Alliance Alert: Tomorrow, August 19th at 1:30 PM (ET), the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) will host an urgent conversation on protecting Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal contractors to take meaningful steps to hire and advance individuals with disabilities.
This event will feature leading disability rights experts, including Jennifer Mathis, Deputy Director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and former senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice. Jennifer will discuss threats to disability employment protections and how we can defend them.
Register Here for the DREDF Webinar, see below for more information.
What is Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act? And How Can We Defend it?
Date & Time: Aug 19, 2025 01:30 PM in Indiana (East)
Description:
Section 503 is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 503 requires businesses that have contracts with the federal government to “take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.” Section 503 regulations require that businesses with federal contractors use voluntary surveys to track their progress in hiring and employing people with disabilities. The regulations also include a goal for contractors — businesses with federal contracts should try to have a workforce that includes 7% people with disabilities.
A new proposal from the Administration would delete these requirements. This will harm the employment of people with disabilities. Join us to learn about Section 503 and how to defend it.
Presenters: – Claudia Center (she/her), Legal Director, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) – Jennifer Mathis (she/her), Deputy Director, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
**ASL and CART (live captions) provided. Contact Tina Pinedo at tpinedo@dredf.org for any accommodations you may need by Tuesday, August 12th. Late requests may not be possible to fill.
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Jennifer Mathis at the Alliance Annual Conference
We are also excited to announce that Jennifer Mathis will join us at our Annual Conference this September, where she will provide:
- Federal policy updates impacting people with mental health, substance use, and trauma-related challenges
- Strategies to protect disability rights at this critical time
- Tools for effective advocacy to secure the services and supports people need
Jennifer’s expertise and leadership in advancing disability justice make her a powerful voice as we prepare to respond to rapidly changing federal and state landscapes. We are happy to hear from her and other national leaders including Congressman Paul Tonko, former SAMHSA Office of Recovery Director Paolo del Vecchio, former General Counsel with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Rob Kent, and Dr. Angelia Smith-Wilson, Executive Director of Friends of Recovery- New York at our Wednesday Keynote: Taking on Federal Policy Threats!
See below for more conference details, including registration and hotel reservation — this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Together, we will continue pushing for recovery services, rights, and justice.
Unbreakable! Harnessing Our Power, Building Our Resilience, Inspiring Hope and Courage
Alliance for Rights and Recovery 43rd Annual Conference
Villa Roma Resort and Conference Center | September 29-October 1, 2025
Register Today Here!
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2025
11:30am Lunch and Welcome Remarks
1:00pm KEYNOTE HOW DO YOU ROAR: Pat Deegan, PhD
Founder and CEO, Pat Deegan & Associates
2:30-3:45 WORKSHOPS ROUND 1
Clubhouse Comes Back to Upstate New York!
Members and Staff of the Hudson Valley Clubhouse and Venture House; Arvind Sooknanan, Fountain House Board of Directors; Moderator, Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Out of Chaos: Inspiring Hope Through My Journey of Recovery and Advocacy
Cohen Miles-Rath, Author of Mending Reality: An Advocate’s Existential Journey with Mental Health.
Developing Resilient Leaders Through a Culture of Mentorship
Jeffrey McQueen, Executive Director, Mental Health Association of Nassau County
Paying It Forward: Using Our Collective Wisdom to Empower the Next Generation of Peer Supporters
Jeremy Reuling, Senior Director for Special Projects; Aviva Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer, Hands Across Long Island
Wellness, Recovery and Resilience Story Circles Part I
Dr. Deborah Wilcox, Founder/ Chief Executive Officer of Confluency Consultants and Associates and Theresa Hall, member, Board of Directors, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Racial and Ethnic Inequities, Discrimination and Stigma in the Workplace
Paul Margolies PhD, Karen Broadway-Wilson, Raymond Gregory, Gary Scannevin, Philip Thomas, Chanel Weathers, Implementation Specialists, Thomas Jewel, Project Manager, and Norman Kim, DEI Officer, Center for Practice Innovations (CPI)
Resilience: Bathing in the Joy of Life
Neville Morris, Director, PASS Youth Mentoring Program
4:00-5:15 WORKSHOPS ROUND 2
Growing Peer Support Authentically: Opportunities and Challenges in Workforce Development
Matthew Federici, CEO, Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery; Mark Salzer, PhD, Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences at Temple University College of Public Health
Trauma-Informed Community(ies) Engagement- What Is It? What Does It Take? Where Do I Start??
