Director, FOR-NY,听representative for Faces and Voices of Recovery. Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

11:30am鈥傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌傗赌�WORKSHOPS ROUND 7

We Know What We Need: On Crisis, Resistance & Survival听听
Nze Okoronta, Co-Executive Director, Supporting Opportunities for Advocacy and Resilience

Arts and Trauma Recovery
Michael Skinner, Director, Surviving Spirit and Chrys Ballerano, Independent Consultant

Social Stigma and Shame in the LGBTQ+ Community
Beth Bloom, Peer Outreach Coordinator, Recovery Options Made Easy

Increasing Access to Housing, Food and Transportation: How the 1115 Medicaid Waiver Affects You
Brett Scudder, Scudder Intervention Services Foundation, Social Care Network Representatives TBA,听Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

From Burnout to Belonging: Using the SWAP Tool to Cultivate Trauma-Responsive Teams
Luis Lopez, Director of I CONECT, Nandini Chakravarty, Coaching & Training Specialist Marissa Messiah, and Samantha Headley, Trainer & Implementation Specialists, Center for Practice Innovation

From Presence to Power: Advancing Peer Roles in Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics听
Nev Jones, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburg Social of Social Work; Liz Breier,听Chief Advocacy Officer, NYS Office of Mental Health; Chacku Mathai, Director, CRESTNY Institute at the Center for Practice; Moderator: Shannon Higbee, Chief Strategy Officer, Alliance for Rights and RecoveryBreath-Body-Mind (BBM): A Breath . . . Our Power, Our Resilience听Denise Quamina, Senior Consultant, NYS Trauma Informed Network and Resource Center; Barbara Tedesco, Recovery & Resiliency Market Lead, NY, NJ, RI, United Healthcare; Myeesha Taylor, Campus Staff Development & Training Coordinator, Jewish Child Care Association of NY (JCCANY)

黑料正能量

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