Wisconsin Recovery Alignment Day.

Join recovery advocates and allies from across Wisconsin for the 2nd Recovery Alignment Day!

May 3, 2022 beginning at 9:00 am at The Wisconsin State Capitol

2 E. Main ST, Madison, WI

The day will include:

Recovery & Legislative Speakers
Meetings with your State Representatives and your State Senators to advocate for recovery!
Connecting with recovery advocates from across our state.

To join the days events please register using the links below.

Event Registration:

https://forms.gle/6qTUpHEZK5BBC3TE7

Round Table Registration:

https://forms.gle/bq3Cuku2hj3oRCVq5

Organization Resource Table:

https://forms.gle/1mbsN2XkwZCQk7qv6

Alignment Day Schedule & Agendas

Gar Hall : 9:00am-10:22am [CLICK HERE FOR AGENDA]

Round Table Event (Registration Required): 10:30am-11:45am [CLICK HERE FOR AGENDA]

Keynote Speaker: 12:00pm-1:30PM [CLICK HERE FOR AGENDA]

Meetings with Representatives will be taking places all day between 9:00am-3:00pm

Vote Recovery is an intentional effort to build the grassroots voting power of the recovery community to force the changes necessary to save lives in Wisconsin .We can either imagine a world in which our elected officials court and value the votes, suggestions, and voices of us in the recovery community, OR we can make it a reality.

In preparation for Recovery Alignment day please submit your responses in the WI Statewide Survey on Voter Attitudes Related to Mental Health and Addiction Recovery. The results of the survey will be shared with our candidates and elected officials.

WI Statewide Survey on Voter Attitudes Related to Mental Health and Addiction Recovery: https://forms.gle/D3QyxtfFCzCsPpnr8

In addition we will be giving candidates running for office a survey so we can know where they stand on issues most important to our community. You can view the candidate survey below.

Candidate Survey: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wEH0SKQsOJ5MUlVaXB3IwzyjTDfWcych/view?usp=sharing

We also have a Vote Recovery hub where you can learn about voting, your rights, and the issues that recovery voters like yourself are passionate about. This is also a space to explore tools for engagement to get others involved. You can access the Vote Recovery Hub below.

Vote Recovery Hub

Speaker Bios

Keynote Speakers

Jessica Geschke- Jessica currently leads various projects that aim to bring awareness to substance use disorder and end the stigma surrounding it within her employment at Serve You Rx. Jessica is certified by the State of Wisconsin as a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services and Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and an Associate’s Degree in Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse from Moraine Park Technical College. Her areas of focus are assessment and treatment of substance abuse in adolescents and adults. Jessica has over fifteen years of experience providing AODA treatment services to adolescents and adults in residential, transitional, inpatient and outpatient settings. She has spent over ten years working within and supervising medication assisted therapy programs, such as Suboxone and Vivitrol. Jessica is also a certified Recovery Coach through CCAR. Jessica is the former co-founder of Ed2Recovery, a nationally recognized program that connects peers (people in recovery) with those who need support. She also the founder of the Wisconsin NaloxZone Box Project, a Community-Placed Opioid Overdose Prevention Project, providing life saving medication to those who are at high risk of overdose (and their family members), free of charge. Jessica is the Executive Director for the national non-profit, Start Healing Now. She is also a Wisconsin representative of the national organizations, Mobilize Recovery and Recovery Advocacy Project, with The Voices Project. Jessica volunteers her time by holding positions as the Governor's representative on the Wisconsin State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse as well as an Intervention & Treatment Committee member and an Equity & Inclusion member for WI-SCAODA. Jessica is a person in long term recovery and a sibling of a person who has struggled with an opiate addiction. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two children, son Kellen and daughter, Kianna and traveling around the US.

Representative Snodgrass- Lee Alyson Snodgrass (born February 2, 1969) is an American politician, communications consultant, and campaign organizer. She represents the 57th district of the Wisconsin State Assembly, based in Menasha and central Appleton, Wisconsin.

Ryan Hampton- A prominent advocate, speaker, author, and media commentator, Ryan Hampton travels coast-to-coast to add solutions to our national addiction crisis. In recovery from a decade-long opioid addiction, Hampton has rocketed to the center of America’s rising addiction recovery advocacy movement. An alumnus of the Clinton White House, he’s worked with multiple non-profits and national recovery advocacy campaigns. He is now a prominent, leading face and voice of recovery advocacy and is changing the national conversation about addiction. With content that reaches millions each month, Ryan breaks down cultural barriers that have kept people suffering in silence and is inspiring a new generation of people recovering out loud through his Voices Project. He was part of the core team that released the first-ever U.S. Surgeon General’s report on addiction in 2016 and was singled out by Forbes as a top social entrepreneur in the recovery movement. Ryan connects a vast network of people who are passionate about ending the overdose crisis in America. He has been featured by—and is a contributor to—media outlets such as USA Today, MSNBC, Fox and Friends, the New York Times, NPR, HLN, Vice, Forbes, Slate, HuffPost, The Hill, the Wall Street Journal, and others.

