Meet the Copeland Center 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 WRAP 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 WRAP 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 WRAP practitioners and others is unlimited. BeaJae can provide organizational wellness consultation, facilitator mentoring, consultation on WRAP implementation, and Advanced Level WRAP Facilitator mentoring. | |
![]() Matthew Federici, Chief Executive Officer Matthew R. Federici, MS is the Executive Director 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 Mental Health Recovery Educator and WRAP 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 WRAP Facilitator and International WRAP 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 WRAP 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 WRAP 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 of WRAP 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 thus making WRAP what it is today. Eric Larson, Advanced Level WRAP 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 WRAP 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 besides WRAP and music also include the 12 steps, meditation, cats and reading. | |
Vivian was born & raised in Puerto Rico and moved to Massachusetts 34 years ago. She graduated from the University of the Sacred Heart in Santurce, PR with a bachelor’s in Social Work, a Minor in Advanced Psychology, and a 2nd Minor in Medical Sciences. After a long career as a mental health, trauma & addiction counselor/program director, she moved away from her provider role to become a Certified Peer Specialist in the state of Massachusetts; a Certified Older Adult Peer Specialist, a medical interpreter/translator/editor, a national WRAP® Seminar III Advanced Level Facilitator, a Hearing Voices support group facilitator and Recovery Coach. During the past 15 years, she had used her lived experience and bi-lingual abilities (Spanish & English) to provide “peer support” to individuals with diverse recovery challenges to find “Wellness within their Recovery ''.
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 WRAP Co-Facilitator husband and daughter; a true WRAP 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. A tool that has been instrumental in her work is the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP).
Rachelle Weiss, Online Learning Development Director | |
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![]() Ryan Tempesco, National Training Coordinator Ryan Tempesco, CPS and Advanced Level WRAP 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. | |
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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. | |
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.
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Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery - PO Box 6471 - Brattleboro VT 05302 - info@copelandcenter.com - 802-254-5335 |