Sara Alarie is from Madison, Wisconsin and although she has been working as a LOV Inc. Bridge Builder for a little over a year, Sara and her family have been a part of the LOV community since she was young. sara@lovinc.org
Kathryne Auerback, Executive Director, joined Movin’ Out, Inc. in Spring 2018. She brings over 25 years of experience leading change for healthier and more equitable organizations and communities. She has managed numerous green building and other environmental and health-related enterprises. Her experience includes designing and leading a broad range of innovative community and economic development initiatives. Auerback earned her MA and MBA degrees from UW-Madison. ka@movin-out.org
Patti Jo Becker, MS brings more than 25 years of experience and passion to her current role. Patti’s experience includes provider roles of direct support and management, consultant roles with families, advocates, and funding agencies as well as, advocacy in local, state, and federal venues. She is currently the Director of Program Operations at Community Living Alliance focusing on work that brings health, independence and dignity home. Patti is a graduate of WI-BPDD Partners in Policy Making, 2018 SD Diehard Award Winner, member of the WI Children’s Long-Term Support Advisory Council, as well as the InControl Wisconsin and Respite Care Association of Wisconsin Board of Directors. She lives in Oregon, Wisconsin. beckerp@clanet.org
Cindy Bentley is currently the Executive Director of People First Wisconsin. Cindy is the first Executive Director of a People First organization nationwide that has an intellectual disability. Cindy spent much of her childhood in foster care and at the Southern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled. Cindy is an author and a proud self-advocate. Cindy wants to continue to use her voice to make life safe, accessible and equal for everyone with and without disabilities. peoplefirstwi@gmail.com
Stephanie Birmingham is proud self-advocate who is honored to work as Advocacy Coordinator at Options for Independent Living, Inc. (one of eight Independent Living Centers in the State of Wisconsin) in Green Bay, WI. Through her role at Options, Stephanie advocates for equal access in their communities for people with disabilities. She has a particular interest in the areas of housing, homelessness, and mental health and substance use. Stephanie has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Loyola University Chicago and owns her own counseling agency. Due to COVID, she has relocated back to her hometown of Sturgeon Bay and is grateful for the advances in technology that has allowed her to continue her work remotely. When Stephanie is not advocating for the rights of marginalized populations she can be found on walks with her mom at the local State Park, catching a nap with her cat, Zetta, or baking treats for family and friends. She is eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first niece or nephew on Thanksgiving Day.
Lynn Breedlove was the Executive Director of Disability Rights Wisconsin from 1980-2011. He served as Co-Chair of the Survival Coalition from 1999-2011. He is a Board Member of InControl Wisconsin from 2009 to date. lynnbreedlove.wi@gmail.com
Kathryn Burish is a 24-year-old self-advocate. She loves music, fashion, make-up, hanging out with friends and accessing all her community has to offer. She currently works for a large healthcare provider as a Health Information Clerk and does data entry and has been employed at this job for 3 years. She lives in her own apartment and LOVES being an independent adult, just like her brother.
Mary Clare Carlson is currently the Self-Advocacy Specialist at My Choice Wisconsin. Mary Clare has over 25 years of disability advocacy experience, with 13 of those years at People First Wisconsin. She also has an extensive background in person centered planning, community connections and Circles of Friends. She is the author of Stories of Circles/Circles of Stories. Mary Clare is a storyteller and a connector. She excels at bringing together diverse people, resources and ideas to discover gifts and talents, capture opportunities, build community, inspire innovative problem solving and facilitate positive change. maryclare.carlson@mychoicefamilycare.org
Amy Chartier has worked a variety of roles, including that of provider, Community Integration Specialist, stakeholder and funder within the County, Family Care and IRIS waivers. As a Community Integration Specialist, she served as a subject matter expert for integrated community service coordination and promotion of employment. Amy is currently the IRIS Section Chief. amy.chartier@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Molly Cooney works for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities on employment and diversity initiatives, including Employment First and Building Full Lives. She’s interested in finding ways for service systems to more intentionally use peers with lived experience to provide support to people with disabilities and family members. molly.cooney@wisconsin.gov
Leon Creary, IRIS Program & Policy Analyst, Wisconsin Department of Health.
leon.creary@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Dominic Dean is a 15-year-old from St. Francis, WI. He started his own food review page to help improve his writing skills and to try new foods and meet new people. He hopes that his page will inspire other kids and adults with special needs to find their voice and their passion in life.