Ryan has received praise from Democrats and Republicans alike for addressing addiction as a trans-political issue—crossing the political spectrum to build an inclusive coalition focused on solutions. He worked closely with the White House, Senate Democrats, Republicans, and U.S. House leadership, helping craft portions of the historic H.R. 6, SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, signed into law in October 2018. In 2016, he created the web series Addiction Across America, documenting his 30-day, 28 state, 8,000-mile cross-country trip visiting areas hit hardest by the addiction crisis. His first book, “American Fix — Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis and How to End It,” was released by St. Martin’s Press in August 2018. In 2019, Ryan was named by Facebook as an inaugural leadership fellow and created the national advocacy initiative, Mobilize Recovery. Since its inception, Mobilize Recovery has recruited and trained over 2,000 new advocates from all 50 states focused on community-based solutions to end the addiction crisis. Ryan joined the Start Healing Now Advisory Committee in 2019. He lives in Nevada with his fiancé, Sean, and their dog, Dollar.

Josephine Webster

George Moore- I lived the majority of my life in Wisconsin. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Business School in 1979 with a double major in marketing and personnel management. In 1981 I started working for AT&T and retired 33 years later as Director of Sales for multi-national accounts. I’m married to my wonderful wife Cindy, have lived in New Berlin since 1991 and have two children…Dr. Caitlin Moore and George IV. Tragedy struck our family in 2017 when my son died of a heroin overdose. Like many other families we had no idea he was addicted….he graduated from UW-Milwaukee, had a finance position at a firm in Milwaukee, lived with his girlfriend in a house they bought together and led what appeared to be a normal life. When he finally came to us with his addiction problem, we got him in to inpatient treatment at Aurora Dewey Center, but tragically he overdosed 3 days after he completed the program.

Since George’s death I have immersed myself with educating and advocating for the opioid epidemic in Wisconsin. I joined the Heroin Task Force in Waukesha County. I’m a member on the Addiction Resource Council, SAMSHA trained, work on opioid legislation and fundraise to subsidize the patient rehab costs. As a State our overdose rate is 52% worse than the national average…and we’re in desperate need of legislation that addresses prevention, education, harm reduction and treatment to save lives.

Representative Omokunde- Supreme Moore Omokunde (born August 22, 1979) is an American politician and community organizer. He has also been known by the names Sowande Ajumoke Omokunde and Supreme Solar Allah. A Democrat, he is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Assembly District 17.

Dr. Ritu Bahtnagar- Ritu Bhatnagar graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine with MD and Master's in Public Health in 2006 and then Psychiatry Residency and the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at the UW-Madison in 2014. Ritu is an Addiction Psychiatrist at UnityPoint Health-Meriter and Clinical Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Psychiatry. She is currently president of the Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine (WISAM), and serves on the Medicaid Advisory Committee and the State Council of Alcohol and Other Drugs of Abuse as well as the Council of Legislation for the Wisconsin Medical Society.
She enjoys finding novel ways to address the impact of substance use and mental health disorders by building community partnerships. She prefers to treat the whole person and realizes that there are different pathways to recovery.

Senator Bewley Janet Bewley (born November 10, 1951) is an American politician and the current Democratic Minority Leader in the Wisconsin State Senate. She has been a member of the Wisconsin Senate since 2015, and previously served four years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Iron, Ashland, Bayfield, and Price counties.

Tamra Oman- Tamra Oman is currently the Statewide Director for the FREE Campaign. FREE is the women’s division of EXPO (Ex Incarcerated People Organizing). The FREE Campaign organizes around issues women who have been impacted by the Justice System face. She Is the 2015 recipient of the State of Wisconsin’s Virginia Hart award. She is a national speaker, consultant, group facilitator, and believes deeply in cultivating a culture of hope, healing, and compassion for all. She is a co-founder of Hope Road Soul Punch Skill Training (with love). Her audiences range from corrections, judicial folks, lawyers, law enforcement, juvenile justice, school systems, county agencies, community support agencies, Peer Support Agencies, SAMSHA grantees, and participants at many, many conferences. Her former “day job” for nearly 12 years was a Human Services Program Coordinator Recovery Support Specialist at the Wisconsin Resource Center; a mental health treatment facility classified as a prison. She was the first “peer/consumer” to be hired in the state of Wisconsin to work in a correctional facility in the past 30 years. Over the last 17 years she has been working with individuals in the criminal justice system with addiction and mental health challenges. She has been an AODA Counselor for 14 years. She has facilitated Thinking for a Change, Anger management, Domestic Violence groups, and assisted people with reentry planning. She has sat on many committees, developed programs, and helped develop policy and procedures that represent the voice of those we serve. She has also been a part of helping to develop a Peer Support Program that has an interest in creating an environment that is also mindful of the potential for vicarious trauma and its affects on the individuals who work serving others.

