7th Annual HOPE Consortium Virtual Conference

Presenter Biography Page

​​2023​ Keynote Speakers

Kirsten Johnson, 

​Kirsten Johnson has over 20 years of experience as a public health leader in complex local, ​​state, national, and international organizations. She joins the administration after previously serving as the health commissioner for the city of Milwaukee following her appointment in January 2021. Prior to serving the city of Milwaukee, Kirsten led th​e Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department for more that a decade as the director and health officer, overseeing the merger of the two counties' health departments and later leading a multi-county pandemic response as well as various other public health and health equity initiatives. Kirsten has her master's degree in public health from Tulane University of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and holds certifications as a public health professional and certified education specialist.

​Jillene Joseph, BS​

Paul Krupski, Director of the Opioid Initiatives, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, Wisconsin

Paul was named the Director of the Opioid Initiatives at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) in October 2017. He has nearly two decades of experience working in the substance abuse field and his work has always centered on implementing evidence-based policies, programs, and strategies to ​​positively impact substance abuse and misuse. Paul has previously worked at DHS as a Prevention Coordinator with the Division of Public Health Office of Preparedness and Emergency Healthcare. Prior to working for the State of Wisconsin, Paul was the Policy Director for a non-profit in Madison, and also spent 10 years working for a community-based non-profit organization in San Diego, California. Paul graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Change and De​​velopment.

Derek Mosley, Director of the Marquette University Law School's Lubar Center for Public​ Policy Research & Civic Education

Derek Mosley graduated from Marquette University Law School in 1995. After graduation he served as an Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County from 1995-2002. As an Assistant District Attorney, he represented the State of Wisconsin in over 1,000 criminal prosecutions. In 2002, Mr. Mosley was appointed Municipal Court Judge in Milwaukee. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest African-American to be appointed judge in the State of Wisconsin. For ten years Mr. Mosley served as the Chief Judge of he Milwaukee Municipal Court. In 2023, Mr. Mosley became the Director of the ​Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education at Marquette University Law School. He has been a lecturer at both Marquette University Law School as well as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, He sits on the Supreme Court of Wisconsin's Judicial Education Committee​​​.​​

​​​​​Session Presenters

Sreevalli Arluru, MD

Sreevalli (Sree)Atluru, MD born to immigrant parents in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was raised in Kansas and Minnesota, She attended University of Wisconsin-Madison for college where she graduated with honors in biology and political science. She then worked in politics for one year before going to medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Family Medicine residency landed her at Oregon Health and Science University for a novel four-year family medicine training with her fourth year spent primarily in the care of inpatient and pregnant people with substance use disorders, She graduated in 2017 and now works as a primary care and addiction medicine clinician providing obstetrical services at UW Health Deforest-Windsor and a hospitalist with the Department of Medicine. Her areas of interest involve preventive care, prenatal care, newborn care and management of substance use disorders in pregnancy. In addition to a busy clinical practice in and outside of the hospital, she enjoys yoga, spending time with family and friends, eating brunch and high intensity interval training workouts.

Amanda Awonohopay, 

To be added

Dan Bizjak, MSW, LCSW, ICS, CSAC

Dan has over 20 years addiction experience and 15 years as a supervisor, he provides humor filled lectures on addiction, mental health, medicated assisted treatment and leadership. Dan has worked with mentoring and providing leadership throughout his career. He is the Immediate Past President of Recovery & Addiction Professionals of Wisconsin, RAP-WI, and is currently serving as the NAADAC Student Committee Chair. Dan has worked across the treatment continuum and is currently the State Opioid Treatment Authority (SORA) for the Sate of Wisconsin's Department of Health Services.​

​Cindy Burzinski, MS Wisconsin Voices for Recovery

Cindy Burzinksi is the current Director of Wisconsin Voices for Recovery, part of the UW-Madison Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH). She is also a licensed Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, person in long term recovery, and researcher interested in increasing access to supportive resources within the recovery community. Prior to her work at UW-Madison, she worked at Journey Mental Health Center providing individual and group outpatient therapy, and Tellurian Detoxification Center providing assessment and brief intervention to people admitted to detox. She is also former Executive Administrator of the Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine, where she coordinated two annual conferences, and contributed to the organization's growth and engagement with other addiction professionals.

Her professional interests include raising awareness and creating connections across Wisconsin to support the recovery movement and incre​a​se support and resources for those in and seeking recovery and their advocates; cognitive behavioral therapy and theory: mind-body therapies including mindfulness and hypnosis; strategies to improve quality of life; resilience; well being; perception and cognition; cultural diversity, equity and inclusion; process improvement and workflow development; and team building.​

Aaron Clayborn, Recovery Coach Trainer

Kristen DePrey​, MS, LPS, CSAC, ICS

Kristen DePrey has been in the substance abuse treatment field for over 20 years. She graduated from UW-Green Bay with a bachelors degree in psychology and UW-Stout with a masters degree in guidance and counseling. She has worked in correctional settings and  community counseling providing direct client care and clinical supervision. She has also worked in academic settings teaching courses and facilitating program development. She was a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. She currently works for a Family Health Center as a substance use therapist and clinical supervisor and is also a Claire Matrix Trainer.