Ben DeLap is a 2019 graduate of Oshkosh West High School; he focused on taking marketing, business and leadership courses. He is actively looking for work in his field of interest. Ben is also a graduate of YiPPE (Youth in Partnership with Parents for Empowerment). He used many of his leadership skills as a Volunteer Ambassador serving the sponsors and exhibitors of the 2019 Circles of Life Conference. Ben has been a speaker at previous Supported Decision-Making trainings. Ben has created personal relationships with several legislators as he advocated in Madison for laws that affect him as a person with a disability. It is very important to Ben to maintain independence as an adult, he leads his life using the Supportive Decision Making option, and it allows for support when needed but creates all possible opportunities for him to make his own decisions in the life he dreams about.
Pam DeLap is a business owner, actively involved citizen, a proud parent, and grandparent. Pam looks for ways to connect, serve and empower others. Pam has worked with the team of advocates in passing the Supported Decision-Making Law. She has led training in her community on the Supported Decision-Making Agreement and continues to work with the resource team to educate families and other stake holders around the state. Pam is a parent of an adult child with a developmental disability who currently uses supported decision making. pdelap5@gmail.com
Joel Dettwiler is the founder of the Quantum Group Special Needs Planning in La Crosse, WI. Joel is a financial advisor and a Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC). His practice is dedicated helping families through the complexities of planning for a loved one with a disability. jdettwiler@quantumplanners.com; www.quantumplanners.com
Natalie Dulaney is a recent UW-Madison graduate and a research assistant for the PCORI funded Research Engagement Curriculum. She helped develop the Research Engagement Toolkit as well as assisted in leading the virtual pilots. During the pilots, she collaborated with the participants with intellectual disabilities on developing their health stories. ndulaney@wisc.edu
Madie Ehlers (Gerbitz) is a self-advocate from the Lake Country area in Wisconsin. She married Andrew Gerbitz on 9/05/2020 and is getting used to living with her new husband. Madie loves Andrew, Zumba, Special Olympics, the Y at Pabst Farms, YouTube and music. She has been employed part-time at a local restaurant for 5 years. She loves her community and her co-workers. In 2019, Madie and her mom started a People First Chapter in Lake Country and plan to resume this fall with monthly Zoom meetings.
Jason Endres is a long time Self Advocacy Leader, a Veteran Legislative Activist, and Partners in Policymaking graduate from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He is currently the Presi-dent of People First of Wisconsin and advocates on their behalf statewide. jason54701@gmail.com
Brett Everman lives with a traumatic brain injury. He lives by himself in an accessible apartment with 24-hour care. Brett communicates with a voice output communication device and drives a power wheelchair. He switched to self-directed services October 2019. bretteverman@gmail.com
Tyler Fech is a 2017 Cudahy HS Graduate, long-time self-advocate and new business owner. Tyler wanted to contribute to society. With the help of his family he fulfilled his dream and TJ Shredzz was born! Tyler’s excited to grow his business and be able to hire individuals of ALL abilities to work side by side.
Angie Fech is Tyler Fech’s mom. She and her family have been involved in the Disability community for 20+ years. Angie is an advocate who believes that everyone has talents and if you want to work, it can be a reality. anjnkev@sbcglobal.net
Sally Flaschberger is the Living Well Project Manager for Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. Sally has been a disability advocate for over 20 years. She was a lead advocacy specialist and public policy associate for Disability Rights Wisconsin for the last 11 years. Sally has served on several statewide committees, including the State Special Education Council, the Superintendent’s Equity Council, and the Governor-Elect transition team on children’s issues. Sally is a graduate of Partners in Policymaking and is now the co-leader. She is also the parent of an adult son with a developmental disability who uses the long-term care system in Wisconsin. sallyflaschberger@wisconsin.gov
Andrew Gerbitz has an amazing life! He lives independently in Oconomowoc where he works in a childcare center at YMCA Pabst Farms. He also has his driver’s license. He is the owner of Andrew’s Voice, a motivational speaking business. Andrew was voted an Emerging Leader by the Waukesha Business Alliance and married the love of his life, Madie, in the summer of 2020.
