Ozzie Williamson, M.A. (Blackfeet) Ozzie has been with us since the beginning. Ozzie taught me to look forward. When this first started, I had doubts about what I was going to do, so I went to see Ozzie, and when I left there I never looked back. One of the stories that Ozzie tells is this: “When I walked down the trail with my grandmother, she always wore moccasins with a soft sole. If there happened to be a little stick on the trail, she would stop and kick it off the trail. One day I said, “Grandma, why do you always do that, why do you always stop and kick those things off the trail?” She said, “It just makes it easier for somebody else to come by.” I never realized until she was long gone years later that the things she tried to tell me were very similar to the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. What I heard in AA was similar to some of her teachings.”

Della Bad Wound Oglala Lakota - Employed in the human services field for 50 years working with women, children, youth and elderly. Her employment included the founding of Western South Dakota Senior Services in western South Dakota as the program director for 17 Nutrition sites for the elders. Denver Indian Health & Family Services, Winyan Wasaka-Women’s Alcohol Prevention Program, Seventh Generation Project, University of Denver; Elderhealth Program with Four World’s Development, Inc. in Lethbridge, Canada; and as a Native Sister with the Native American Cancer Research Project. She has been working with the documentation and preservation of the Lakota Language with the University of Colorado in Boulder for the past 6 years.
Della has one son, Michael and his significant other, one younger sister, one younger brother, many nieces and nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her extended family includes hunka sisters, hunka children and grandchildren. Hunka-making of a relative-adopted.

Dr. Henrietta Mann (N. Cheyenne) has been an integral part of the development of the Wellbriety family programs (Families of Tradition, Mothers of Tradition, Fathers of Tradition, Sons of Tradition and Daughters of Tradition). Her sharing of teachings of the Cycle of Life provided the framework for these trainings. After years as a professor and an advocate for Native sovereignty and wellness, Dr. Henrietta came out of retirement to start a the Cheyenne / Arapaho tribal community college. She does the ceremonies and songs. She also reminds us what we stand for: “We do not need to remain locked into those areas where we feel a great deal of anger and hostility to the dominant population because as White Bison says, we have to forgive the unforgivable. There are many that have and there are many who are yet to do that. Only when we forgive the unforgivable can we really say we are healing, that we have addressed that one aspect of our life. Saying we can forgive, now we can heal.”

Sparrow Goudey (Tsalagi/Cherokee/Wyandot) is the founder of Waya Nv-No-Hi (Wolf Road) Healing the Circle Workshops. With 25 years of continued sobriety, she has developed and conducts workshops for both Native and non-Native communities that assist adults and adolescents, affected by drugs, alcohol, eating disorders and mental illness by incorporating curriculum, traditional arts and spirituality as tools for change, growth and recovery. Sparrow is also a trainer for White Bison and the Wellbriety Training Institute. She facilitates Mending Broken Hearts, Medicine Wheel & 12 Steps, Mothers of Tradition, Daughters of Tradition and Wellbriety Celebrating Families curriculums and is devoted to helping individuals and communities that suffer from addiction and trauma.

Darryl Lickers a member of the Turtle Clan is originally from the Six Nations of the Grand River Mohawk Territory in southwestern Ontario Canada. He is of Tuscarora descent, and presently makes his home in Blackfalds, Alberta with his wife Karen. Darryl has recently retired from service with the Canadian Federal Government after 40+ years of service, both with the military (25 years) and his recent position with Corrections Canada as an Aboriginal Correctional Program Officer (23 years). On December 1st, 2015, Darryl completed his career at Pê Sâkâstêw Centre Healing Lodge in Mâskwâcîs, Alberta where he delivered substance abuse, family violence, violence prevention (In Search of Your Warrior) programs as well as White Bison programs Medicine Wheel & 12 Steps, Fathers of Tradition and Mending Broken Hearts. Darryl believes he is fulfilling his purpose in life as a helper by using his experiences and knowledge to help Native people heal from the effects of addiction and other abuses. Darryl has been a friend of Bill W. for the past 40 years (May 11, 1976). We are honoured to have Darryl as one of our Canadian trainers.

Andrea Alexander, is Seminole/Creek, a member of the Seminole nation of Oklahoma. She has provided training and consulted with tribal communities, state and private prisons, treatment centers, governmental agencies, and the recovery community at large. She is skilled in individual, group and family counseling specifically focusing on behavior related to substance use and/or criminal behavior, case management, treatment and discharge planning, assessment, liaison work with court systems. She is an experienced facilitator in Relapse Prevention, Early Recovery; both matrix models of treatment. Experience also includes inpatient treatment to sober living. She assisted in working with the implementation and operation of the Muscogee Creek Nation Reintegration Program for offender reentry, the first native American tribal reentry program, also, initiative coordinator at Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative. From this, she gained experience with family, juvenile, adult and mental health special courts programs. She is an experienced Wellbriety Circles of Recovery program facilitator with White Bison, Inc. programs in a variety of settings She has a Bachelor of Arts-Sociology with a Substance Abuse Studies option-University of Central Oklahoma and an Associate in Applied Science-Alcohol & Substance Abuse Counseling-Oklahoma State University-OKC.

