Keirston (KP) Parham

Virtual Keynote Speaker

June 5 at 4pm

KP heads the recovery department and oversees recovery initiatives  and peer services for Western Psychiatric Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  KP educates and trains Hospital and ambulatory staff members on recovery values and principles, integration and utilization of peer specialists, stigma reduction, recovery planning, and the importance of self-care and wellness tools. KP helps to recruit peer and recovery specialists to support  positive, strength-based, individualized recovery throughout the UPMC system. KP is one of the founding fathers of Peer Navigation, and provides various recovery and peer trainings to UPMC, national conferences, and the community at large.  KP continues to evaluate recovery services at WPH and look for opportunities for positive growth and change.

 

 

Michael Runningwolf

Banquet Keynote Speaker

June 16

Michael Runningwolf received his BA in History (Secondary Education) from Boise State University and worked as a United States History Teacher at a senior high school in Idaho. In addition, Mike coached football and distance running as well.

Due to psychiatric challenges, Mike quickly went from high school teacher, coach, married and home owner to a person diagnosed with Schizophrenia, unemployed, divorced, homeless and an inmate in a psychiatric unit of the county jail. Upon release from jail, Michael left Idaho and moved to Arizona to begin his life on disability and attempt to remain “stabile.” While on disability, Michael volunteered at NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) because he believed in NAMI’s mission of helping Peers and families who are experiencing psychiatric challenges.

Soon Peer Support found Mike and he was invited to join a team of highly skilled and passionate Peer Support Specialists. Mike found his passion that he thought he had lost since leaving teaching. Mike loved Peer Support and felt he would never do anything else.

Then Mike was invited to join another team of highly skilled and passionate educators that facilitate Peer Support Specialist trainings as well as other trainings nationally and internationally. This position allowed Mike to fulfill both his passions of Peer Support and Education!

Today, Mike gets to travel nationally and internationally as a facilitator sharing his love and passion for Peer Support with amazing students who have chosen to serve others by using their own lived experience! In addition, Mike loves to share the power of Peer Support at conferences, workshops, speaking engagements, radio, social media, and television interviews around the world. Mike is an author who loves to share about the power of recovery through the written word.

Presently, Michael lives in the great state of Pennsylvania with his amazing and talented wife, his beautiful and energetic children, and their demanding and lovable cat.