2026 Tennessee All Peer Conference

Thanks so much for joining us for our annual All Peer Conference.  We're so excited to gather over these two days for learning, fellowship, encouragement, and more.  Whether you're joining in person at Trevecca Community Church or online via Zoom, we hope this conference is meaningful and energizing in your work as a certified peer in Tennessee!

The conference agenda for our two days together is listed below.  All times are listed in Central Daylight Time, so if you're in Eastern Time, you'll need to adjust.  Zoom links are included with each session for participants joining virtually.

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Registration and Breakfast

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Welcome and Organizational Remarks

9:15 AM – 9:45 AM | Opening Remarks (Zoom Link to Attend)

  • Speaker: TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM | Morning Keynote (Zoom Link to Attend)

  • Speaker: Aiza Herrera, CPRS & Julie Bendler
  • Topic: Uplift. Inspire. Empower. Navigating Peer Services in Homeless Outreach and Veteran Services

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Morning Coffee Break

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM | Morning Workshops (Concurrent Options)

  • Track A: Healing at Home: Sharing Your Story with Your Community – Le’Freida Gatlin, CPRS, CFLE (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track B: Caring Without Crumbling: Protecting the Peer Behind the Support – Kate Parsons, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track C: Hidden in Plain Sight: Gambling Harm and the Power of Peer Support – Keith Windsor, BS, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch and Networking

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Afternoon Workshop Session 1 (Concurrent Options)

  • Track A: From Crisis to Community: Building a Recovery Ecosystem – Dacey Fenton with Panelists: Lynn Jullian, Amy Merlo & Zach Grace (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track B: Incarcerated. Now What? Justice-Involvement with Substance Use Disorders and/or Co-Occurring Disorders – Kristy Bentley, BS, CPRS, CCAR (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track C: There is Nothing Wrong with You: Veteran Lived Experience, Storytelling, & Support - Alotha Jene Mayes, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Afternoon Workshop Session 2 (Concurrent Options)

  • Track A:  From Surviving to Thriving: Using Trauma-Informed Care & Recovery Oriented Peer Support – Dakota Austin, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track B: Meditation in Recovery - Shirley Russell, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track C: Turning Pages: Sharing Our Journeys – Dawn Welch, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)

3:15 PM – 3:30 PM | Afternoon Refreshment Break

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Day 1 Closing Keynote (Zoom Link to Attend)

  • Speaker: Bryna Grant, J.D., CPRS
  • Topic: The Person the File Doesn’t Show: How Curiosity, Compassion, and Community Transform Justice

4:30 PM – 6:00 PM | Awards Reception (Zoom Link to Attend)

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | Sponsor Booths and Breakfast

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Morning Keynote (Zoom Link to Attend)

  • Speaker: Sam MacMaster, PhD
  • Topic: Ethics

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Morning Coffee Break

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM | Morning Workshops (Concurrent Options)

  • Track A: Juvenile Justice Mental Health Training – Monique Jenkins, MPS, CFSS; Brittney Jackson, LMSW, CFSS (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track B: Veteran-Informed Peer Support – Barry Floyd, CPRS-J (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track C: Mindfulness in Peer Support: Practical Tools for Wellness, Recovery, and Resilience – Susan E. Walker, CPRS, NBC-HWC (Zoom Link to Attend)

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch and Networking

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Afternoon Workshop Session 1 (Concurrent Options)

  • Track A: Beyond the Sentence: Supporting Change from Within – Will Taylor, CPRS, LADAC, NCPRSS; Chris Smith, CPRS-J (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track B: Purpose Through Pain: How Lived Experience Becomes a Lifeline for Others – Nikki Green, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track C: The Art of Your Recovery (Art Therapy) – Jim Demski, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Afternoon Workshop Session 2 (Concurrent Options)

  • Track A: Lived Experience: Beyond the Grief – Chastity Scott, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track B: Project Reroute: Empowering Justice-Involved Students Through Higher Education Mentorship - Lawrence Morris (Zoom Link to Attend)
  • Track C: The Importance of Practicing Honesty with Our Peers – Charles Orr, CPRS (Zoom Link to Attend)

3:15 PM – 3:30 PM | Afternoon Refreshment Break

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Conference Closing Keynote (Zoom Link to Attend)

  • Speaker: Amy Blackwell, CFSS
  • Topic: Nothing About Us Without Us

4:30 PM | Closing Remarks and Conference Adjournment

2026 all peer conference logo