Meet the Wellness Shack Board Members
Omar Nelson - President
Omar Nelson is serving the first year of his second term as President of the Board. He is a charter member of The Wellness Shack, and looks forward to a more effective Recovery process. This is happening through more people getting trained as peer specialists and as they practice "Recovery language". Omar is a retired Lutheran pastor with training at a Mental Hospital, Hazelton, Clinical Pastoral Education and Family Systems.
Nancy Riggen – Vice-President
Hi! My name is Nancy Riggen. I’m a new member on the board at The Wellness Shack. I have a 19 year old son with mental, behavioral, and emotional challenges. I am a co-facilitator for the arts-n-crafts class. I am interested in fundraising and being a help any way I can. Recovery means growth, working towards a stable life, and being a part of helping others. I’m eager to learn everything from fundraising to consumer training to peer specialist training.
Angela Foster – Secretary
Hello, my name is Angela Foster. I have been involved with The Wellness Shack for a number of years now. I am a graduate of CVTC in Information Systems Management and currently volunteer at The Wellness Shack, serve on the board, and attend meetings. Everyone is welcome at The Wellness Shack and I look forward to seeing you there.
Bob Schrader – Treasurer
I grew up in Eau Claire. The Chippewa Valley has always been home to me. Even when I moved away to go to school, I always considered Eau Claire my home. I attended NCTC in Wausau and earned an Associate degree in Residential and Light Commercial Architecture. After my first job ended, I returned to school to study Theology and Religion. I eventually earned a Bachelor of Art Education from Viterbo University in La Crosse. In 1984 I returned to Eau Claire and have lived here ever since. In 1993 a stroke changed my life. Six years later my career in Architecture ended permanently. For many years after, I saw myself as defective and damaged. In 2005 I began my personal journey of recovery. I returned to school in 2008 and earned a Masters Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from UW-Stout. Today I live in a small house in the country. I plant a large vegetable garden from which I freeze and process food for the winter. I love to fish, hunt and camp-out. Nature gives me a strong sense of peace and belonging. My time spent at the Wellness Shack nourishes my spirit. I find support, friendship, and purpose when I am here. Mostly, I find hope, and that to me is priceless.
Nicole Miller - Board Member at Large
Hi! My name is Nicole Miller. I am originally from Frederic, Wisconsin. I enjoy the people and the great outdoors. I just joined the Board in 2011 and I look forward to seeing everyone down at the shack.
Linda Miller – Board Member at Large
Hi! My name is Linda Miller, I joined the Board in 2011. I am a very quiet person but will speak up softly about the times and other business at hand. I am a fighter from the days of People’s Rights and NAMI. I was one of the few people who started the Wellness Shack along with Omar and others. Mental Health is a very choice subject for me and I get anxious when things don’t happen for the mentally ill.
Dr. Mary K. Canales – Board Member at Large
Dr. Mary K. Canales is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Dr. Canales received her undergraduate and PhD degrees in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters degree in nursing administration from Georgetown University. Dr. Canales worked as a staff nurse in numerous mental health and addictions facilities early in her nursing career and taught mental health content and clinical in a diploma nursing program in the early 1990’s. She currently teaches the undergraduate mental health content for junior nursing students at UWEC.
Geoffrey Walter - Board Member at Large
Hi! My name is Geoffrey Walter, and I am on the board of The Wellness Shack. I have had the privilege to watch The Wellness Shack grow from its infancy. It was a fun, but challenging endeavor. I was on the board as the secretary for 2 ˝ years. It was a big challenge due to lack of concentration, yet in the long run, was kind of exciting. To me, The Wellness Shack is a place where someone who suffers from mental illness can forget the effects of it and actually clear it from their minds due to the consumer run advantage. They laugh, sing, play games, watch TV, tell jokes, operate a computer, and educate themselves without criticism. I am glad to be on the board and hope to keep it in existence for a very long time. It is based on a recovery model to increase social skills no matter what peoples’ abilities or illness are. It helps people to recover from the negative signs of life to a more positive one.