Staff - Advocacy Unlimited

The AU Team

Meet the Advocacy Unlimited Staff! A unique strength of our organization is AU’s designation as a peer-run organization. This means that all team members integrate their personal, direct lived expertise, coupled with education and training, to provide recovery services as part of the continuum of care available across Connecticut. Contact information for Advocacy Unlimited can be found on our “Contact Us” page.

Business Administration

Executive Director
Michaela Fissel

Business Manager
Carl Mancini

Finance Director
Greg Defrank

HR Administrator
Bill Gottlin

Communications & Marketing Specialist
Alister King

Peer Recovery Services

Advocacy & Education

Program Manager
Jennifer Henry

Curriculum Specialist
Sha’ron

RSS Administrator
Emma James Burke

Community Education Coordinator
Charles Brown

Community Bridger

Bridger
Luc Uriel Emmanuel

Bridger
Sarah Owens

Bridger
Skyler Rivera

Bridger
Brittany Sidler

Join Rise Be

Program Manager
Aaron Jackson

Young Adult Peer Leadership Specialist
Mike Tella

Warmline Operator
James Cymbala

Warmline Operator
Savannah Hemstock

Warmline Operator
Rebekah Meyers

Warmline Operator
Rubi Torres

Toivo

Toivo Program Manager
Sara Balkun

Studio Assistant
Baylei Manning

Wellness Facilitator
Heidi Viener

As a peer run organization, our staff uses their direct lived experience navigating mental health, addiction, and trauma to promote individual growth, human rights, and systems transformation. We believe that everyone has the inner capacity to heal, grow, and change. Our team envisions a world in which everyone – regardless of socio-economic status or psychiatric/addiction histories – has space to be seen, heard, and valued.
> Please click here to review our Informed Consent Policy for more information.
> For our Community Statement on Filing a Complaint & Grievance Procedure, please click here.

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