State Peer Support Best Practices Panelists
Melisha Montaño is a Certified Peer Support worker, trainer, and holds 2 endorsements on her CPSW Credential, one as a certified Support Housing Peer Specialist and the other as a Certified Older Adult Peer Specialist. Melisha is a woman in long-term recovery. She currently serves the State of New Mexico as the program manager for the Office of Peer Recovery and Engagement which is housed in the Behavioral Health Services Division, and a part of the Human Services Department. Her work focuses on leveraging the lived experience of those with a mental health or substance use disorder as a way to improve the continuum of care. Ms. Montano has built her career on lifting people up and helping them make their way into the behavioral health field with integrity and a strong emphasis on ethics. Her current efforts focus on cross-agency collaboration promoting a unified peer support model for the State of New Mexico also encompassing the CPSW workforce in New Mexico.