Clarencetine Brooks, Assistant Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; James Rodriguez , Director for Trauma-Informed Services, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research
Recovery Centers, Drop-ins and Psychosocial Programs Learning Collaborative
Matthew Petitte, Statewide Advocacy Specialist, and Jason Erwin, Regional Advocacy Specialist, NYS Office of Mental Health; Robert Statham, Employment Training and Technical Assistance Facilitator, Alliance for Rights and Recovery, Kimberly DeSantis-Johns, Program Manager, and Tracey Svenson-Gates, Catholic Charities of Broome County; Jennifer Chandler, Manager, Access-CNY; Karen Boliver, Associate Director, Northern Regional Center for Independent Living (NRCIL)
Centering Humanity in Supervision: A Peer Support Approach to Trauma-Informed Leadership
Bryant Pugh, Director of Statewide Training, and Shamona Kirkland, Statewide Trainer, Mental Health Empowerment Project; EllenHealion, Director for Peer Bridger Services and Technical Assistance, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Strategies to Promote Successful Re-Entries
Helen Skip Skipper, Executive Director, NYC Justice Peer Initiative; Amy Brinkley, Executive Director/Founder, Paul’s Plan Ministries; TBA; Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Considering Recovery Farms as Part of the Recovery Ecosystem I: A Discussion
Livia Davis, Chief Learning Officer, SAMHSA SPARK Project Director; Cherene Caraco, CEO, of Promise Resource Network
Building Recovery Together: Core Skills in Partnering and Active Listening
Kirk Cooper-Johnson, Britt Higgins, Steve Nawotniak, Hannah Taber, New York Psychiatric Rehabilitation Training Academy at the Alliance for Rights and Recovery
5:30pm Cultural Diversity Bash and Fashion Show
6:15pm Dinner
7:15 pm Wellness, Recovery and Resilience Story Circles Part II & III
Deborah Wilcox, PhD, Founder/ Chief Executive Officer of Confluency Consultants and Associates and Theresa Hall, member, Board of Directors, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
7:15pm Healing Through Hip Hop with Luis Lopez
8:15pm Peer Support Meetings
9:00pm Open Mic with Michael Skinner
9:30pm Dancing with DJ Jenkins
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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2025
7:30 am BREAKFAST
8:30-9:45am WORKSHOPS ROUND 3
From Division to Dialogue: Bridging Clinical and Peer Perspectives
Jeremy Reuling, Senior Director for Special Projects, Hands Across Long Island; Jennifer Levesque, CEO, Recovery Options Made Easy; Liz Breier, Chief Advocacy Office, NYS Office of Mental Health; Dana Foglesong, National Senior Director Recovery and Resiliency Services Magellan Health; Dan Roman, People USA; Moderator: Shannon Higbee, Chief Strategy Officer, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Community at the Heart of Healing
Deborah Faust, Family Mental Health Advisor, Mental Health Association in NYS
Reclaiming Research: Lived Experience Leadership for Justice, Healing, and System Transformation
Nev Jones, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh; Oscar Jimenez-Solomon, PhD New York State Psychiatric Institute; Shannon Pagdon, Graduate Student, University at Pittsburgh, Sarah Porter, PhD Candidate, University of Washington; Jeff Ciak, PhD Candidate, Virginia Commonwealth University; Todd Wittenberg, Research Analyst, University of Pittsburgh
Engaging and Supporting Unhoused Individuals Panelists TBA
Strengthening Peer Support Through Meaningful Collaboration
Rebecca Evansky Executive Director, Wellness Collaborative of New York
Litigation, Legislation and Representation
Ruth Lowenkron, Director of the Disability Justice Program, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; Heather Simms, Deputy Director and Elena Kravitz Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey; Vanessa Ramos, Senior Advisor, Disability Rights California. Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Drumming Circles withChrys Ballerano
10:00-11:15 TOWN HALL OMH COMMISSIONER ANN SULLIVAN
Moderator: Harvey Rosenthal
11:30-12:45 WORKSHOPS ROUND 4
