How to Become an Ohio Peer Supporter: Workshop

Note: This workshop will not provide certification, but will explain the steps and pathway to become certified.

Registration is required to attend and closes on Oct. 1, 2026.

Register Here!

Panelists

Aimee Coe

Aimee Coe joined the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board as the Director of Community Programs in January 2018. Aimee is currently the Director of Clinical and Prevention Programs with the board. Aimee received her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from Bowling Green State University. Aimee has worked in the behavioral health and criminal justice field throughout her career in roles ranging from Investigator, Therapist, Clinical Manager and Director. She over 25 years of experience in the field and has extensive experience in program development and community coalitions. Aimee is a licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with a supervisory endorsement (LPCC-S) and is Prevention Certified as an OSPCA and is also a certified Generation RX Ambassador.

Director of Clinical & Prevention Programs

David Nalls

David L. Nalls is a seasoned advocate for recovery management in addiction and mental health, whose career began in 1988 and is rooted in powerful lived experience. His personal recovery journey began between 1990 and 1991 through the principles of the 12 Steps, and was further elevated in 2008 by a pivotal acceptance of personal responsibility. In 2009, recognizing spirituality as an essential component of lasting recovery, David spent two years studying under Chaplain George Huggins, exploring the meaning of words in English, Hebrew, and Greek.

In 2012, David became the first Recovery Coach at the Urban Minority Alcohol Drug Addiction Outreach Program (UMADAOP), trained in the Connecticut (C-CAR) model of Peer Recovery Support. He was one of only 12 individuals who participated in the Job Analysis for Peer Recovery Coaching in Ohio — a foundational effort that shaped the statewide Peer Specialist identity. He is the author of the Peer Recovery Certification Module 1 for Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS, 2023), and became a Recovery Coach Trainer of Trainers for OMHAS in 2013, while also joining Ohio Citizens Advocates for Addiction Recovery (OCAAR).

David has held progressive leadership roles throughout his career, including Case Management Program Manager and Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Instructor at New Concepts; Agency Trainer, Crisis Case Manager, and Trauma-Informed Trainer of Trainers at Empowered for Excellence; and Community Health Worker and Peer Recovery Support Specialist at Buckeye Health Plan. At Centene Corporation, he created the Peer Employment role from the ground up — developing both its policy framework and onboarding learning journey.

In 2016, David founded Reconciliation Recovery Unlimited, published Reconciled: #IGOTWELL, obtained his Minister's license, and has delivered lectures and training at the University of Toledo, Owens Community College, and Findlay College. He has authored multiple recovery manuals and curricula for organizations across Ohio, including the Recovery Coaching Manual for Corporate Anointing Ministries and the Peer Manual for Revitalized Behavioral Health.

In 2022, the Mosaic Employee Inclusion Group (EIG) that David co-led was honored as Company-Wide EIG of the Year, and he was personally recognized with the Spark Innovator of the Year Award at Centene Corporation. He also served as a Trustee on the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (MHRSB) of Lucas County, contributing to the funding of Dani's Place — a groundbreaking recovery residence for individuals not yet ready for community reintegration.

David received two MHRSB grants — one to provide Recovery Management education to community professionals and another to develop a mentor program for Community Health Workers of Ohio. He was also selected as the sole Lucas County resident inducted into the First Ohio Peer Leadership Institute — a distinction that reflects a lifetime of turning personal adversity into lasting community transformation.

Recovery Advocate & Peer Recovery Specialist
Peer Navigator & Recovery Professional

Krystin Poulson

Krystin Poulson is a Peer Navigator and recovery professional who brings a unique combination of professional expertise, leadership, and lived experience to the behavioral health field.

Today, Krystin serves as the first Peer Navigator for the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office Drug Abuse Response Team (DART) - a role that represents a powerful full-circle moment in her own recovery journey. Krystin was once a DART client herself. Having experienced the system from both sides, she understands firsthand how much trust, connection, compassion, and simply having someone believe in you can matter when a person is seeking help.

With more than 20 years of direct-care and service experience and over 10 years of business management experience, Krystin has worked throughout substance use recovery services providing counseling, case management, advocacy, and support. As the primary staff member for the Healthy Me, Healthy Us initiative, she coordinated medical and residential services while supporting women with health stabilization, integrated healthcare, recovery, and family reunification. She also served as a co-instructor for the Behavioral Health Service Aide course, an HRSA-funded initiative in partnership with The Zepf Center, helping prepare the next generation of behavioral health professionals.

Krystin believes lived experience is more than something a peer has survived - it can become one of the most powerful tools they bring to the work. Her approach emphasizes authentic connection, healthy boundaries, accountability, compassion, and seeing the person beyond their circumstances.

Her professional mission is simple: turn experience into understanding, understanding into connection, and connection into hope.