There are many people – staff and volunteers – who make the work of the Recovery Cafe Lafayette possible.
Please reach out to us if you are interested in joining our team.
Please reach out to us if you are interested in joining our team.
Founders
Beth Kreitl |
Kevin Espirito |
Staff
Ida Vanadore
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Lynn Johal
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Liz Richards
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Advisory Committee
We are so grateful to the dedicated members of our Advisory Committee who continue to help us carry out our mission of serving individuals in recovery throughout our community. If you would be interested in learning more about the committee and how to join, please contact Liz Richards at liz.richards@webloom.org.
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Rhonda Stein.
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Adam MurphyAdam Murphy serves as Homeless and Community Outreach for the City of Lafayette, Indiana. He has worked for 20 years in the field of affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization, including 10 years at the City. He currently administers supportive housing assistance for 28 persons with barriers who were chronically homeless. He has also administered housing programs in the past for persons post-incarceration, domestic violence survivors, and families saving for homeownership. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University and completed a graduate level certificate in Community Economic Development at Southern New Hampshire University.
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Tristen ComegysTristen joined Bauer as the Chief Executive Officer in February 2021. As a graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in communications, Tristen has over 10 years of experience in fund development, strategic planning, community engagement, and marketing. Her passion for Bauer's mission comes out of caring for her foster to adopt daughter, Harley. Tristen and her family enjoy hiking with their dog Bradley, traveling, and participating in volunteer opportunities in the community.
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Grace Paton
Harm reduction Program Manager Gateway to Hope Syringe Service Program Grace has been working for Tippecanoe County Health Department for almost 4 years. Grace moved to Lafayette from Indianapolis in 2016. In, 2018 she started learning about peer support and what it really means to support individuals who use substances and experience mental health concerns. She is passionate about harm reduction and advocating for any positive change while meeting people where they are at any given point. Grace has been able to work with families, specifically mothers and their babies, youth, people who are incarcerated, people experiencing homelessness, people with mental health concerns, and people use drugs. She also received one of the Tippecanoe Celebration Recovery Rally’s Peer of the year awards in 2019. Grace has been invited to several seats in the Lafayette community, including, the advisory committee for Recovery Café-Lafayette, she is an active member of Team Hope for A Better Life Brianna’s Hope (a mutual aid support group for the whole family affected by substance use), and serves on the host committee for the annual Tippecanoe County Celebration Of Recovery Rally. Amy Brinkley
Amy Brinkley served for (5) five years as the Director of Recovery Support Services in the state of Indiana working to expand peer/recovery support services across the state with the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction. She most recently served for 2 years as the Chairperson for NASMHPD's Division of Recovery Support Services advocating for the professionalization of recovery supports across the country and currently Amy serves as NASMHPD’s (National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors) Recovery Support Systems Coordinator. Amy has been author on several APA articles related to peer support through her work on the APA Policy Advisory Board and continues to serve in this capacity today. Amy is a person with direct lived experience with Mental Health and Substance Use recovery and the criminal justice system. Her passion and expertise are driven from the loss of three brothers to suicide and her heart is to advocate for change across the country through effective recovery data collection and evaluation processes that drive recovery-oriented outcomes which will in turn improve the quality of life and recovery for people with substance use disorders and mental illness. |
Omar Reyas
Jeni Mills
In loving memory of Cathy Striefel
Cathy was committed to helping others in recovery since she embarked on her own recovery path 25 years ago. She was a co-founder, board member and volunteer for a recovery resource center in Lafayette, was a member of a group that takes recovery meetings into the jail for the current jail inmates, was involved in planning recovery rallies, recovery coalitions, and was in many other recovery-related activities and events over the years. She also sponsored/mentored other individuals in their recovery. She worked full time as a psychologist at a local outpatient community mental health center in Lafayette, which provided her with further opportunity to help others find their path to recovery. She loved to socialize with friends, loved cats and liked country music.
