Staff

BeaJae North, Executive Director Western Region

BeaJae North is the National Director of the Mentoring Program. BeaJae, comes to us from Conscious Educators Inc and is based in California. She has been using, living, and sharing the power of well as an Advanced Level Facilitator for almost two decades. Her mentoring work is based on the power of communication and her belief that in the right environment with the right actions, people have the power to find the answers within themselves. When mentoring, BeaJae asks herself, “How do I be kind and gentle? Where is my empathy?” which allows those she is supporting to gain the confidence to approach their work and lives in a kinder and more respectful way. BeaJae will be working with Facilitators as well as organizations whose interpersonal relations and bottom line can benefit from her positive, practical, and nurturing approach to wellness. BeaJae has been a highly-valued consultant with the Copeland Center for years. Now that she has joined the organization as a full-time colleague, the reach of the Copeland Center’s ability to support and mentor practitioners and others is unlimited. BeaJae can provide organizational wellness consultation, facilitator mentoring, consultation on wellness and peer program implementation, and Advanced Level Facilitator mentoring.

Matthew Federici, Chief Executive Officer 

Matthew R.  Federici, MS is Chief Executive Officer of the Copeland Center for Wellness & Recovery. Matthew came to the Copeland Center in 2010 from the Institute for Recovery & Community Integration where he served as Program Director to create systems transformation through the implementation of a certified peer specialist training program across Pennsylvania. Matthew is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, and consultant on recovery, wellness, community inclusion and peer support.  He has served on the board of directors for the International Association of Peer Support and the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery.  In 2015, he was awarded by San Diego County, the National "This Person" award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the hope and wellness of people in recovery.  Matthew has provided keynote presentations, training programs, and webinars on recovery, community inclusion, and peer support in over 45 different states in the US as well as in Japan, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands. Matthew is an Advance Level Facilitator through the Copeland Center for Wellness & Recovery. Matthew’s personal and professional journey in wellness and recovery includes involvement as a family member and a mental health consumer advocate for over 20 years. He has also been involved in promoting Psychiatric Advance Directives through local, state, and national consumer and provider conferences and is a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner. He received his BA from Alvernia University in Psychology and Communications and MS in Rehabilitation Counseling from Rutgers University. He was awarded Distinguished Advocate Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services in 2002 and the Exemplary Practice Award in 2007 from the Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA Board of Directors.

Lala Doost, Western Region Projects Coordinator 

Lala is the Western Region Projects Coordinator for the Copeland Center. Lala started her journey in the wellness-oriented workspace over 15 years ago in Oakland, CA, and has since continued working with many non-profit, peer-run, or peer-focused agencies in California, and other states, that are focused on providing support and resources to community members wanting to enhance their wellness. Lala continues to collaborate with agencies to provide workshops that promote the exploration of approaches to staying well in various environments, including at work. Lala enjoys exploring new techniques and ideas in wellness and being able to share them with others. To support her personal wellness Lala loves to travel, spend time with loved ones, attend community events, and stop to smell the flowers. Lala is a trained Advanced Level Facilitator and International Mentor.

Katie Wilson, Chief Operations Officier 

Katie Wilson comes to the Copeland Center after working with Mary Ellen Copeland on a number of special projects – most notably, Mental Health Recovery’s online presence on mentalhealthrecovery.com, facebook groups, e-newsletters, webinars and wraparoundtheworld.com. Over the past decade Katie has worked to guide systems and organizational leaders to implement the evidenced based practice of peer programs as well help tailor wellness and recovery programs using the Copeland Center's network of trained educators for their organizational recovery events and services.   Katie has worked for Marlboro College’s MBA program in Managing for Sustainability, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and the AmeriCorps*VISTA for Vermont Campus Compact. Katie received her BA from Bennington College and her master’s degree from New York University’s Center for Global Affairs where she studied international human rights. During her time with the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, Katie worked with staff from other philanthropies on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

