Garry D. Lewis considers himself a peer in recovery of Mental Health and Substance use. He has overcome his own personal challenges of Bi-Polar and Substance use by remaining positive and productive, “living life on life’s terms,” and celebrates his [almost] eight years of recovery. His wellness has led him to work in the Mental health field as Director of a Peer Run Drop-In-Center for the Spindletop Center in Beaumont, Texas. There, individuals in recovery find support, encouragement and hope. Gary is a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) facilitator, Advanced WRAP Facilitator, Recovery Coach Trainer, Co-Occurring Disorder Facilitator as well an Emotional CPR (ECPR) Apprentice. Gary advocates for himself as well as his peers and understands that recovery can help improve quality of life.
Leah Harris, M.A., is a mother, advocate, and storyteller who has written and spoken widely about her lived experiences of trauma, addiction, mental health challenges, and healing/resilience. She is passionate about promoting trauma-informed approaches across systems, sectors, and communities, and is a national lead trainer in the Trauma-Informed Peer Support curriculum developed for SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care. She is also a suicide attempt survivor who works to help change our national approach to suicide prevention and intervention to be more trauma-responsive and informed by the lived experience of attempt and loss survivors. Leah is also devoted to sharing mind-body resilience skills and creative expressive arts, including theatre and storytelling, as vehicles for trauma resolution and personal and collective healing and empowerment. To learn more about her and her work visit 
Maggie Taylor is a Recovery Support Specialist, who has a Bachelor’s in Human Services with a minor in Psychology. She is the Advocacy and Education Program Manager, at Advocacy Unlimited, and has formerly served in the field as a Community Bridger. Maggie feels that it was an act of faith that brought her to the peer movement; she was working as a Nutrition Educator when she received an email with an invitation to a CT Hearing Voices Network training. At that training Maggie met peers from Focus on Recovery, and instantly knew that she had found “her tribe” and started working there shortly after. “I could not imagine working with people in any other capacity outside of the peer role; my hope is that I am able to combine both, my education and lived experience to communicate issues that broaden the perspectives of both, people living with diagnoses, and their communities.
Michaela I. Fissel has been actively involved in the behavioral health field since achieving recovery in 2007, at the age of 21. Since that time, Michaela has risen as an advocate who actively seeks to ensure that the opportunity of recovery is available to all young people within Connecticut. Over the past 10 years, Michaela conducted a series of research projects to explore recovery during the transition to adulthood through the perspective of young people. Identifying the relationship between recovery and the transition to adulthood as a highly subjective and internal process, marked by the gradual attainment of intrinsic qualities, Michaela has begun to explore the integration of mindfulness-based practices in supporting both processes. In conjunction with her research, Michaela shares her personal experiencing navigating the challenges of surviving personally devastating circumstances and evidence informed strategies that have supported her healing journey.
Keynote Speaker, Tom Lane NCPS, CRPS is the senior national director, community and recovery supports, for Magellan Healthcare. He provides leadership and guidance in promoting the concepts of recovery, resilience, wellness, and community inclusion throughout systems of care. Tom is an expert on the intersections of these areas, as well as adjunct support systems. He has 20 years of experience developing and implementing peer-operated programs, services, and supports in the community and within publicly funded and commercial payer and provider settings, including inpatient and state hospital settings. He has provided consultation and technical assistance for several state and federal initiatives on the topics of peer support, whole-health programs, and community inclusion. He is considered an expert in the intersection of mental health and criminal justice systems. Tom is a member of the National Advisory Board of the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion, the Coalition on Psychiatric Emergencies, and serves on the National Quality Forum Collaborations and Partnerships workgroup. From 2014 – 2017, he served on the national board of directors for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the country’s leading advocacy group for people living with mood disorders. Tom is a Navy veteran, and lives in Wisconsin Dells, WI with his wife, 2 cats, and Millie, their rescued golden retriever.
Lorrin Gehring, is a passionate leader who began advocating for youth rights in her early teen years. In her career she has been fortunate to serve as an Advocate, a Case Manager, a Resource Specialist, a Social Marketer, a Director, a Teacher and a Peer.
In each of these positions she has advocated for young people to have a voice and choice in their lives and the systems that serve them. She has authored numerous articles on youth involvement and is the 2011 Voice Award recipient for excellence in the field of youth advocacy, as well as the 2012 Marlene Matarese Advocate for Youth Rockstar awardee. Lorrin is currently the Program Director for Statewide Youth Sound in Washington. Her favorite color is green, and she is an award-winning karaoke singer holding a first-place award for best worst karaoke performance- she’s got passion.