RE:CON 2025
PRESENTER BIOS

Aimee Sterk, LMSW

Aimee Sterk (she/her), LMSW, is Program Director of the Michigan Assistive Technology Program. Aimee is a queer, autistic woman with multiple disabilities and has been working and living in the aging and disability community for over 20 years. She is also a mom to two vibrant, autistic children. She started her career helping people transition out of nursing homes and progressed to policy and program development to support community living using assistive technology. She has worked with governmental task forces and audiences around the state and nation on inclusion, grant writing, nursing facility transition, financial literacy, disability, voting rights, effective communication, community-based long-term care, and assistive technology. Aimee served on the national board of the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, the board of Southeast Ottawa Community Foundation, and was on the Outpatient Advisory Committee for Spectrum Health. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Hope College and an M.S.W. from Michigan State University. When not working, Aimee can be found reading, cooking, watching dramedies, and enjoying Michigan’s four seasons of beautiful nature with her family.

Amy Maes, CPAAC

Amy Maes, CPAAC, Director of Access & Advocacy Services, at Disability Network Eastern Michigan (DNEM) and a Statewide Project Coordinator with Disability Network Michigan, promoting accessibility across the state. With over 30 years of experience in Michigan’s Disability Community, she has also served as Leadership & Advocacy Consultant for Disability Network Michigan and Director of the Superior Alliance for Independent Living (SAIL) in the Upper Peninsula. Amy is a licensed attorney in Michigan and previously served as Director of Litigation for Disability Rights Michigan (formerly Michigan Protection & Advocacy Services, Inc.).

Andrew Nay

Andrew Nay is an assistant professor of rehabilitation counseling. His research interests include disability policy and legislation, counseling ethics and the law, and forensic rehabilitation. He also has a graduate degree from MSU in Human Resources and Labor Relations, is a Fellow on the American Board of Vocational Experts, and is a Certified Compensation Management Specialist, Rehabilitation Counselor, and Disability Management Specialist. Dr. Nay is frequently called upon to conduct forensic rehabilitation analyses to assess the employability and ability to earn wages of individuals involved in litigation at both the state and federal level. He routinely consults with employers, forensic accountants, insurance companies, and attorneys on issues involving employability affected by occupational or personal injury, employment discrimination, divorce and wrongful discharge. In 2014, he was appointed to the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) Ethics Committee tasked with providing advisory opinions on selected situations having ethical implications to the rehabilitation counseling community, and currently serves as a Board Member at Large with the National Association of Service Providers in Private Rehabilitation (NASPPR). He continues to present at various state and national conferences on topics involving counseling ethics, forensic evaluation, vocational assessment, and conflict resolution.

Brittany Hamilton-Reed, BSBP

Brittany Hamilton-Reed, BSBP, Central Region Transition Services Consultant, [email protected], Brittany Hamiton-Reed, a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) since 2016, has acquired work experience in government, higher education, and non-profits. As a Transition Services Consultant with the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, she develops programs for Pre-ETS aged students, reviews and aids in policy development and partners with community agencies for the delivery of youth driven employment services. Brittany holds a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from Michigan State University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Liz Shawl

Liz Shawl is a dedicated disability advocate with fifteen years of experience driving systemic change and supporting individuals with disabilities. She currently serves as the Interim Director of the Disability Resource Center at Eastern Michigan University (EMU), where she leads efforts to enhance disability visibility, foster student self-advocacy, advise student organizations, and strengthen collaboration between campus departments and external agencies.
Prior to her role at EMU, Liz spent 13 years with Disability Rights Michigan (formerly Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service), providing vital oversight of Michigan Rehabilitation Services and the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons as a Client Assistance Program Advocate (CAP), advocating for equitable access. She specializes in transition-age youth and has served on the Michigan Interagency Transition Team (MITT) and the Board of Directors for the Michigan Association on Higher Education and Disability (MI-AHEAD).

Dr. Lynn Boza

Dr. Lynn Boza is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor who worked in public vocational rehabilitation as a counselor engaged in career planning with students having disabilities.  Later, as a School-to-Work Transition Consultant, she trained counselors and secondary transition specialists on accommodations for students with disabilities.  In 2008, she began working as an adjunct Licensed Professional Counselor, at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, working with students having special needs.  Lynn has a Master’s degree in Guidance & Counseling and a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Matthew J. Smith, PhD, LCSW

Matthew J. Smith, PhD, LCSW, is the Associate Dean for Research and a Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan. Dr. Smith received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a fellowship on leading randomized controlled trials to evaluate behavioral interventions through ​the National Institute of ​Health’s Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research. He is the founding Director of the University of Michigan’s Level Up: Employment Skills Simulation Lab that strives to improve employment outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities or justice involvement. Dr. Smith has led 18 studies to evaluate technology-based employment interventions across community mental health, pre-employment transition services, and prison settings, and online.

Melanie J. Poe, MA,

Melanie J. Poe, MA, is a doctoral student in Disability Disciplines with a specialization in Rehabilitation Counseling and Supervision at Utah State University. She earned her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Western Washington University and has professional experience in both vocational rehabilitation and the Guardian ad Litem system. Her professional and scholarly interests include transition-age youth with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation, disability advocacy, rehabilitation counselor practice, and improving collaboration across systems serving individuals with disabilities. Her work is informed by a commitment to strengthening connections among professionals and systems to improve transition, employment, and adult outcomes for youth with disabilities.