Nikki Engels, Fitness and Viniyoga Instructor, Leadership Academy, Inc.​

Nikki Engels is a fitness and yoga teacher at the Leadership Academy in Woodruff, Wi. She has taught classes for 14 years and is skilled in understanding how the body works to acquire the proper fitness workout for all skill levels. Viniyoga has a unique quality that works with the student's breath and movement while coming in and out of postures. The yoga style she teaches allows the body to come into a relaxed state that helps with rejuvenation.

Kerry Gannon-Loew, MD, MS

Dr. Kerry Gannon-Lowe is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and an Adolescent Medicine physician at the UW Health Teenage and Young Adult Clinic. She completed medical school and residency at University of Wisconsin and an adolescent medicine fellowship at National Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH. She is committed to addressing the health concerns of teenagers and young adults, with a particular interest in working with patients with substance use disorders, including prescribing medication f​or opioid use disorder. 

Theresa Gunn, MA, SAC​

Theresa is ​a graduate from the University of South Dakota with both her Bachelors in Criminal Justice (1986) and her Masters in Addiction Studies (2016). She currently holds her Substance Abuse Counselor (SAC) license in Wisconsin. Theresa has 8 years of experience in case management for clients with both mental health and substance abuse issues. She has over 3 years as a Substance Abuse Counselor. She is an IDP assessor for Clark County, and will be starting prevention education in Neillsville Middle School this fall. Theresa has worked in different arenas of treatment including in-patient, outpatient, case management, mindfulness, crisis intervention, and cognitive behavioral therapies. She has gained knowledge running different types of groups from educational, to process, to focus. She is trained in MRT and SMART Recovery. She has lived experience of substance use and recovery time of over 30 years. Theresa has been a foster mom for 3 years, and adopted a girl who is now 6, which has helped her gain knowledge of the foster care system in Wisconsin. She thrives on motivating and inspiring her clients to do more for them​selves.

Hazel Hindsey, Tribal Probation Academy - BS Social Work - MSW graduate

Hazel Hindsey lives and works in the St. Croix Tribal Community of Maple Plain near Cumberland, Wisconsin. She began working for the tribe in the field of substance abuse prevention and outpatient treatment. She also devoted 10 years as a tribal council member. Then returned to work in Human Resource, Human Service Department and finally as the developer of the tribe's re-entry program.

Lizzy Hovis, MD

Kate Kipp, MSSW, APSW

Kate Kipp joined UW-Stevens Point's Department of Sociology and Social Work in 2015. Kipp has and advanced practice certification as a social worker and is trained in substance use disorders. Kipp continues to facilitate groups for children/youth receiving CCS services. Kipp spent nearly 15 years as a child welfare social worker in Dane and Marathon counties. She is involved on the board of Marathon County Head Start and volunteers for the Girl Scouts of the Northwest Lakes.​

Heather Kurilla, B.S.

My name is Heather Kurilla, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness Management in 2018. I accepted the Assistant Program Director position at the Vilas County Jail in early 2023.

Sarah Laurel, Executive Director, Savage Sisters Recovery, Bryn Mawr, PA

Savage Sisters founder and Executive Director, Sarah Laurel, created Savage Sisters and its programming after she overcame her traumatic battle with Substance Use Disorder and homelessness. What began as a desire to have one safe home for a couple of women grew organically over the past five years. Today Savage Sisters has nine houses, weekly street-based outreach, a drop-in center, statewide overdose reversal, and harm reduction training. Salvage Sister's mission is to attack addiction ferociously with radical love through connection​.​

Nichole Logan, ​​BSN, BS, RN

Nichole Logan, BSN, BS, RN, is the Quality Improvement Advisor for the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care. After a decade of experience in business operations and quality improvement across various settings, she returned to school to pursue a nursing degree with the aim of improving health outcomes. Nichole​ is also a staff nurse at the Milwaukee VA Hospital. This allows her to stay connected to patient-facing care while working towards improving healthcare systems throughout the state.

Kelly Lowe, Case Manager

Kelly Lowe works for the tribal re-integration program, where we help tribal members who are coming out of incarceration, to help them to get on their feet and establish and maintain a healthy, sober lifestyle. We also help them to obtain employment and/or education housing, and mental health services (as needed). We also try and bridge the gap between tribal members an the division of probation and parole, as the parole agents many not be a culturally sensitive as needed so that's where we come in, as liaisons between that member and the probation an parole.

Tyne Lowe, 

Tyne Lowe is a Case Manager for the SCT Reintegration Program for the last five years. She is a CNS by training but chose to work     with female clients who are coming home from prison​.

Marjorie Meyer, MD

Marjorie Meyer MD is a maternal fetal medicine physician at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. She was co-investigator for this site of the MOTHER trial and has maintained an interest in all aspects of substance misuse in pregnancy and parenting families. She works closely with her state collaborators that provide community services around the rural state, most recently to understand how pandemic related disruptions in the health care system have affected coordinated care for pregnancy and families.