Representative James Born Eau Claire, Wisconsin, April 16, 1972; married; 4 children. Graduate Eau Claire North High School, 1990; Chippewa Valley Technical College, Eau Claire (associate degree in Police Science, 2001; Emergency Medical Responder, 2015; Entry level, Fire I, Fire II Firefighter, 2016); University of Wisconsin-Madison Command College (Certified Public Manager, 2017). Small business owner. Served in the U.S. Army Air Defense, 1990-93; U.S. Army Reserves (Medic), 1993–96; Persian Gulf War veteran; Former warehouse specialist; police officer; SWAT team member; firefighter. Member: Jacob’s Well Security Team Advisor/Trainer. Former member: Boy Scouts of America (Cubmaster); YMCA (basketball coach); AYSO (soccer coach); Eau Claire United Soccer Club (soccer coach). Elected to Assembly 2018. Member of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, Council on

Jesse Heffernan- Jesse is a Recovery Coach Professional & consultant in long-term substance use and mental health recovery. His early career consisted of coordinating substance use recovery support activities and events, statewide conventions, bringing recovery meetings into jails and institutions and creating / co-facilitate the first youth-specific recovery support group in WI. He attended the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) Recovery Coach Academy in June 2014 and have trained hundreds of coaches throughout the United States.
As a coach, consultant, and partner with Helios Recovery, he has facilitated numerous recovery capital development planning sessions and helped coach individuals and families in creating recovery plans and linkages to services. He served as an appointed member of the WI Governors State Opiate/Heroin Task Force, co-developed programming and facilitated training for coaches for Wisconsin’s first Recovery Coach AmeriCorps program call Recovery Corps. He received his Recovery Coach Professional Designation from the Center for Addiction Recovery Training (CART) in April of 2019 and is a core curriculum trainer. He lives in WI with his wife and 4 children, enjoying all things in geek culture, disc golf, and coffee. He believes that Recovery is a process of moving from surviving to thriving as a whole person.

Gar Hall Speakers

Bev Kelley-Miller - Bev Kelley-Miller founded The Megan Kelley Foundation after her daughter, Megan, Forever 22, died from a heroin overdose on April 14, 2015. Addiction is a family disease that affects one in every three families. Often the stigmas of addiction prevent people from openly talking about the devastating effects of addiction. The opioid epidemic takes 175 people a day every single day across the United States. “Just Say No” campaigns do not work. The mission of the Megan Kelley Foundation is to raise awareness about addiction and to bring a message of hope through education and prevention efforts to students, parents and community members.

Jason Fritz- Jason Fritz has a passion for helping people affected by substance use disorder. After losing his brother to an accidental heroin overdose in 2014 he has been involved in the community spreading awareness and education about the dangers of addiction. Jason started a non-profit organization to proactively educate people about the signs of substance use disorder and help connect people to professionals in the recovery space. In addition to that, he is a part of several other coalitions and task forces in Southern Wisconsin. Jason joined the Start Healing Now Advisory Committee in 2015. As a Treatment Advocate with Recovery Centers of America he works to expand treatment options, and open doors for individuals seeking recovery.

Michelle Giese- Michelle is CEO of Apricity, which includes residential treatment, contract packaging, sober living and recovery support services. She is a graduate of UW Stout with a BS in Business Administration. She holds an AODA Certificate from UW Madison and Fox Valley Technical College and is a Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor. Michelle Devine Giese has been on her recovery journey since 1995 joining the STEP Industries in 1996. Michelle played a key role in the 2018 merge of Mooring Programs and STEP Industies to become Apricity.

