Staff

BJ North, National Mentoring Program Director

BJ North is the National Director of the Mentoring Program. BJ, 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, BJ 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. BJ 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. BJ 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. BJ can provide organzational wellness consultation, facilitator mentoring, consultation on WRAP implementation and Advanced Level WRAP Facilitator mentoring.

Matthew Federici, Executive Director

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 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 serves 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's has provided keynote presentations, training programs and webinars on recovery, community inclusion and peer supports 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 though 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 Exemplary Practice Award in 2007 from the Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA Board of Directors.

Katie Wilson, Director of Operations

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

Erica Buffington, Wellness Education and Correspondence Specialist

Erica Buffington has been actively involved in mental health wellness and recovery for 24 years.  She has given presentations in the U.S. and Canada on wellness, recovery and WRAP in addition to conducting WRAP Facilitator Trainings.  Audiences have included individuals who self-identify, family members and professionals.  For 4 years (2000-2004) she coordinated WRAP activities in Minnesota through the Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Network of MN.  She is an Advance Level Mental Health Recovery Educator and WRAP Facilitator and has facilitated over eighty 3 and 5 day trainings in 15 years.  Erica has also been the instructor for the Mental Health Recovery and WRAP Correspondence Course for the past ten years.  In addition to her activities in the recovery and WRAP areas, she has co-authored a curriculum on the elimination of seclusion and restraint.  She continued to provide assistance until January 31, 2005 to the Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Network (CSN) through grant writing, curriculum development and the training of CSN staff. As of February 2005 Erica has been an independent contractor with The Copeland Center.  Her status changed in 2015 when she became a staff member of the Copeland Center.
In 1990 Erica received a Masters Degree in Mental Health Administration and in 2002 a doctorate in the same field.  Her area of emphasis has always been on recovery and individual self care through self managed care and peer support.

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.

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! 

Waynette Brock, National Advanced Co-Facilitation Trainer

Waynette is an Advanced Level WRAP Facilitator and has lead organizational teams which has created an outreach modality that encompasses a broad range of services, specifically targeting high risk individuals and underserved populations such as those that are incarcerated, individuals seeking recovery from substance abuse and those with life threatening illnesses, as well as anyone who wants positive life changes. Waynette is the Copeland Center's lead innovator and training consultant to implement our Mentoring for Re-entering program which seeks to support people to live beyond correctional and institionally controled settings.

Ryan Tempesco, Program Support Coordinator, Doors to Wellbeing

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 bring his experience as a board member of a consumer operated organization in VA, VOCAL, and in co-chairing the organizing committee of Alternatives 2018.

Gina Calhoun, Program Director, Doors to Wellbeing

After 17 years of back-to-back institutionalization, Gina credits her recovery journey to relationships that chose to focus on What's Strong Not What's Wrong and to meaningful employment. Gina often says, "I didn't get well and go to work.  Work was my pathway toward wellness."

Her full time career began as a member of the PA state leadership team to plan and achieve Medicaid billable peer support services.  In this job, she also implemented the Community Support Planning Process to ensure the voices of people making the hospital to community transition were primary in the development of new services and supports. 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 comes to the Copeland Center after ten years in the non-profit sector, working most recently with Federation EIL, The Worldwide Network of the Experiment in International Living. She brings experience from the for profit sector as well, having owned a home-based business and worked in the culinary arts for many years. She loves to spend as much time as she can with her large extended family.