Angie Gomez believes living her life in a positive way. Angie is a graduate of Lakeland High School. She likes to keep busy and having a purpose in life. She enjoys horseback riding, activities at SEES day program. She also likes watching You Tube videos, listening to music. She is currently enjoys working at Inspired Coffee Shop. She hopes to remain long term at Inspired or another coffee shop.
Anna Gouker was born with a degenerative muscle disease that requires her to use a high-tech, super sci-fi motorized wheelchair. Anna views the world from a unique perspective and focus her immense energy on finding solutions where others see limitations. After earning her Master’s degree in rehabilitation psychology from University of Wisconsin-Madison, Anna established her professional roots in counseling and program development while working for several years in the Human Services field. Anna’s first book, ‘Don’t Ask Permission to Fly’ set to be released this fall, will give readers an intimate glimpse of the personal and professional experiences that give Anna her unique vantage point on the world. gouker@eri-wi.org
Megan Gray is an occupational therapy student at UW-Madison. She has worked in the Ausderau Lab with a diverse stakeholder group for the past two years on the development and piloting of the Research Engagement Curriculum. megray@wisc.edu
Beth Guthrie-Moss has 2 adult children; she is coordinator of the Youth Health Transition Initiative at the Waisman Center and worked at BPDD for 8 years. guthriemoss@wisc.edu
Alyssa Hermanson started working for LOV Inc. as administrative and event support in 2017. She has since taken on many key roles in the organization, including workshop facilitation, event coordination, billing, and communications. Alyssa worked previously as a direct support provider for several children and adults in Waukesha and Dane County. alyssa@lovinc.org
Wendy Heyn is the Voting Outreach Advocacy Specialist with Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW). Wendy works with DRW staff and with the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition to provide outreach and education to people with disabilities, their families, and other stakeholders on voting rights and working to increase the electoral participation of Wisconsinites with disabilities. wendyh@drwi.org
Elijah (EJ) Jimenez is a 23-year-old West High alum who currently works at the Goodwill Donation Center in Middleton. During his high school transition years, he volunteered and worked at numerous places to gain experience, and to better realize what his true ambitions were. When he isn’t working, EJ likes to play basketball, go boating with his family, spend time with his girlfriend and her family, and watch Michigan football.
Sam Katz is very passionate about nearly everything. He once said his greatest weakness is that he had too much passion. Bridge Builder helps him with his social life, his calendar, and some disability-related questions and troubleshooting. He is lucky to have it.
Erica Koepsel is a sexual health educator and a youth engagement expert. She’s been working to improve health education for adolescents and young adults for over 10 years. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015 and began working with Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) Program shortly after. erica.koepsel@wiawh.org
Brittany Kraft graduated from Edgar High School in 2016. Following that, she spent one school year in the Project SEARCH Program through Marshfield High School doing three different internships, graduating from the program in 2017. Brittany started with Marshfield Medical Clinics in May 2017 and currently works in Pediatrics EVS department at the Clinic.
Dan Krohn is a Community Partnership Specialist at TMG. For the last 12 years, his work has been focused on partnering with people to build full lives in their communities by using his expertise in Community Based Supports and Person-Centered Thinking. Dan uses his talents to support people, families, schools, and service providers in the successful navigation of the Wisconsin IRIS Waiver. He lives in Milwaukee with his wife and two boys. dwkrohn@tmgwisconsin.com
Vincent Lara lives in Southwest Wisconsin and is proud to be one of the first people to self-direct in Wisconsin using IRIS. He loves going to festivals and community gatherings. He is an auctioneer and enjoys spending time with his caregivers, coworkers and out in his community.
Tricia Lazare is passionate about community, and helping people live the best life possible, whatever their circumstances may be. She has worked in long term care for the past 14 years and provides education and training surrounding individuals self-directing their supports and all aspects of Inclusa’s model of Community. Special interests include person-centered planning and self-determination. Outside of long-term care, Tricia serves as President for the Respite Care Association of Wisconsin. tricia.lazare@inclusa.org
Nathaniel Lentz has presented at numerous state and national conferences about how people with disabilities can achieve success in education and employment over the last 13 years. Nathaniel was a member of the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities for eight years. Nathaniel advocated for people with disabilities at the Wisconsin Legislature and the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. Currently, he is a Self-Advocate for the Living Well Grant and for People First Wisconsin. Nathaniel earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2014.
