Brissa Rubio - Executive Director

Brissa Rubio is the Executive Director for Arizona Peer and Family Career Academy. As a credentialed family support and she ensures that we are enhancing the professional growth from a lived experienced perspective of the integrated healthcare workforce, It is no surprise that her passions in life include wellness, learning and living wholeheartedly.

Brissa is a certified Master Health and Wellness Coach and received her certification from Dr Sears Wellness Institute. She followed her passion for wellness to become a Wellness Coordinator to support workplace wellness with a certification from the Chapman Institute. Brissa has received various wellness awards for both her contributions as a wellness coordinator and for the success of the workplace wellness plans, she created.

Brissa has over 25 years of experience in developing and facilitating training. Brissa is a certified trainer in Mental Health First Aid for both the Adult and Youth curriculum for the National Council of Mental Wellbeing. Brissa has been a national trainer for the Crisis Prevention Institute for over 15 years and received the Meritorious Trainer award for her contributions as a Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Trainer. Brissa is also a Red Cross instructor for a variety of courses that include CPR and Safety-First Aid for both Pediatrics and adults. Brissa is a certified trainer for other nationally recognized curriculums.

Brissa earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Arizona and is working on her MBA from Northern Arizona University. She lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband and furbabies.

Kassandra Figeroa - Workforce Development Champion

Kassandra Figueroa is our Workforce Development Champion for Arizona Peer and Family Career Academy. In this role, Kassandra empowers individuals through training and development strengthening the workforce while making meaningful community connections.

As a National Certified Peer Specialist (NCPS), Kassandra embarked on her journey in the behavioral health field in 2019. She began as a Peer Support Specialist, where she helped individuals navigate their own paths to recovery. Her career advanced as she took on the role of Peer Navigator (Case Manager) with HOPE Inc., where she actively contributed to the Santa Cruz County Overcoming Addictions (S.O.S.A) consortium. Kassandra's advocacy extended to justice-involved individuals and efforts to bridge gaps in treatment services.

In 2022, Kassandra was honored to represent rural southeastern Arizona as a speaker at the Taking Action Summit, hosted by the University of Rochester Medical Center, where she highlighted the significance of Peer Support services. Her commitment to advancing recovery services continued with her work on the Connections/Conexiones app, a digital recovery tool developed by CHESS Health, through which she provided recovery support nationwide and supervised a team of Peer Support Specialists.

Kassandra is dedicated to her own personal growth with over 6 ½ years of personal recovery. She recently achieved a significant milestone by completing a Bachelor of Science in Counseling with an Emphasis in Addiction, Chemical Dependency, and Substance Abuse from Grand Canyon University. She is a devoted mother and fiancé with a deep curiosity for holistic health. A fun fact about Kassandra is that she collects gnomes and loves authentic Mexican food.

Accepting Applications for Board Members

We currently have a few board positions which will be available next year. If you are interested in finding our more about our board position commitment, please see our application here or through the button below.

Board of Directors

Deb Jorgensen, Board Chair
Manager, Office of Individual & Family Affairs, Care1st Health Plan of Arizona

Brian Shrum, Board Vice Chair
Rehabilitation and Reentry Program Manager, Arizona Department of Corrections

Karin Kline, Board Treasurer
Director of Child Welfare & Juvenile Justice Initiatives, Family Involvement Center

Jody Gardner, Board Secretary
Associate Director - Employment Services, Banner University Health Plans

Tammy Mathews
Children’s Liasion, Department of Developmental Disabilities

Kathy Bashor, Emeritus Board Member
President, Arizona Peer & Family Coalition

Susan Kennard, Emeritus Board Member
Bureau Chief, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)