Kelly Miller, Nutrition Therapist, Master Health Coach, Certified Recovery Coach and Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional

Kelly Miller is a Master Certified Nutrition Therapist, Master Health Coach and Recovery Coach who specialized in nutrition for addiction recovery. She founded the Addiction Nutritionist in 2017, a virtual coaching and consulting practice, after years of a personal struggle with food and other substances. Her program helps uncover the biochemical root courses of addiction and cravings. She created the PAWS Protocol, a nutritional intervention designed to alleviate the symptoms of Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome and directly address the unique needs of individuals in recovery. her clients typically experience improved mood, a reduction in cravings and relapse, and a overall better quality of life. She also works with treatment facilities to train clinical staff, educate patients, facilitate nutrition therapy groups and create or improve nutrition programming. She is a regular presenter for alumni groups, community centers, and sober living facilities across the U.S. Kelly currently spends most of her time hosting The Addiction Nutritionist Podcast and Recovery​​ U, her group coaching platform focused on building health, wellness, and resilience in recovery.

David Nelson, PhD

David Nelson is a retired mental health and substance use counselor yet is still active in the recovery community as a board member of Spirit Lake Wellness. It is a non-profit organization comprised of medical and psychological professionals providing education regarding substance use recover. He is knowledgeable o the HOPE Consortium as he was the Sate of Wisconsin's Substance Use Treatment Coordinator at the time of his retirement. he has a substantial background in mindfulness nd brain-based therapeutic approaches​ to mental health and substance use recovery.​

Ashley Normington, ​Public Health Strategist

Ashley is a Public Health Strategist with the Wood County Health Department. After graduation from the University of Stevens Point, she served in the AmeriCorps for two years before joining Marshfield Clinic to support community coalition efforts for Marshfield Area Coalition for Youth and Northwood Coalition. In 2017, she joined Wood County Health Department supporting Healthy People Wood County's substance use efforts, known as Impact. Along with youth prevention, Ashley also supports harm reduction and recovery supportive efforts, and serves on the Board of Directors for a peer recovery support organization, Three Bridges Recovery Wisconsin. She and her husband, Wes, have three children and enjoy coaching their children's youth basketball teams.

Julie Poupart, BSN, MA. Zaagiibagaa Healing to Wellness Court Coordinator

Joelle Puccio, BSN, RN

Joelle Puccio is a registered nurse who has worked in Perinatal and Neonatal Intensive Care since 2004. They worked for 7 years as the Director of Women’s Services for the People’s Harm Reduction Alliance, a peer run syringe services program in Seattle, WA, and served on the Board of Directors for 4 years. They are a co-founder of the Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction, whose mission is to improve the lives of pregnant and parenting people who use substances. They have been invited to speak at conferences convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Academy of Neonatal Nurses (ANN), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and more. They currently travel the country in their RV with their partner and 2 cats as a travel nurse, in order to learn about the experience of families affected by perinatal substance use and pregnancy criminalization in varying geographic areas. They became passionate about advocating for people who use drugs after realizing that everything they had been taught about drugs from childhood through nursing school was wrong.

Andrew Schreier, ICS, CSAC, LPC, ICGC-I/Clinical Coordinator

Andrew J. Schreier is an Independent Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, and Licensed Professional Counselor. He is a currently the Clinical Coordinator for Wisconsin at Community Medical Services that provides medicated-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. Mr. Schreier also works at New Life Resources, Inc. that provides individual counseling/therapy, children and adolescent services, couples/marital counseling, step/blended families, group therapy, addiction counseling, psychological testing, and consultation. In over seventeen years of counseling experience, he has worked in group home, halfway house, residential, medicated-assisted treatment, and outpatient treatment settings working with a variety of addictions. Mr. Schreier is the host of "Talking Addiction & Recovery Podcast.” ​

Dennis Radloff, Harm Reduction Strategy Technical Advosir-Vital Strategies (embedded at WI DHS)​

Dennis Radloff has worked in the substance use services field for over 25 years with a background including Substance Use Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, Director of Behavioral Health Services, Narcan Direct Coordinator, and Harm Reduction Response Team Coordinator. Increasing drug user health supports through state systems, decreasing stigma for people who use drugs, and overdose prevention has been the focus of Dennis’ work activities the past 10 years. Dennis currently works for Vital Strategies as the Harm Reduction Strategy Technical Advisor embedded at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in the Division of Public Health.

Judge Gary Smith, Chief Judge for Lac du Flambeau Tribal Court

Jacob Wagner, MPH, Public Health Strategist, Wood County Health Department

Scott Webb, Master of Science in Education

Sheila Weix, 

MSN, RN, CARN, Director of Substance Abuse Services, FHC Alcohol & Drug Recovery Center, Marshfield, Wisconsin

Sheila Weix is the director of Substance Abuse Services for Family Health Center of Marshfield, Inc., a member of the Marshfield Clinic Health System. With a background in addiction treatment spanning inpatient, residential, and outpatient services, she is in her fifth decade of practice in both public and private environments.​​

Christine Wichman, DO

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