TANYA SCHUR, MA, is a Blackfeet-Métis mother of two grown children. She follows a cultural way of life and the traditional teachings of the medicine wheel under the guidance of elders from Blackfoot and Cree Nations. She is committed to Urban Indigenous Community Development and the empowerment of Indigenous people. She is a Health Rhythms ™ facilitator, Leadership on the Medicine Wheel facilitator, Emotional Intelligence and Diversity trainer, certified Mediator with Aiskapimohkiihs (Siksika Justice) and facilitates Medicine Wheel and 12 Steps at the Friendship Centre in Red Deer. She holds a MA in Leadership Studies from the Royal Roads University, Victoria. Her focus of research explored building cohesive teams from diverse work groups, transformational change, strategic planning, leadership development and organization design. Her work in program design has included facilitating Urban Aboriginal Pre-Employment Programs for the Red Deer Aboriginal Employment Services, creation of the Aboriginal Youth Leadership Certification and implementation of the Urban Aboriginal Voices Society urban governance model. Since completing the The Canadian Women’s Foundation Leadership Institute Tanya has turned her energy to designing the Community Development strategy for Asooahum Crossing Indigenous Cultural neighbourhood in Red Deer. Tanya is currently serving as the Director of Asooahum Crossing at the Red Deer Native Friendship Centre.

Brennan Ireland, is Bear Clan from the Oneida Nation of the Thames, Ontario, Canada. Brennan received and learned the Huadasunee way of life through his grandfather which he passes on to his five children family and community. Brennan is an Addictions and Mental Health Counsellor at Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre and certified Indigenous Addictions Specialist and Canadian Certified Addictions Counsellor. Brennan has over 21 years of continued sobriety and uses the Wellbriety Programs to support self and community.

Mary (Hummingbird) Thompson, is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. Although Ms. Thompson was born and raised amongst her own Tribal people, using her tradition and cultural ways; she has lived in Sacramento since 1987 learning and working in the community serving California Natives as well as other Tribal people. Throughout her career she has presented on Domestic Violence, White Bison’s Daughters of Tradition, Domestic Violence, Positive Indian Parenting, Youth leadership Development. Mary has received her training and certification as a Domestic Violence Advocate through Harrington House and as a Domestic Violence Peer Counselor through WEAVE (Women Escaping a Violent Environment). She has obtained her AA degree as a Paralegal through MTI School of Business and Technology and is currently, working on getting her AA degree as a Substance Abuse Counselor through Breining Institute while being a Youth Advocate. Currently, she sits on the Board of Directors for the Native Dads Network and the Advisor to the newly forming Sacramento United Natives Youth Leadership Council. Ms. Thompson has spent many years working with women, youth and families and has found this to be her passion and has made a life-long commitment to being of service. Mary has over 26 years of sobriety.

Winona Stevens, is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. She has been the Program Manager for the Dept. of Correction’s Native American Religious Program since 2013. She is responsible for the religious services across 21 Native American Circles across Washington State. Winona received her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Washington. In addition to facilitating the Department of Corrections Native circles activities, she has held many positions which include Adjunct Professor at Northwest Indian College, New Directions Anger Management Group Facilitator, and White Bison Recovery Coach for Intergenerational Trauma and the 12 Step Medicine Wheel Program for Men and Women. Mrs. Stevens directed efforts in working closely with tribal communities and currently serves on a number of boards including Huy, Council for First Inhabitants Rights and Equality, and the University of Washington’s Native American Advisory Board. Her commitment to serving the Native American population impacted by incarceration led her to recently launch HEAL for Reentry (Helping Enhance Aboriginal Lives) a nonprofit committed to assisting tribal people upon release from prison.

Albert G. Titman, Nisenon/ Miwok/ Maidu/ Pit River/Mexica, is the lead addictions counselor at the Sacramento Native American Health Center Inc. He is a Registered Addiction Specialist through the Breining Institute of CA and a State Board Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor CADC II. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Native Dads Network. He also provides alcohol/drug abuse assessments, diagnosis, and treatment to individuals, couples, families, and groups to achieve more satisfying and productive marriage, family, and social adjustment. He enjoys Miwok traditional ceremonial singing and dancing and cooking for his family. Albert provides culturally sensitive services and is blessed with the opportunity to incorporate Native American wellness modalities in his work. He is currently a trainer for White Bison’s Wellbriety Training Institute, and has over 12 years of experience in implementing the Medicine Wheel & 12 Steps program in his community.