LEPG Board of Directors
Although the board has assigned duties this is not indicative of a hierarchy. The LEPG is designed to be held within the team of directors with equal authority and voice. 
Bailey McGowan
Bailey McGowan is a Certified Parent Peer Specialist (CPPS), Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), educator, business owner, and peer workforce advocate in La Crosse, Wisconsin. As founder and CEO of Parenting Peer, Bailey works to strengthen peer-led and family-driven supports while advancing the role of lived experience within systems, communities, and professional practice.
As a parent of five and drawing from both lived and professional experience, Bailey is passionate about creating neuroaffirming, human-centered environments where families, peers, and professionals can build authentic partnerships. Her work focuses on workforce development, training, systems improvement, and expanding opportunities for peers and families to influence and shape the services that affect their lives and communities.
Bailey contributes to statewide initiatives focused on children's behavioral health, family leadership, and peer workforce development. She believes that lived experience is not simply a story to be shared, but a form of expertise that deserves recognition, respect, and a meaningful place at decision-making tables.
Bailey is committed to strengthening Wisconsin's peer workforce and building communities where connection, dignity, and belonging are at the center of the work.
Co-PresidentJessica Sweeney
Co-President
SecretaryPaula Buege
Paula (she/her) is a dedicated lived expert professional with a profound commitment to empowering and supporting lived experience experts in driving transformative change. Drawing from her own lived expertise in multiple systems, Paula’s career objective is to meet the needs of constituents served by fostering collaborative and inclusive environments. She aims to ensure that the insights and perspectives of lived experience experts are integral to shaping policies and practices that promote recovery and well-being.
Paula is a nationally recognized trainer and consultant, providing training and technical assistance on trauma-informed care, adverse childhood experiences, peer support work, reflective supervision, and policy development. She has trained individuals with lived experience to become Wisconsin Certified Peer and Parent Peer Specialists, equipping them with the skills to support others on their wellness journeys. Beyond Wisconsin, Paula delivers trainings and consultation at both local and national levels, working with agencies, organizations, and individuals in mental health, substance use, family services, child welfare, juvenile justice, and criminal justice systems. Drawing from over 25 years of experience across multiple roles and systems, Paula integrates her personal wellness journey into her work, using her lived experience to influence meaningful change and foster resilience in others. Her dedication and impact have earned her several prestigious awards, recognizing her contributions to advancing peer support, trauma-informed care, and system-wide transformation.
Dan Strehlau
Board Member
I entered the Peer Specialist field as a "third career" with a wide variety of professional experiences. I have followed the path of serving as a CCS Service Provider, then a CCS Service Facilitator, with my journey leading me back to being a CCS Service Provider and Peer Specialist. I am certified as a peer support specialist (CPS) and a parent peer specialist (CPPS). I have a passion for meeting people where they are and walking alongside them through the trenches and facing the day-to-day struggles they may be experiencing. I feel I am skilled at identifying solutions and helping participants develop a plan of action for success.
My personal experiences with PTSD, periods of chronic anxiety, depression, and general feelings of hopelessness have helped me develop the passion and skills to meet people where they are. Connecting with people has played an integral part in my life. As a male peer who has experienced mental health challenges, I understand and have navigated society's views related to men with mental health issues. In a culture where men do not talk about feelings or open up about their mental health, I feel I have broken through these stigmas with a direct and caring approach while providing space for individuals to talk openly about their experiences and challenges. Stigma and negative views can be permanently damaging to grown men and even more destructive to youth and teenagers. I strive to support individuals as they navigate these challenges through mutual support and dignity.
TreasurerAmy Polsin
Jessica is a wife, mother, dog mom, grandmother, peer support (CPS), parent peer support (CPPS), domestic violence survivor, suicide survivor, childhood trauma survivor, mentor, paralegal and business owner. Her lived experience shapes how she moves through the world and how she walk alongside others. The time she’s spent with peers has given her story purpose and meaning. She’s seen how everything shifts when a peer knows they’re not alone, when a peer has a person beside them who believes in their strength and their voice.
She owns Redeemed Services LLC, where she manage a team of peer professionals and oversee multi‑county contracts, billing systems, and daily operations. She works closely with therapists, AODA counselors, service facilitators, educators, and wraparound teams to ensure families receive support that is cohesive, culturally humble, and truly peer‑centered. Her work is grounded in authenticity, nonjudgment, and a commitment to keeping each person’s voice at the center of their services.
Being both a Certified Peer Specialist and Certified Parent Peer Specialist has shaped her passion for strengthening the peer workforce. She has contributed to state and national projects developing peer‑affirming training materials, and is dedicated to building a future where anyone seeking peer support is met by someone healthy, skilled, and prepared for the work.
As a founding member and Co-President of the Lived Experience Professionals Guild (LEPG), she is excited to collaborate, to build, and to help strengthen the peer role so we can reach a day when every person who seeks support has a healthy peer beside them. Together, we get the chance to make a difference for the difference‑makers.
Amy Polsin is a mission‑driven leader, Certified Parent Peer Specialist (2018), Certified Peer Specialist (2025), and founder of Eternal Strength Consulting LLC. With over 18 years of experience supporting families across mental health, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and community systems, she is known statewide for her trauma‑informed, strengths‑based, and culturally responsive approach.
A lead facilitator for Wisconsin’s CPPS training, Amy has helped shape curriculum, strengthen the peer workforce, and elevate lived experience in statewide practice. She is a seasoned supervisor recognized for reflective, trauma‑informed leadership that supports ethical practice, cultural humility, and healthy integration of lived experience.
Amy has coordinated statewide PPS teams, provided intensive coaching, managed referrals, ensured compliance, and maintained a caseload to stay connected to family needs. Through Eternal Strength Consulting LLC, she offers direct peer support, system navigation, professional training, curriculum development, and community engagement grounded in authenticity and hope.
Her advocacy includes service on the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health, the Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, and the Children and Youth Mental Health Council, where she champions family voice and trauma‑informed policy.
A sought‑after speaker, Amy presents on school discipline, truancy, IEP collaboration, stigma reduction, challenging behaviors, trauma‑informed engagement, peer supervision, ethics, and boundaries. Across all roles, she is known for building trust, reducing stigma, and strengthening family voice—advancing a vision where every caregiver feels supported, empowered, and connected.