She’s an avid reader of non-fiction and fan of public radio particularly of This American Life, Radio Lab, Marketplace, and Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. View Katie’s Linkedin Profile

Jane Winterling, Vermont Recovery Education Coordinator

Jane Winterling is Director of the Vermont Recovery Education Project for the Copeland Center. Previously, she served as Grant & Education Director for Vermont Psychiatric Survivors and as a consultant to Vermont Blueprint for Health Project. Jane is one of the original group of people responsible for the idea and development of WRAP.  For this reason she has the ability to bring a unique knowledge and the history of its development that is inspiring and allows others to share in the amazing journey of how WRAP began, the people who influenced it and helped to deepen our understanding of what it means to be well.

Jane has experienced both sides of the mental health system and is a strong advocate for both peers and professionals and the need to be able to reach out to each other to change things in ways that benefit us all. It was while working at a local mental health agency that she met and began talking to Mary Ellen Copeland about ways to create what became the structure of WRAP and how that structure might allow us to “make it work” in our lives.  Jane has aslo developed and offers our newest Copeland Center training, the WE Training.  WE statnds for Wellness Engagement and is a new course for those seeking to provide 1:1 and group peer support that enhances our engagement in creating a wellness lifestyle and keeps us engaged in creating self-direced structure and plans to stay well! 

Eric Larson, Advanced Level Co-Facilitator

Eric Larson has worked on his recovery for over 20 years. His expertise stems from understanding the collective state of his humanity on his own recovery path from emotional torrent, type 1 Diabetes and hearing voices.  Eric works with the Copeland Center facilitating Online Workshops. Honing his empathetic abilities and structuring caring communities is his passion.  Eric plays his music in his projects Midnight Garden, Wounding of the Bright, and self-publishes his poetry. Some of his main wellness tools are music also include the 12 steps, meditation, cats and reading.

Vivian Nuñez, Support Services and Multicultural Coordinator

Amey Dettmer - Doors To Wellbeing NTAC Program Manager 

In 2011, Amey Dettmer graduated from a Peer Specialist Certification Training in Pennsylvania. Since certification Amey has worked as a Certified Peer Support Specialist in community based settings, residential settings, and as a peer support supervisor. In 2016, she started working with the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery providing peer support and wellness recovery education nationally. At the Copeland Center she is currently the Program Manager of the SAMHSA-funded National Consumer Technical Assistance Center, Doors to Wellbeing.

Kyneta Lee, National Director of the Peer Support Training and TA Center

Kyneta Lee is a dynamic African American educator, local community leader, and Certified Peer Specialist out of Willington, Delaware who has been a member and partner with the Copeland Center for several years bringing our programs to her community.  She lives with her Co-Facilitator husband and daughter; a true wellness family.  Kyneta has worked in the field of Peer Support since 2013. During her time in this field, she witnessed the power of Peer Support to make a monumental difference in the lives of those living with mental health and substance use disorders. Kyneta strongly believes in the innate resilience of people and firmly believes everyone can recover and live-in wellness.  Because of this, she diligently works toward providing programs and opportunities to help people find their path to wellness and recovery.  Tools that has been instrumental in her work is peer support and wellness planning.

Julius E. Rhodes, Director of People and Culture

Throughout his 30+ year career in the consumer products, durable and consumer goods, and healthcare industries Julius Rhodes has helped myriad leaders, and organizations; “BRAND: YOU.” His extensive experience in public service, associations, several leading-edge Fortune 100 firms and as a business owner, author, and trusted advisor has allowed him to support various entities in times of transition and change. Julius believes “Invest in Your People, and Your Business Will Prosper.” Based in Chicago, Illinois he is a much sought-after speaker, presenter, trainer and thought leader who has national exposure throughout the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii, and he has facilitated sessions internationally in Canada, England, Mexico, and Nigeria. His group interaction has been described as ‘approachable, relevant, and applicable.’ His mission is to ‘engage, support, and inspire his partners through the application of practical and sustainable practices which create improved process efficiency, talent development, integration, and utilization.

