Recovery Advocacy Workshop
Join MARCO for a daylong workshop to learn about current recovery policy issues, connect with other advocates from diverse recovery communities, and hone your advocacy skills! All are welcome to join this nonpartisan, educational workshop.
At a glance
What you’ll learn
- Learn more about recovery-related legislative topics
- How to connect with state policymakers
- How to use your lived experience to make a difference
This is also a great opportunity to prepare for our Recovery Day on the Hill event!
Workshop details
- When
- February 27, 2026
- Time
- 9:00am–3:00pm
- Where
- Wilder Foundation
- Cost
- $20.00 (Includes lunch)
- CEUs
- 4 CEUs pending MCB approval
Keynote
Family Voices Matter: Turning Lived Experience into Advocacy and Action
Throughout the last 3 decades, family voices have played a powerful and often catalytic role in shaping how substance use has been understood, addressed, and responded to—especially when systems were slow to act.
In this presentation Pam Lanhart will share critical ways that we, as family members and allies, can be effective in working to change systems that cause harm to our families and communities.
Past Recovery Advocacy Workshops
A look at previous workshops and community advocacy in action.
Venue
Wilder Foundation
451 Lexington Pkwy N,
St Paul, MN 55104
Schedule
9:00am–3:00pm
Wilder Center, 451 Lexington Parkway North, Saint Paul
8:30–9:00
Coffee and networking
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Arrive, grab coffee, and connect with fellow advocates from across Minnesota.
9:00–9:30
Welcome/Overview/Introduction to Recovery Advocacy
Presenter: Wendy Jones, Executive Director, MARCO
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Presenter: Wendy Jones, Executive Director, MARCO
Kick off the day with an overview of recovery advocacy, what to expect, and how lived experience and community power drive change.
Family Voices Matter: Turning Lived Experience into Advocacy and Action
Throughout the last 3 decades, family voices have played a powerful and often catalytic role in shaping how substance use has been understood, addressed, and responded to—especially when systems were slow to act. Family advocacy has influenced policy, public perception, treatment access, and accountability in several key ways.
In this presentation, Pam Lanhart will share critical ways we, as family members and allies, can be effective in working to change systems that harm our families and communities.
10:45–11:45
Advocating for Person-Centered Recovery Support: Working the “System”
Peer Recovery Specialists and advocates navigating systems to expand recovery supports.
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Peer Recovery Specialists and advocates navigating systems to expand recovery supports.
Peer Recovery Specialists and other recovery advocates work within and across a variety of “systems” to promote person-centered recovery. Local government, criminal justice, and even clinical treatment are examples of established systems that recovery advocates regularly navigate to increase the quality and quantity of recovery support for the people they serve.
In this session, panelists will describe their work navigating these systems and discuss how they have successfully advanced person-centered recovery support.
Panelists:
- Darnell Cox, Operations Manager, Minnesota Recovery Connection
- Chris Erle, Executive Director, Face It Together–Bemidji
- Justin McNeal, Executive Director, Begin Anew
- Molly Sinclair, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, Minnesota Recovery Connection
11:45–12:30
Lunch and networking
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Enjoy lunch and connect with fellow advocates, panelists, and MARCO staff.
12:30–1:30
Recovery Advocacy and Protecting Our Communities
How RCOs are adapting advocacy to protect participants and staff.
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How RCOs are adapting advocacy to protect participants and staff.
Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs) and Peer Recovery Specialists provide essential support services to individuals regardless of their immigration status, country of origin, racial or cultural identity, or other identifying factors that federal immigration agencies have targeted in recent months. Many of these same communities are also disproportionately affected by substance use disorders.
Advocacy is a pillar of peer recovery support services, and providers have had to adapt their support to better protect both their participants and staff. In this session, representatives from RCOs directly affected by Operation Metro Surge will share how they have adjusted their advocacy in response to the status quo.
Panelists:
- Emanuel Roberts, Executive Director, Anything Helps
- Cynthia Munguia, Executive Director, Minnesota Recovery Connection
- Farhia Budul, Executive Director, Niyyah Recovery Initiative
- Joshua Fuss, Executive Director, Just Hope
1:45–2:45
What’s Up at the State? Current Recovery Policy Issues and How to Have a Voice
Policy updates + practical tips for being “at the table.”
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Policy updates + practical tips for being “at the table.”
Catch up with current recovery policy initiatives and issues and get practical tips on being "at the table" as policies are initiated, shaped, or implemented. Panelists will discuss current activities in the Executive and Legislative Branches and help you get started on your recovery advocacy journey by sharing strategies and resources for getting involved.
Panelists:
- Nathaniel Dyess, Policy Director, Office of Addiction and Recovery
- Brian Zirbes, Executive Director, Minnesota Association of Resources for Recovery and Chemical Health (MARRCH)
2:45–3:00
Wrap Up
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Key takeaways, next steps, and how to stay engaged in recovery advocacy.
