April 1st: Lois Maharg - Energetic Leader of Washtenaw County NAMI Board
Lois Maharg now serves as Board President for NAMI Washtenaw County after volunteering as an at-large board member for several years. She also leads NAMI’s Family-to-Family class, an educational program for family members helping to support a loved one who uses mental health services. Volunteering with NAMI appealed to Lois because of the struggle she went through years ago trying to find help for a family member dealing with developmental and mental health challenges. Later she learned about NAMI. In 2016 she joined the Washtenaw County affiliate in part to help others navigate a process that felt so bewildering to her.
 
Lois is retired. But occasionally she edits papers for professors in the U-M School of Social Work. Before becoming a freelance editor, she worked as a newspaper reporter, doing beat reporting and writing feature articles. Before that, she spent 15 years teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). She taught both abroad and in the United States, working mainly with immigrants and refugees. She’s also written two ESL books with her husband and a book about insomnia. Lois has moved around a lot in her career. But Washtenaw County is by far her favorite place.
April 8th:  Ariana Gonzalez - Truly Passionate Individual, Founder of LAITR 
Ariana is an occupational therapist, certified trauma professional and
executive director and founder of LAITR. She is originally from Canton, MI. Ariana cares about people and the environment and is deeply passionate about social justice and equity.
 
LAITR (Life After Incarceration: Transition and Reentry) is a 501c3 nonprofit
organization that provides occupational therapy services to justice-involved individuals primarily in Washtenaw County. LAITR provides individual and group services related to life skills, such as budgeting, time management and emotional regulation, inside the Washtenaw County Jail and follows them into our community to help with the transition. Additionally, LAITR has a Voices of the Underheard (VOTU) program which aims to reduce stigma towards individuals with incarceration history and has recently started a new work program called SHINE in contract with Ypsilanti Township. Overall, LAITR aims to improve health, wellness and quality of life for our justice-impacted community members.
 
Please see http://lifeafterincarceration.com/
April 22nd:  Bia Hamed - EMU Director of K-12 STEM Outreach
At the College of Engineering and Technology, Bia currently single-handedly manages the student service office's day-to-day operations for advising, marketing, community relations, and undergraduate admissions-also known as the fastest-growing college at Eastern Michigan University. Other successful programs Bia has managed include EMU's Dual Enrollment program, off-campus courses, non-credit programming, campus visits, domestic travel courses, summer camps including residential and day camps, Digital Divas, Digital Dudes, and Manufacturing Day. Bia is also the community liaison for her college. She is currently researching better ways to find space for minority female students in STEM degree programs and how their cultural background affects their success. 
Ypsilanti
We meet In Person & Online
Mondays at 12:00 PM
Aubree's Pizzeria & Grill
2122 Whittaker Rd
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
United States of America
Meeting Times Vary! 1st and 3rd monthly Mondays are from noon to 1pm; 2nd and 4th Mondays are from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Our meetings are compatible for in-person (VIP room at rear of Aubree's) and Zoom. See calendar for more information.