Pam Malin is currently working at Disability Rights Wisconsin in the Victim Advocacy Program, as an Advocacy Specialist for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Grant, where she works with victims of crime with disabilities. She is also the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Healthy and Safe Relationships Project Coordinator. She was appointed to sit on the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, by the governor of Wisconsin for the last 10 years. She is passionate about advocating for victims of crime with disabilities. pamm@drwi.org
Tim Markle is the dad of two wonderful 20-somethings and enjoys helping them figure out what that means. Tim has worked professionally and on a volunteer basis with youth from church work, to runaway? shelters, to musicals. Currently, as part of his cool job, he tries to figure out ways to help youth, families and providers prepare for transitioning into the world of adult health care.
Marie Massart is the President of People First – Door County, and an alumnus of the Youth Leadership Forum. She’s been a self-advocate for her entire life. She enjoys summers and spending time with her best friend and her kitty. Marie is enrolled in the TMG IRIS Consultant Agency. marie.massartpfdc@gmail.com
Ashley Mathy is a 24-year-old disability advocate who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (autism spectrum). She is a Wisconsin Policymaking Partner, Employment 1st Ambassador and President of People First’s Rhinelander Chapter. Most recently, she was appointed to the Board of Directors for BPDD. Ashley has spoken around Wisconsin advocating for individuals with special needs. In addition, she has been interviewed on the TV, radio and newspaper on multiple occasions to provide her insights on various topics. Ashley works aggressively as an advocate for individuals with special needs with a motto “Cross out the Dis and Embrace the Ability”. ashleymathy@gmail.com
Carol Ann Matthies is a self-advocate who lives in her own apartment in Rhinelander, WI.
Dakota Maynard is a young man with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He is a busy student, attending the Fire Protection Program at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI. Dakota grew up in a large, loving and fun filled family mixed with treatment foster children, special needs adults, adopted children, biological children and two nieces and a nephew. Dakota has traveled the world extensively, has several exciting high interests that he loves to discuss and spends a large portion of his time volunteering and helping others. One of his passions is educating people in the community about ASD.
Alison Mushett is a Special Olympic Athlete and leader of the PCORI Wisconsin Working Group. She provided feedback for the Researcher Engagement Toolkit and advocates for people with disabilities in her health story. She discusses in her health story her healthy lifestyle and strategies that keep her body and mind healthy. agahanna@aol.com
Jenny Neugart is the Disability Community Organizer for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. She has more than 15 years’ experience with community organizing. She is the co-developer of the Youth in Partnership with Parents for Empowerment (YiPPE) program, which trains youth and their parents on the transition from high school to the adult world. She has invested her career in eliminating barriers to employment for youth with disabilities. jennifer.neugart@wisconsin.gov
Deb & Adam Notstad have over 8 years of experience working with Adam Notstad’s business, AdamCan Recycling. Adam and Deb have been working with a variety of businesses in the Madison and Stoughton areas providing recycling services for their aluminum cans. Adam is a member of the Chamber of Commerce in Stoughton and participates in community events. Over the years, they have hosted legislators in Dane County at Adam’s business location demonstrating the abilities of an individual with complex care needs. Additionally, they have provided informational sessions to Dane County leaders. Deb and Adam’s mission is “Together We CAN crush barriers”.
Kyle Novak is a Program and Policy Analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services IRIS program (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct). She previously worked as a Quality Assurance Specialist with the IRIS program, and has additional prior experience in the field of Long-Term Care. kyle.novak@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Shirley Paceley is currently working as a consultant with Disability Rights Wisconsin on the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Healthy and Safe Relationships Project. She has worked at the intersection of violence and people with disabilities for 45 years. She has a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois. She is a published author, international trainer, counselor, consultant, advocate, and visionary. shirleypaceley@gmail.com
PATCH (Providers and Teens Communicating for Health) are a group of high school students (aged 14-18) from across Dane County. They are trained as public speakers and advocates. The Teen Educators come from many different backgrounds and are experts on the needs and concerns of young people. They use storytelling and guided discussion to empower other teens to take control of their health care and to advocate for changes within health care systems that would help all young people access high-quality, youth-friendly health care. Through their work they are breaking down stigma associated with many health issues and are prepared to discuss a wide variety of sensitive or challenging health topics.