Failure to Engage: Addressing Racial Bias and Inequity
Sakeena Trice, Senior Staff Attorney, NY Lawyers for the Public Interest; Taina Lang, CEO, Baltic Wellness Solutions; Daniela Maldonado, Hands Across Long Island
Ethical Decision Making for Peer Specialists
Jessi Davis, Senior Administrative Program Coordinator, University of Texas at Austin, TIEMH; Ellen Healion, Director for Peer Bridger Services and Technical Assistance, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Crisis Respite 101: A Peer-led Crisis Alternative
Rose Osorio, Community Access, Inc; Jeff McQueen, Mental Health Association of Nassau County; Dominick Marino, People USA; Jennifer Levesque, ROME (Recovery Options Made Easy)
Peer Support at the Crossroads
Dana Foglesong, National Senior Director Recovery and Resiliency Services Magellan Health; Cherene Caraco, CEO, of Promise Resource Network, TBA; Moderator: Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Criminal Justice Reform Initiatives in NYS
Ismael Diaz Jr., Center for Community Alternatives; Jayette Lansbury, Family Peer Advocate, NAMI Huntington; Victor Pate, Co-Director, Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement; Moderator: Jennifer Parish, Director of Criminal Justice Advocacy, Urban Justice Center
Disruption, Discovery, Balance: Recovery as Discovery; Finding Balance Through Lived Experience and Peer Support
Greg Parnell, Director, Recovery Education Advocacy and Leadership, Crestwood Behavioral Health
Innovative Peer Services: How We Do What We Do and Why We Are Successful
Steve Miccio, CEO and Kim Wing, COO, People USA
1:00pm LUNCH
2:00pm KEYNOTE: FIGHTING FOR OUR RIGHTS!
Leah Harris, Independent Journalist; Laura Van Tosh, Board Chair, aves-Mental Health (formerly Global Mental Health Peer Network); Vesper Moore, COO, Kiva Centers; Vanessa Ramos, Senior Advisor, Disability Rights California; Ruth Lowenkron, Director of the Disability Justice Program, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. Moderator: Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
3:15-4:30 WORKSHOPS ROUND 5
Messages from the Movement
Laura Van Tosh, Board Chair, aves-Mental Health (formerly Global Mental Health Peer Network); Laura Prescott, Executive Director, Sister Witness International; Cherene Caraco, CEO, of Promise Resource Network, Chacku Mathai, Director, CRESTNY Institute at the Center for Practice Innovations, Vesper Moore, COO, Kiva Centers; Moderator: Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Building the Future: Training, Developing, and Sustaining a Resilient Peer Workforce
AnnMarie Wilhelm, Peer Specialist Training Coordinator, Greater Mental Health of New York; Jim Ball and Kirsten Muth, Peer Services Administrator, MHA of Dutchess County
Psychiatric Advance Directives: A Tool for Advocacy and Empowerment
Kaely Whittington, CPRS Training Coordinator, On Our Own of Maryland; Copeland Center; Ian Rodgers, Implementation Director for the Office of Advocacy and Peer Support Services, NYS Office of Mental Health, Matthew Federici CEO and Ryan Tempesco, Program Manager Doors to Wellbeing, Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery; Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
From Surviving to Shining: Peer Innovations and Recovery Across Every Season of Life, Mona Lisa McEachin, Assistant Program Director, Recovery Community, BestSelf Behavioral Health
Recovery Through Group Process
Larry Hochwald, Program Manager, David Ferencz, Enrica Paladino and Rob Statham, Training and Technical Assistance Facilitators, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Leaning Into Language: Confronting Discomfort in Everyday Interactions
Jonathan Edwards, Faculty and Consultant, Columbia University School of Social Work; Liz Breier, Acting Chief Advocacy Officer, NYS Office of Mental Health
Meeting People Where They Are: Lessons from the INSET Peer-Led Engagement Model
Modupe Mujota, Chief Strategy Office, Baltic Street Wellness Solutions; Ruthanne Becker, Chief Program Officer, Greater Mental Health of New York; Alex Frisina, Senior Director of Empowerment Services, Hands Across Long Island (HALI); Jennifer Levesque, CEO, Recovery Options Made Easy; Moderator:Shannon Higbee, The Alliance for Rights and Recovery
