Founded on Nov. 16, 1948 as the Dane County Child Guidance Center with six employees, Journey has grown into a sizeable community mental health clinic with over 500 staff members. We are dedicated to innovation and cutting edge programs.

In 2020, nearly 11,000 individuals received treatment services through Journey’s 29 programs. Journey provides a continuum of services to individuals across the lifespan.

Board of Directors

James Christensen*
Principal Consultant
StatOrg Services LLC
Chair

Mary Wright*
President and CEO
Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp.
Immediate Past Chair

Sam Keller*
Owner & President
TEC
Vice-Chair

Heidi Pankoke*
Senior Director of Business Strategy
TMG 
Vice-Chair

Connie Walker*
Former Office of the Secretary, WI Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Secretary

Howard Gesbeck*
Retired Accountant
Treasurer

Martin Croak
Retired Attorney

Marcia Hansen
Consumer Representative

Kristi Papcke-Benson, R.N., MSN, CNE
Retired Nurse Educator

Deepa Pal
Supervisor
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation

Wendy Johnson
Licensed Private Practice School Psychologist
Child and Adolescent Psychological Services, LLC

*Executive Committee Member

Leadership

Leadership

 

 

 

 


Tanya Lettman-Shue
President & CEO
tanya.lettman-shue@journeymhc.org
608-280-2437

 

 

 

 

 


David Bertrand
Chief Operating Officer
dave.bertrand@journeymhc.org


Colleen Clark Buss
Chief Human Resources Officer
colleen.clark.buss@journeymhc.org
608-280-2666 

 

 

 

 

 

Armando Hernández
Chief Diversity Officer
cdo@journeymhc.org


Karen Milner, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
karen.milner@journeymhc.org

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy Nelson
Chief Financial Officer
kathy.nelson@journeymhc.org
608-280-2661

 

 

 

 


Nichole Wright
Chief Clinical Officer
nichole.wright@journeymhc.org
608-280-2550

Leadership

Hannah Flanagan
Director of Emergency Services Programs
hannah.flanagan@journeymhc.org
608-280-2587

 

 

 

 

 

Marc Gabrysiak
Director of Information Services
marc.gabrysiak@journeymhc.org
608-280-2662

 

 

 

 


Mary-Jo Olsen
Director of Community Services
maryjo.olsen@journeymhc.org
608-280-2782

 

 

 

 

Tyson Rittenmeyer
Director of Clinic-Based Programs
tyson.rittenmeyer@journeymhc.org
608-280-2649

 

 

 

 

Renee Sutkay
Director of Comprehensive Community Services
renee.sutkay@journeymhc.org
608-280-3135

Mission

Improving people’s lives by pioneering and sustaining effective mental health and substance use disorder services.

Vision

The vision of Journey Mental Health Center is to become a center of excellence for the provision of behavioral health services.

People: Hiring and retaining great employees.

Productivity: Being a model of quality and cost effective service for other behavioral health organizations.

Partners: Achieving and maintaining the highest levels of consumer satisfaction.

Values

              • Integrity
              • Diversity
              • Respect
              • Excellence
              • Accountability
              • Hope

This Is My Journey Campaign

Have you noticed Journey’s billboard campaign?

Journey Mental Health Center and Adams Outdoor Collaborate are partnering together to fight the stigma of mental illness and addiction in a unique billboard campaign– “This is my Journey’– featuring five people, all whom live with serious mental illness or addictioni ncluding severe anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and alcoholism. The creative centers on the individuals as proud people: An attorney, a mom, a pastry chef, a videographer, and an honors graduate.

Importance/Background

    • Research shows that individuals who openly talk about their illness have better recovery outcomes.
    • The outdoor campaign is being supplemented with dozens more people participating in Journey social media (Facebook/Twitter) and in the organization’s 2017 annual report.
    • Adams Outdoor Advertising is donating the creative, production and space rental for the billboards through their nonprofit program, TheAdams Collaborate Program. The donation includes two large bulletin-size and five poster-size billboards valued at $250,000.
    • The campaign is being led by chair Pooja Mehta, a Duke University graduate and Journey volunteer who lives with serious anxiety. “I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and how far I’ll be going,” she says.
    • 18.1 percent of Americans live with serious mental illness, including depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Mental Health Awareness Month has been celebrated in the U.S. annually since 1949.