He speaks to thousands annually at conferences, conventions, and on-site covering topics such as human resources, environmental, health and safety, leadership development, emotional intelligence, health and well being, change, diversity, equity and inclusion, future trends, and positive disruption, among others. Julius lists as his greatest accomplishment the over 30-year marriage to his wife Linda, and their two adult children, Jerome, and Lauren. In his free time Julius enjoys cooking, golfing, bike-riding, pickleball, enjoying Chicago’s lakefront and getting up a few shots on the basketball court.

 Ryan Tempesco, National Training Coordinator 

 Ryan Tempesco, CPS and Advanced Level Facilitator, is a transgender individual who has found peace and wellness through community support, connection and understanding. He is currently the Program Support Coordinator for Doors to Wellbeing National Consumer Technical Assistance Center. He is an advocate for wellness, as well as equal rights in his community, and always brings optimism with him wherever he goes. Ryan brings his experience as a board member of a consumer-operated organization in VA, VOCAL, and in co-chairing the organizing committee of Alternatives 2018.

Amethyst Lee, Peer Empowerment Specialist

Amethyst Lee has been part of the grassroots movement of peer support since the age of 16. Early on, Amethyst became empowered to take personal responsibility for her wellness and recovery when she learned about action planning at a workshop.  As she applied the principles she learned to her life, she began to support family and friends by sharing what she learned. Amethyst continued this work into high school when she began working with Youth and Family Services and other young people to create the first youth and young adult Peer Support program in DE.  As a senior at the University of Delaware, Amethyst continued to support the peer workforce and advocate for people with lived experiences in Delaware while working at the Mental Health Association of Delaware. Recently, she became the Peer Empowerment Specialist at the Copeland Center for Wellness and recovery where she continues to advocate through education, providing Certified Peer Specialist Training and the youth empowerment workshop Peer Generation. While facilitating these growth and exploration opportunities, Amethyst has worked hard to create safe spaces to converse about mental health, wellness and personal identity.

Throughout her experiences and conversations with people in the field, one thing has remained true: Everyone wishes they had access to peer support earlier in their lives. While it is never too late to start the journey to recovery and wellness, she now aims to create safe spaces for youth, young adults, parents and allies to acknowledge and address the needs of youth today. An ally to all with lived experience, Amethyst aims to create more spaces for productive collaborative conversations around mental health, substance use, and trauma.

Amethyst enjoys a life filled with art and creativity. She is a talented sculptor, illustrator, and writer. She enjoys playing her guitar and saxophone. Amethyst also has a passion for plants, with a collection of over 20 plants. In addition, she is the proud mom to two rescued cats, Bean and Raj.

Gina Calhoun, Advanced Level Wellness Facilitator 

Gina is an Advanced Level Wellness Facilitator that provides training and technical assistance with the Copeland Center.   She is a wife, sister, friend, fitness enthusiast, and a person with mental health challenges.  She has over 30 years of experience in mental health services, first as a participant and now as a peer professional.  When Gina is not promoting wellness and recovery, she enjoys adult gymnastics and spending time with her large dynamic family.

Gina won the Timothy J. Coakley National Behavioral Health Leadership Award. This award honors peer and family leaders in the behavioral health field whose work is characterized by the highest degree of integrity and a passion for creative approaches for improving the lives of persons living with mental health challenges, especially in the public sector.

Elaine Stiles, Fiscal and Administrative Services Director

Elaine Stiles has been with The Copeland Center for over 10 years. She has previously worked in the non-profit sector with other organizations in administrative and financial positions. She brings experience from the for-profit sector as well, having owned a home-based business and worked in the culinary arts. Cooking and gardening are some of her favorite wellness tools, as well as spending as much time as she can with her large extended family.