Our Mission
Chesapeake Voyagers, Inc. is dedicated to promoting wellness and recovery by empowering individuals with mental health and/or substance use issues to reach their full potential. We strive to reduce isolation by providing a safe, comfortable, and uplifting environment where individuals can meet others in their community, receive one-to-one peer support, obtain helpful information and skills needed to continue on their individual path to recovery.
Our Vision
Chesapeake Voyagers, Inc. envisions an informed community that fosters mutual peer wellness for individuals with mental health and/or substance use issues where all individuals are valued and included.
Our Team
Diane Lane
Executive Director
Diane has been the Executive Director of Chesapeake Voyager, Inc. since it began. A native of the Eastern Shore of Maryland where she raised her three children as a single mother and now a grandmother of five, Diane is a survivor of attempted suicide and domestic violence and has lived with depression since the age of thirteen. Diane believes in leading Chesapeake Voyagers in a non-hierarchical approach through outreach, engagement and mutuality. Diane became involved in Peer Support when she worked as a Family Navigator for the Maryland Coalition of Families prior to her current role. Her passion for advocacy and supporting others with similar lived experiences developed when navigating a challenging system of care while seeking support for her son’s mental health needs. Diane is an active WRAP facilitator and has participated in many trainings throughout the years. Since taking Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training in 2010, Diane has applied those principles and tasks to her everyday life, both professionally and personally. She has an active part in working with On Our Own of Maryland as an affiliate and currently serves as President on their Board of Directors.
James Carter
Peer Support Specialist
James Carter is one of CVI’s Peer Support Specialists and is a person in long term recovery who firmly believes there are multiple ways to recover. Through hard work and dedication, James became a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) and a Registered Peer Supervisor (RPS) while working at the Talbot County Health Department where he assisted many peers for five years before coming to Chesapeake Voyagers, Inc. James works tirelessly every day to help his peers in need of support by assisting in obtaining resources for employment, medical needs, inpatient or outpatient treatment for mental health and addiction. He also helps peers to stomp out stigma and learn to advocate for themselves to enrich their lives with hopeful and mindful thinking in a positive manner by letting them know that they are not alone and that the greatest support is the one we give to one another. “My goal for the future is to restructure the mind set of others that do not understand us and to educate them on how to learn how we thrive in our community. I have multiple awards and certifications but my greatest achievement in this world to date is being present for my wife, kids and others.” James loves to dance and is an amazing cook! Stop by sometime and see.
Arielle Huettner
Peer Support Specialist
Arielle Huettner is a Peer Support Specialist with Chesapeake Voyagers. She was born in Mesa, Arizona and graduated high school in Easton, PA. She has three kids that she homeschools and who are her world. She enjoys being outside, camping, hiking, and anything involving the water. She also loves to read and write short stories. Arielle was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), GAD (General Anxiety Disorder), and Depression when she was 19 years old. Arielle is also a two time suicide survivor. Her favorite quote is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13. She recites this verse as a mantra to get through the hard days. Arielle graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a BS in Therapeutic Recreation Business Management, Liberty University with a Masters in Divinity, and Pacific School of Religion with a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling. She is also certified as a Master Reiki, and as an end of life doula. She has also served in the Army Reserves since 2007. Arielle believes that breaking generational trauma is the best way to heal the world we live in. She believes in constantly working and learning new skills to heal ourselves and to pass the skills we learn on to anyone who wants to grow into the best version of themselves.
Jackie Gonnella
Peer Support Specialist
Jacquelyn (Jackie) Gonnella was born in Syracuse, NY, to an Italian father and a Native mother raised in the Onondaga Nation in NYS. Jackie is a tribal member of the Onondaga People and the Snipe Clan. Her mother and relatives passed down their Native customs and practices to her eight children, including attending traditional ceremonies in the Longhouse on the Onondaga Nation. She attended Dartmouth College on scholarship and began a career in the financial and insurance industry. She married her (late) Harold Thomas and is the loving mother of their daughter, Maya, who was raised in Easton MD. Maya is a performing artist, currently in a Broadway show. She celebrates Maya and her successes. As Jackie celebrates her 33rd year of sobriety, she continues working on her mental health. She aspires to be a loving, kind, and strong role model for those in recovery from substance abuse and/or mental health challenges. She strives to be a source of accurate information to contradict the stigma and false narratives toward those in recovery. She has had roles of service in 12-step programs, Re-evaluation counseling, Girls, Inc., United Way, Minority Interchange, and St Vincent de Paul. She’s served on the boards of the both the American Indian Association of Syracuse, NY, and the American Indian Law Alliance of NY, NY. She is a member of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Easton MD. She is an admirer of Saint Therese of Lisieux aka the “little flower” who embodied the daily practice of “Performing small acts of service with great love”.
Brandon Greenwood
Peer Support Specialist
Brandon Greenwood is a Peer Support Specialist for Chesapeake Voyagers. He was born, raised, and resides in Caroline County. He has a beautiful fiancé, a soon-to-be stepson, and a baby on the way. He loves anything with wheels, collects Funko POPS and sports cards, and is a gamer. Brandon has been living with Depression and Anxiety since he was fourteen. He was diagnosed with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) at the age of sixteen. His healing process was through writing and journaling, and he had a good support system that he could lean on. The key to living with mental health struggles is to not give up, and have hope for the future. Brandon hopes to break the stigma surrounding men opening up about their mental health and is advocating for more men to feel safe, and still be strong. His favorite quote is “Finding things that make you happy shouldn’t be so hard. I know you’ll face pain, suffering, and hard choices but you can’t let the weight of it choke the joy out of your life. No matter what, you have to find the things that love you. Run to them.” –(Jax Teller). Brandon’s goal is to help support those seeking assistance with their mental health and/or other challenges.
Tanis Duckery
Administrative Support Specialist
Tanis Duckery is CVI’s Administrative Support Specialist. She was raised on the Eastern Shore and retired from the Queen Anne’s County Health Department after 28 years. Tanis has two grown sons, a sweet little grandson and a little Yorkie named Louie. She loves to garden, decorate her home, and enjoys spending time with family and church community. “Chesapeake Voyagers has been very rewarding and a joy to work with other peers that have taught me so much about mental health wellness and addiction recovery.”
History of Chesapeake Voyagers, Inc.
Chesapeake Voyagers, Inc. opened the doors of the Wellness & Recovery Center on July 15th 2009 through the financial support of our local behavioral health authority on the mid-shore known as Mid Shore Behavioral Health Systems, Inc.
Although CVI is a private, non-profit organization, we receive the majority of our funding through from the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration (BHA). Our mission is to provide advocacy, education, resources, and opportunities for people to make connections with others and build a strong support network to become the best version of themselves.
Chesapeake Voyagers, Inc. envisions an informed community that fosters mutual peer wellness for individuals with mental health and/or substance use issues where all individuals are valued and included.