About
About
About
Services
Services
Services
Staff
JULIE HINKEMEYER
Program Director
Julie has spent her entire life in Spokane, fostering a deep appreciation for the importance of family. Following the heartbreaking loss of her son and husband due to overdose, she faced challenges that significantly altered her life. These personal tragedies, while profoundly difficult, highlighted for her the critical need for support and understanding during times of crisis. Amidst the turmoil, Julie found a pathway to transform her pain into purpose by becoming involved as a peer at Peer Spokane.
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Understanding firsthand how isolating and overwhelming mental health issues and addiction can be, Julie navigated her own struggles while mourning the loss of her loved ones. Her recovery journey has not been linear, and she recognized the necessity of seeking support. Through medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with methadone, she achieved stability, which was essential for her healing process. This intimate connection with the challenges of addiction and recovery ignited her commitment to assist others in their journeys.
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In her current role as Program Director at Peer Spokane, Julie is dedicated to empowering individuals as they navigate their own recovery paths. She acknowledges that recovery is unique to each person and is passionate about helping them identify the approaches that work best for them. Whether through peer support, providing resources, or simply offering a compassionate ear, Julie endeavors to create a safe environment where individuals feel heard, understood, and guided toward their personal healing journeys.
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ANDREW LEONARD
Program Manager
Andrew is a passionate advocate for peer support in recovery. Having personally benefited from it, he has made remarkable progress in managing his mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety. Through counseling and peer support, Andrew has come to deeply appreciate the value of working with individuals who bring lived experience to the table. Since beginning his journey, he has developed the ability to form meaningful connections and lasting friendships with ease.
Driven by his goal of becoming a mental health professional, Andrew embraced a peer support role and quickly discovered that he had found his calling. Since joining Peer Spokane, he has drawn on his lived experience to support others as a peer coach and group facilitator, walking alongside many individuals on their recovery paths. Serving as a Program Manager, Andrew oversees many of the operations at Peer Spokane, applying his skills daily to manage multiple programs and foster collaboration with colleagues and community partners.
Andrew maintains a healthy work-life balance and prioritizes self-care. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, camping, paddleboarding, fishing at local lakes, and looks forward to snowboarding trips in the winter with his boyfriend, Kevin.
JONATHAN FORBES
Program Manager
Jonathan is deeply committed to supporting individuals facing mental illness and addiction. This dedication originates from his personal recovery journey, which began in September 2017. Throughout his recovery, he devoted himself to service work, ultimately transitioning into a professional role as a Peer Support Specialist and FCS Supported Employment Specialist at Peer Spokane in 2021. In this position, he provided support to his peers, witnessing significant life changes as employment became integrated into their lives. In 2022, he advanced to the role of Program Manager for the Housing and Employment Program, consistently striving to enhance the quality of care provided to the members at Peer Spokane.
MARSHA VALENZUELA
Peer Services Specialist
Marsha was born in Yakima. She was removed from her biological parents and raised by her grandmother until 11. After her grandmother's death, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother, where her addiction became increasingly worse. By 1990 she moved to Spokane, Washington, to have a clean start and a better life but kept doing drugs and spiraling down until, at the age of 40, CPS got involved and took her kids. This was the life-changing turning point in Marsha's life. She got involved in community recovery groups and began putting the pieces back together that she had lost from drugs and alcohol. She then regained custody of her children and took parenting classes and training so that she could be the parent that her kids deserved. After going through all the hardships, Marsha realized her experience could help others, so she started advocating for families working with social workers, CPS, and judges for stronger family reunification. After working with families, she decided she wanted to become a CPC to inspire strength, hope, and resilience and has been doing that work in our community since 2015.
JENNIFER STARKWEATHER
Peer Services Specialist
Jennifer Starkweather began her recovery journey in December 2018. She joined Peer Spokane in August of 2022 as the Peer Support Housing Specialist. Jennifer is dedicated to helping Peer Spokane members obtain and maintain permanent and transitional housing. She works closely with landlords and has built a rapport with community partners. While working at Peer Spokane, Jennifer has been pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Social Work and is scheduled to graduate in May 2026. Jennifer is dedicated to her recovery, and her family means everything to her.
CHRISTINE MCMACKIN
Peer Services Specialist
Christine moved to Spokane from California in 1992 after living on the streets as a teenager. Both her parents were alcoholics, and her mother suffered from domestic violence since Christine was a little girl. Christine turned to substance use as a coping mechanism from the trauma and abuse seen daily in her home. She started using when she was 14 years old, but was able to get clean for over a decade before going back to using in her mid 20's. Christine's children and family were lost to her in the world of addiction. After years of being incarcerated, houseless, traumatized, and abused, she took her life back, and now it is part of her daily work.