Joyce Pierson is an IRIS Consultant at TMG and licensed social worker. Prior to joining TMG she worked as case manager for the state Home and Community Based Services program in Kansas. Joyce also partnered with her husband in ownership and management of a full-line music store for 15 years and homeschooled her four children. She is passionate about partnering with people to become self-advocates and helping them find appropriate services and supports so they can continue to live the life they want in the community.
Martha Pings is working with the Department of Health Services to make sure Wisconsin is ready to start Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). She sees self-determination through her lens as a former broker, a past employee of a residential provider agency, a daughter, and an aunt. Her uncorrected eyesight is 20/200. martha.pings@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lisa Pugh is Executive Director of The Arc Wisconsin who has been a statewide and national disability leader for over a decade. After working in Congress as a Kennedy Foundation Fellow, she returned to the state as policy director for Disability Rights Wisconsin. She was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and she currently co-chairs Governor Evers’ Task Force on Caregiving. pugh@thearc.org
Gina Ramazini has a BA in Human Services. As an IRIS Consultant she is passionate about supporting individuals as they work towards their employment and independent living goals. Gina has significant experience supporting individuals that use assistive technology to communicate. She has assisted students from High School transition and partnering with DVR to employment. gina.ramazini@lsswis.org
Callie Rademacher is in her 20s and lives with her family in rural Wisconsin. She is happiest when she’s with people, and she absolutely adores her nephews. She likes being outside, dance and music.
Beth Swedeen is Executive Director with the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, which coordinates the Self Determination conference. She is most passionate about making sure that people with disabilities have equal opportunities and the right supports so they can be successful and live their best lives. Her work has focused on inclusive education, youth transition, employment and self determination. Beth first learned about alternatives to guardianship when Cara was in elementary school, and together they pursued other decision-making tools so that Cara retains all her rights.
Cara Swedeen is a self-advocate who has had many opportunities to make her own choices during her life, often with the help of her family and other important people in her life. Cara got some help, but chose her jobs, her apartment and her roommate. She also makes smaller choices every day with no help at all, like what she buys at the grocery store, how she spends her free time, when she goes to bed and wakes up, and whether she will exercise! Cara is an artist at Artworking, where all her creations are her own concepts. She loves animals, making art, watching YouTube videos, talking to her friends and sister on the phone, and taking walks with her sister’s dog.
Philip Temme lives in Madison, Wisconsin and has been a member of LOV Inc. since 2018. He loves history, watching movies, reading, writing, and making new friends. pctemme3@gmail.com
Abigail Tessman is owner of Transit2go, teaching people with disabilities to use public transportation in Madison. She loves advocating for disability rights. Abigail learns best by hands-on activities, such as cooking. tessmannabigail@yahoo.com
Karina Virrueta Running is a Program and Policy Analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services IRIS program (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct). She was previously a Contract Specialist with the IRIS program. Karina received her Master of Public Policy/Affairs from the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison.
karina.virrueta1@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Kristin Voss is a proud mother, teacher, social justice advocate, and loves when these three things can intersect. She teaches psychology at Memorial High School in Madison and coordinates SPARK, a networking group for families with special needs kids.
Nicole Voss is a 19 year old who loves to swing, swim, and go to Starbucks. She has worked at Walgreens and Aspire therapy helping a sensory support group for 6-10 year olds. She currently is participating in the Transitions program through the Middleton Cross Plains School District.
Shannon Webb has over 25 years of experience working in the field of employment and community services for people with disabilities. Since 2005, she has been fostering innovation and systems change as subject matter expert for state and federal initiatives to increase integrated employment for youth and adults with disabilities. Over the years, she has collaborated extensively with self-advocates, family members, service providers, schools and funders and has received the Wisconsin Rehabilitation Leadership Award. Shannon is creative and an excellent problem solver. She believes everyone can work. Expert Trainer, Speaker, Consultant on Transition and Integrated Employment. Former Executive Director, In Control WI. shannon@incontrolwisconsin.org
Steve Woodward is a Special Olympics Athlete and leader for the PCORI Wisconsin Working Group. He advocates and encourages people with disabilities to live a healthy lifestyle. Steve has developed personal health stories that discuss his innovative ideas and solutions for complex issues related to emotional wellness, loneliness, and isolation. steven.c.woodward@hotmail.com