Leadership
Executive Director
As Executive Director of Walker’s Point Youth & Family Center, Audra O’Connell (pronouns: she/her) empowers her team to help youth and families in crisis overcome challenges they face and when done right, prevents them from ever happening. With her holistic perspective of homelessness, and her innovation-mindedness, O’Connell is a recognized expert in systematic ways to end homelessness, with national speaking credits to her name. She has been outspoken about the need for quality, consumer based service; as well as cross-systems collaboration.
Her career has focused on ending homelessness in Milwaukee with a unique perspective given her direct-service, system creation, and now Executive Director view, helping to ensure each lens is looked at when examining the broader issue. As Coordinated Entry Program Director at IMPACT, Inc., she created and implemented a system in which to enter Milwaukee’s emergency shelter which did away with decades-old “first come, first serve” mentality and based entrance on serving the most vulnerable first. She launched her career at The Guest House of Milwaukee as a housing case manager, eventually becoming a manager of that department.
O’Connell was named one of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Alumni Association’s Graduates of the Last Decade, 2016; Nonprofit Center of Greater Milwaukee & Young Nonprofit Professionals of Milwaukee’s Emerging Leader, 2016; and a 2017 Milwaukee Business Journal 40 under 40 recipient. She serves on numerous boards that look at addressing needs of the homeless in our community. She is currently a member of the Milwaukee Continuum of Care, the Shelter and Transitional Housing Task Force and the Wisconsin Association of Runaway and Homeless Youth. She was formerly in the State of Wisconsin Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness; State of Wisconsin Homeless Management Information Services Advisory Board; Milwaukee Emergency Food & Shelter Program Board; and COPE Workgroup of the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division Mental Health Redesign. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee with a B.A. in Comparative Religion and an M.S. in Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education. Audra is also a mother to five feisty girls and in her spare time operates an organic farm with her husband.
Staff Leadership
She is a Milwaukee native and has been married for 40 years to her husband Duane; and together they have raised two accomplished sons in their careers. Mary enjoys camping and hiking and has done so in many parks throughout the United States and Canada. International travel is important to her and finds it challenging for her physical, mental, and emotional health. Mary has visited these countries: Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, New Zealand, Croatia, Germany, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the UK.
Tonya joined our organization in 2017 as a community volunteer, continued her involvement as a graduate intern, and served as the Director of AmeriCorps and Volunteer Programs at our teen shelter. In addition to managing housing and crisis programs at Walker’s Point Youth and Family Center, she also serves as a member of the board of directors for the Wisconsin Association for Homeless and Runaway Services. Tonya holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Graduate Certificate in Child Advocacy Studies from the University of Wisconsin Platteville. In her spare time she enjoys Esports and knitting.
Curtis specializes in donor strategy and engagement, people management, grassroots organizing and political affairs. Curtis is a powerful force in the workplace and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. In his free time, Curtis likes to practice the trumpet and is an avid reader.
Dr. Mascari completed her Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2008, majoring in Art. Recently, Dr. Mascari was selected to nationally serve as a BIPOC Employee Resource Group Leader at Rogers Behavioral Health due to her commitment to social justice and efforts toward eradicating oppressive practices within healthcare systems. Dr. Mascari has received several awards, including:
National Register Associate Credentialing Scholarship, 2021
Asher Pacht Scholarship, Wisconsin Psychological Association, 2019
RL & JL Carr Social Justice Scholar, Organization of Chinese Americans – Wisconsin Chapter, 2017
Dr. Mascari specializes in working with youth and families, as early intervention can increase the likelihood of improved long-term outcomes. They garnered over 15 years of experience working with children and families as a bilingual (Spanish-speaking) case manager, Autism specialist, respite care provider, and behavioral health therapist.
Dr. Mascari has extensive experience providing individual, group, milieu, and family therapy in a multitude of settings, such as Child and Adolescent Day Treatment Programs, In-Patient Psychiatric Hospitals, and a community-based shelter serving youth in the Greater Milwaukee area. Their training is trauma-informed, with an emphasis upon addressing suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, anxiety, depression, externalizing behaviors, ADHD, ADD, ODD, substance use, and other mood disorders. Primary treatment modalities include Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and developmentally appropriate play-based interventions.
Ryan is both a Licensed Professional Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. He earned his master’s degree in Community Counseling at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Ryan is an active proponent for Trauma-Informed Care and has a breadth of experience working with teens and their families through Walker’s Point and his time with a local behavioral health hospital. Ryan has held the position of Therapist and Director of Housing and Crisis Services during his time at Walker’s Point and had also worked within our Family Support and Empowerment program for five years. Ryan has post-master’s degree experience in the Walker’s Point Basic Center Program and has been fully licensed for several years. Along with Dr. Mascari, he currently supervises our graduate level interns. Ryan also likes to play Ultimate Frisbee in his free time
Executive Committee
Directors at Large
Advisory Council
Ryan Anderson
John Barnes – Marcus Center for the Performing Arts
Alan Blaskowski – OneAmerica
Craig Counsell – Milwaukee Brewers
Gail Hanson – Aurora Health Care
Benjamin Levin – Foley & Lardner, LLP
Mary Lux – U.S. Bank
Carole Meekins – Today’s TMJ4
Brett Meili – U.S. Bancorp Fund Services
Gene Mueller – 620 WTMJ Radio
Chris Nashban
Jim Neubauer – OneAmerica Retirement Services
David Ryan – Foley & Lardner, LLP