Walter Ragland - Walter T. Ragland is a native of Chicago Illinois who made his way to Wisconsin in 1993. He first moved to Madison and then to Fond du Lac Wisconsin where he earned an associate degree in Substance Abuse Counseling at Moraine Park Technical College. Soon after he attended The Upper Iowa University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Walter has worked in multiple capacities in the Alcohol and Drug Abuse/Mental Health field since 1999. Inpatient, intensive Outpatient, detox, Sober living, and Medication Assistant treatment. He is currently the Executive Director for AMS of Oshkosh and Minocqua treatment facilities, and the Senior Pastor of Appleton Pentecostal Assembly where he has been Pastoring for the past 4 years. He has been married for 17years and has one child. Walter Ragland has traveled throughout the country teaching and educating Men and women. Walter really prides himself on being a change agent and setting the atmosphere in facilities that produce that change in the people he encounters. Walter’s favorite saying is “Your attitude determines your altitude

Dennis Radloff - Dennis’ path of recovery began on January 7, 1994 with the help of Salvation Army, Residential Treatment, and the support of family and numerous members of the recovery community. Since that day, Dennis has dedicated his recovery to sharing the support and concern that was given to him with people seeking help with substance use. In addition to working at a variety of substance use service agencies over the past three decades Dennis has also worked to increase drug user health, stigma reduction, and human dignity for people who use substances by advocating and implementing harm reduction services throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Travis Sackett- Travis Sackett is resilience personified. Having overcome an abusive childhood, Travis went to college to study criminal justice, hoping to become an agent for change. While fulfilling this role, he was jaded by severe corruption in the system. During this time, Travis sustained an injury while training, resulting in an opioid addiction that led him to a life of crime. Through the help of his canine companion, he pulled himself up and out of the mud and began living his life again.

As a fully disabled individual, Travis refused to be held back by circumstances. He persevered and decided to share his story in his memoir My Life with Karma to increase empathy toward often-ignored populations that are forgotten or left without a voice.

Lesley Doxtater - Leslie Doxtater. Leslie has been sober for 9.5 years. She works for the Oneida nation as the Tribal Action Plan Specialist. The Tribal Action Plan (TAP) is a strategic plan for guiding positive change to address the drug and alcohol epidemic for our community with a holistic, cultural approach.

Tom Farley - Tom Farley grew up in Madison, WI and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Marketing. He began his career in banking and finance, living and working in the New York City area. From 1999 to 2012, he ran The Chris Farley Foundation, a nationally recognized non-profit dedicated to substance abuse prevention. Like his brother, Tom was successful in opening the “eyes and ears” of youth audiences through the powerful and effective use of humor. In 2008 he wrote “The Chris Farley Show”, a New York Time bestselling biography of his late brother, the actor and comedian Chris Farley. He has been interviewed on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Fox News and The View. He has also been featured in People Magazine, USA Today and several national and regional newspapers and publications. Today Tom is a motivational speaker, delivering messages on prevention and recovery, and the use of Improv as a tool to foster better communications in business. Tom Farley is the Community Relations Coordinator in Wisconsin for Rosecrance Health Network. He joined the SHN Advisory Council in 2020. Tom lives in Madison, WI.

Dr. Ritu Bhatnagar- Ritu Bhatnagar graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine with MD and Master's in Public Health in 2006 and then Psychiatry Residency and the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at the UW-Madison in 2014. Ritu is an Addiction Psychiatrist at UnityPoint Health-Meriter and Clinical Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Psychiatry. She is currently president of the Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine (WISAM), and serves on the Medicaid Advisory Committee and the State Council of Alcohol and Other Drugs of Abuse as well as the Council of Legislation for the Wisconsin Medical Society.

She enjoys finding novel ways to address the impact of substance use and mental health disorders by building community partnerships. She prefers to treat the whole person and realizes that there are different pathways to recovery.

Bernestine Jeffers- Bernestine has 30 years’ experience in behavioral health and health care policy, coordination and administration encompassing the areas of primary care, ob/gyn, and perinatology, cardiology and mental health/substance use disorders, with a primary focus on women’s health. During her career, with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, she maintained and implemented state policies and standards related to gender-specific and family-centered SUD treatment, prevention and recovery; provided technical assistance, consultation and training to staff and grantees; lead the development of a human services’ leadership empowerment institute for diverse groups and underserved populations. Her work, prior to joining DHS included leading a change initiative for the integration of gender-specific, culturally responsive, co-occurring mental health & substance use services, and successfully managing health care projects for local and national organizations
A life-long resident of Wisconsin, Bernestine, attended Cardinal Stitch University and UWM. She is a 2006 graduate of the Great Lakes Addiction Technology Transfer Center’s Leadership Institute & the Graduate school of USDA’s Center for leadership and management programs; In 2014, she completed the CSAP Prevention Specialist training as a (CPS-IT) and in 2015 the Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC) Institute. In 2017, Bernestine received her Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification from the UW-Madison’s Center for Professional and Executive Development. The Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundations honored Bernestine, in 2016, as one of seven Champions in Women’s Health.