In the Ring Season 2, Episode 6: The Changing Landscape of Mental Health Treatment with Jill Chaffee

Héctor Colón speaks with Jill Chaffee in episode six of our second season

Jill Chaffee
Vice President Community Based Services, LSS

Since 2018 Jill Chaffee has led the LSS community-based services team as the Vice President of Community Based Services.  Community-based services include a variety of mental health and substance abuse services (therapy, skill-building, mentoring, etc.) as well as foster care, public adoption, and various service facilitation programs. With over 24 years of experience in human services, Jill is a servant-leader to approximately 400 employees and believes that our communities are at the core of the lives we touch and critical to a person’s recovery and access to services.

Early in her career, Jill provided direct county-based social work services as well as substance use services and mental health psychotherapy. With a foundational understanding of the provision of both public and private sector services, she has spent the last 17 years in human service administration.  Throughout her career, she has focused on developing accessible and high-quality systems of service delivery that result in impact for those in need. Through county work, and the development of county consortiums across several counties Jill has become an expert in program development and managing statewide services.

Jill received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.  Jill has a passion for meeting people where they are, with the right services, in the community.  She is energized by LSS’s diverse services available to people throughout Wisconsin and the collaborative approach to service delivery.

In the Ring Season 2, Episode 5: Evolving Milwaukee County Mental Health to Prevention-Centered Care

Héctor Colón speaks with Mike Lappen in episode five of our second season

Mike Lappen

Administrator
Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services

Mike Lappen is the Administrator of Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services. He leads a dedicated team in reform efforts to redesign Milwaukee County’s mental health system to a community-based system of care that is less reliant on psychiatric inpatient admissions and emergency room visits.

Mike oversees a vast community-based system of care that includes crisis services, care coordination/case management, outpatient care, prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across the lifespan.

Lappen serves on the Wisconsin County Human Service Association Behavioral Health Policy and Advisory Committee, the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health Legislative and Policy Committee and is the current Chairperson for the Mental Health Emergency Center Joint Venture Board.

Mike graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Science in educational rehabilitation counseling. Lappen previously worked as a clinical coordinator for the Wisconsin Correctional Service, and as a supervisor and eventually director with the Ozaukee County Department of Human Services.

In The Ring Season 2, Episode 4: Making Health Insurance an “Honest Business”

Héctor Colón speaks with Common Ground Healthcare CEO Cathy Mahaffey in episode four of our second season.

Cathy Mahaffey
CEO, Common Ground Healthcare

Cathy Mahaffey is a 25-year veteran of the health insurance industry, starting her career in insurance service and sales. Shortly into her career, Cathy found her passion working in the non-profit insurance sector for a health insurance cooperative. She went on to start her own insurance agency and consulting business, and helped found the Farmers’ Health Cooperative of Wisconsin, a nonprofit that was successful in helping thousands of Wisconsin farmers gain access to higher quality health insurance coverage.

Cathy was instrumental in getting CGHC off the ground in 2012, helping to pen the business plan and loan application that secured the funding to start the cooperative. She was appointed CEO in 2014 after serving as the cooperative’s first Chief Operating Officer during its start-up phase.

Season 2, Ep. 3: How You Can Get Closer to “Yes” on State Budget Considerations

Héctor Colón speaks with Bill McCoshen in episode three of our second season

Bill McCoshen

Bill is a Partner with Michael Best Strategies. His combined decades of experience in the Wisconsin Governor’s office, as cabinet secretary, and as a successful lobbyist enable him to be an effective advisor and advocate for clients.

Before joining Strategies, Bill served as Managing Partner of Madison-based Capitol Consultants, Inc., a government relations and public affairs firm, for over 23 years. He worked with both public and private sector businesses, as well as nonprofits, to build strategic relationships, manage their public images, and implement grassroots advocacy programs.

Bill previously served as Chief of Staff to former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, and then as Gov. Thompson’s campaign manager during his successful third-term gubernatorial campaign in 1994. Gov. Thompson’s landslide 67% victory was the second-highest margin in state history and the largest margin since 1922. Following the election, Gov. Thompson appointed Bill to serve as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. Over the next four years, Bill oversaw economic development programs throughout the state. Bill remains the youngest person ever to hold the position of gubernatorial chief of staff and cabinet secretary.

Season 2, Ep. 2: Maximize ROI by Harnessing Your Organizational Superpower

Héctor Colón speaks with Melanie Varin in episode two of our second season

Melanie R. Varin

Melanie is an author and insightful business leader and change-agent combining strategy, Lean Six Sigma, sales, marketing and international leadership experience to help global teams grow via positive and sustainable change.

Melanie’s book – Ignite Topline Growth: How RevOps and Go-To-Market Alignment Spark Success – was written based on her passion for sales and marketing alignment. She’s experienced the superpower that comes with a great alignment of revenue-generating teams and wants to share that wisdom with others.

Melanie has 25+ years of experience in executive leadership, strategic planning, global marketing, national sales management, channel development, and operations. She has led three significant business turnarounds in Europe and the USA in Fortune 500 companies.

In her current role as Owner and Chief Operating Officer, TopLine Results Corporation, she applies her leadership and process skills to optimize current business operations as well as helping clients do the same. Her passions are developing high-performing teams, sales and marketing alignment, and business productivity. TopLine Results uses technology to bring together the right tools to help clients build positive and valuable relationships. These tools include customer relationship management (CRM) databases and integrated digital marketing platforms. Using the insights gained from these systems, clients can become better versions of themselves and offer improved services to their customers.

Melanie has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina.

She has been married for almost 35 years to her life and business partner, Fred Varin, and has three grown children: Patrick (married to Rose), Clark, and Stephanie. When she is not working or writing, she loves to travel, enjoy long walks, read, and eat (and cook) fine food, preferably with family and friends.