Melissa Kaekel LPC LMHC

Melissa Kaekel, LMHC, LPC, is the owner of Birdsong Wellness Center, Inc. and a licensed counselor specializing in anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, sleep concerns, and life transitions. She holds counseling licenses in Florida, Michigan, Idaho, and Delaware and has extensive experience in rehabilitation counseling, vocational evaluation, disability services, and behavioral health. Melissa is the developer of the WATER Method, an experiential framework that integrates water metaphors and activities into clinical practice to support emotional regulation, resilience, and meaning-making.

Rene Dell, CRC

Rene Dell received her Master’s in Counseling from Oakland University. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Oakland University. Rene is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC) who currently works as the Vice President of Vocational Rehabilitation at Gesher Human Services. She has completed extensive leadership training and holds a Clinical Military Counselor Certification. She has received training in Counselor Supervision. She completed a 3 year term on the board for the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. She has extensive experience working with individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, intellectual impairments, developmental disability, mental health diagnosis, substance use disorders and other catastrophic injuries. Rene also has experience providing domestic violence and sexual assault counseling in an individual and group setting. Rene has been successful in placing individuals with significant disabilities in competitive community-based integrated employment. She has worked with those who are referred by Michigan Rehabilitation Services, BSBP, the Veterans Administration, those currently receiving Workers Compensation benefits, Auto No Fault benefits and private pay cases which all involve working with participants with a wide range of disabilities. Rene looks at each person on an individual basis and develops an approach which maximizes the potential for the participant. She has worked full time in the field of Counseling since 2005. Rene Dell received her Master’s in Counseling from Oakland University. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Oakland University. Rene is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC) who currently works as the Vice President of Vocational Rehabilitation at Gesher Human Services. She has completed extensive leadership training and holds a Clinical Military Counselor Certification. She has received training in Counselor Supervision. She completed a 3 year term on the board for the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. She has extensive experience working with individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, intellectual impairments, developmental disability, mental health diagnosis, substance use disorders and other catastrophic injuries. Rene also has experience providing domestic violence and sexual assault counseling in an individual and group setting. Rene has been successful in placing individuals with significant disabilities in competitive community-based integrated employment. She has worked with those who are referred by Michigan Rehabilitation Services, BSBP, the Veterans Administration, those currently receiving Workers Compensation benefits, Auto No Fault benefits and private pay cases which all involve working with participants with a wide range of disabilities. Rene looks at each person on an individual basis and develops an approach which maximizes the potential for the participant. She has worked full time in the field of Counseling since 2005. Rene Dell received her Master’s in Counseling from Oakland University. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Oakland University. Rene is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC) who currently works as the Vice President of Vocational Rehabilitation at Gesher Human Services. She has completed extensive leadership training and holds a Clinical Military Counselor Certification. She has received training in Counselor Supervision. She completed a 3 year term on the board for the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. She has extensive experience working with individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, intellectual impairments, developmental disability, mental health diagnosis, substance use disorders and other catastrophic injuries. Rene also has experience providing domestic violence and sexual assault counseling in an individual and group setting. Rene has been successful in placing individuals with significant disabilities in competitive community-based integrated employment. She has worked with those who are referred by Michigan Rehabilitation Services, BSBP, the Veterans Administration, those currently receiving Workers Compensation benefits, Auto No Fault benefits and private pay cases which all involve working with participants with a wide range of disabilities. Rene looks at each person on an individual basis and develops an approach which maximizes the potential for the participant. She has worked full time in the field of Counseling since 2005.

Scott de Varona

Scott is the MiABLE Program Director since its creation in 2015. Scott has worked for the State since 1999 in various positions within the Departments of Treasury & Health & Human Services.

Throughout his career, Scott has served the citizens of Michigan by:
• Returning lost, abandoned, and unclaimed property to the owner or heir.
• Designing, Developing, Testing, and Implementing new Management Information Systems
• Teaching Financial Empowerment, Loan Literacy, and Repayment Strategies

Scott holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Northwood University and an MBA from the De Vos Graduate School of Management.
Scott is a lifelong Mid-Michigan resident and lives in the Lansing area with his wife and has 2 college aged children.

Yarden Blumstein

Yarden Blumstein is the Executive Director of the Resolution Services Center of Central Michigan, where he leads initiatives focused on restorative justice, mediation, conflict resolution, and community collaboration. With more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Yarden has built and expanded programs, developed strategic partnerships, and led organizational growth across education, behavioral health, and community services.
A certified suicide prevention trainer, domestic mediator, and experienced facilitator, Yarden has trained thousands of professionals in communication, conflict resolution, de-escalation, and restorative practices. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in counseling, further strengthening his work in behavioral health and human development.

Yarden is passionate about helping individuals, organizations, and communities move from conflict to connection by fostering collaboration, strengthening relationships, and creating systems that promote healing, accountability, and long-term positive change.