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Christine has over 13 years of recovery from substance use and mental health. She joins our team with more than 10-year experience working with those affected by substance use, trauma, and mental health. She believes everyone can find peace from their past and enjoys watching our community grow and succeed from the things that once held them down. Besides caring for our community, Christine is passionate about animals and has an extreme love for dogs.
JILL HAAG
Peer Services Specialist
Like many in recovery, she grew up surrounded by addiction, lies, dysfunction, loss of love, and major trauma. For many years her only coping skill was various addictions, and those continued for many years to come. Years later, while trying to hold down a job, live a “normal” life, and find that missing puzzle piece, her traumatic dark past would continue to haunt her. As her addiction got worse, she tried to unearth that mystery in her head so she could have closure and heal. She went through numerous therapies and classes and even had CBT and DBT instructors acknowledge her passion for the mental health field...she laughed it off. Having an extensive list of diagnoses and being proud to say not all medication is lifelong and, most of all, a diagnosis does not define who she is. However, she never imagined herself living a substance-free life, and little did she realize she was already mapping out her new future.
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In 2012 she found her soulmate. They both struggled with addiction and found recovery together. Practicing daily gratitude and creating beautiful keepsakes for people have made life stressors easier to cope with. In 2019, she was given another chance to succeed. She has facilitated many groups and classes, teaching others diverse ways to better themselves and helping them see their potential in living a positive and joy-filled life in recovery. In September of 2022, she started volunteering at Peer Spokane as a facilitator for the Beautiful Within Women’s group. In a brief period, she was already connecting with the ladies, and their confidence was growing. Although she already had experience as a peer coach, she welcomed the opportunity to attend the training at Peer Spokane and be able to coach their members.
KAYLA MILLER
Peer Services Specialist
Kayla, originally from Toronto, Canada, moved to Vancouver at 18, motivated by her personal experiences with trauma, grief, and abuse. In Vancouver, she found her calling in Harm Reduction, dedicating herself to supporting vulnerable populations in the Downtown Eastside, including the houseless community, street-based sex workers, and individuals grappling with mental health and substance use challenges. Kayla supported her formerly incarcerated husband through his reintegration process, and now calls Spokane home. In her free time, Kayla enjoys gaming—particularly Dungeons and Dragons—spending time in nature and engaging in self-care practices. She is deeply inspired by spirituality and the principles of the universe, integrating the practices she has learned into her daily life. With a strong commitment to using both her lived experiences and professional background, Kayla is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and overcome life's challenges.
KYLE TUDAHL
Peer Services Specialist
Kyle’s journey through struggles with addiction, homelessness, and the challenges of finding employment has profoundly shaped who he is today. These experiences taught him resilience, compassion, the importance of support during difficult times, and the value of not giving up. They also gave him the desire to help others as they navigate their own recovery journey. As a Peer Employment Specialist, Kyle’s hope is to help others navigate their own recovery journey by walking alongside them with understanding, compassion, and encouragement while supporting them as they discover, or rediscover, their strength, potential, and resilience, while reminding them that their story matters and they don’t have to walk this path alone.
MEGAN BISBEE
Peer Services Specialist
Megan began her mental health recovery journey a little over 15 years ago when she started having severe panic attacks, disrupting her life and making her very frightened for her well-being and safety. Deciding that she could no longer live like this, Megan started to address her issues in therapy. Little did she know where this road to healing would lead her. Through her engagement and work in the therapeutic process, she discovered that she had lived through a chaotic childhood, which affected how her brain functioned and responded in times of high stress or fear. These realizations eventually led to a diagnosis of CPTSD. After a few days in bed, she chose not to let it consume her. Instead, she realized she could use what she had learned, keep expanding her knowledge, and one day help others like herself who were in need.
Peer Spokane came into her life at the perfect time. Megan began volunteering at Peer Spokane in July of 2024. From there she became a Peer Coach and Group Facilitator and took great pleasure and joy in running the Together We Rise: Beyond the Trauma Group, or otherwise lovingly known as "Trauma Group". She is excited to use all her knowledge and skills, especially her movie quoting skills in her new role at Peer Spokane as a Peer Services Specialist.
"Why do we fall down Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." - Thomas Wayne & Albert Batman Begins