4:45pm ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
5:30pm ALLIANCE ANNUAL MEETING
EVENING PROGRAM
6:15pm Annual BBQ Under the Stars, Music by DJ Jenkins
7:00pm STAND UP FOR MENTAL HEALTH WITH DAVID GRANIRER
8:15pm Peer Support Meetings
9:00pm Open Mic with Michael Skinner
9:30pm Dancing with the DJ
WEDNESDAY October 1, 2025
8:30-9:45 WORKSHOPS ROUND 6
How Peer Support Builds Relationships Across our Cross Culture and Human Differences
Deborah Wilcox,PhD, Founder/ Chief Executive Officer of Confluency Consultants and Associates
Inside Supportive Housing: Data, Stories, and Lived Experiences
Joelle Ballam-Schwan, Director of Programs and Engagement, Rachel Barth, Senior Data Analyst, The Supportive Housing Network of New York; Oscar Gamble, Medication Counselor, Concern Housing; Doug Cooper, Associate Executive Director, Association for Community Living
Spirituality in Recovery: Creating Space for All Paths
Katheryn Manglos, Jawonio; Amy Brinkley, Executive Director/Founder, Paul’s Plan Ministries and Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
New York Needs Mental Health Self Direction!
Keith Aguiar, Program Manager, Community Access; Jennifer Sutton, Director of Employment & Family Services, Independent Living; Participants TBA
The Power of Peers: What Ohio’s Research Can Teach Us About Strengthening Peer Support in New York
Michael Krause, Executive Director, Ohio Peer Recovery Organizations (OhioPRO)
When Calling for Help Turns Bad: Approaches to Police Intervention and Alternatives to Forced Interventions
Susan Musante, Rehabilitation and Recovery Resources; Chacku Mathai, Director, CRESTNY Institute at the Center for Practice Innovations; Earl Miller, Director of Community Supports and Liz Mombourquette, Wildflower Alliance; Nze Okoronta, Co-Executive Director, Supporting Opportunities for Advocacy and Resilience; Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Interrupting Oppression
Shamona Kirkland, Statewide Trainer and Bryant Pugh, Director of Statewide Training, Mental Health Empowerment Project
10:00am KEYNOTE: TAKING ON FEDERAL POLICY THREATS!
Congressman Paul Tonko; Paolo del Vecchio, Independent Consultant; Jennifer Mathis, Deputy Director Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; Rob Kent, Kent Strategic Advisors; Angelia Smith-Wilson, Executive Director, FOR-NY, representative for Faces and Voices of Recovery. Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
11:30am WORKSHOPS ROUND 7
We Know What We Need: On Crisis, Resistance & Survival
Nze Okoronta, Co-Executive Director, Supporting Opportunities for Advocacy and Resilience
Arts and Trauma Recovery
Michael Skinner, Director, Surviving Spirit and Chrys Ballerano, Independent Consultant
Social Stigma and Shame in the LGBTQ+ Community
Beth Bloom, Peer Outreach Coordinator, Recovery Options Made Easy
Increasing Access to Housing, Food and Transportation: How the 1115 Medicaid Waiver Affects You
Brett Scudder, Scudder Intervention Services Foundation, Social Care Network Representatives TBA, Luke Sikinyi, Vice President for Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
From Burnout to Belonging: Using the SWAP Tool to Cultivate Trauma-Responsive Teams
TBA Center for Practice Innovation
From Presence to Power: Advancing Peer Roles in Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Nev Jones, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburg Social of Social Work; Liz Breier, Acting Chief Advocacy Officer, NYS Office of Mental Health; Chacku Mathai, Director, CRESTNY Institute at the Center for Practice; Moderator: Shannon Higbee, Chief Strategy Officer, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
Breath-Body-Mind (BBM): A Breath . . . Our Power, Our Resilience
Denise Quamina, Senior Consultant, NYS Trauma Informed Network and Resource Center; Barbara Tedesco, Recovery & Resiliency Market Lead, NY, NJ, RI, United Healthcare; Myeesha Taylor, Campus Staff Development & Training Coordinator, Jewish Child Care Association of NY (JCCANY)