Tamra Oman is honored to have been given the gift of working with an incredible team striving to develop spaces to lift the voices of women impacted by the justice system and empower them to address the unique challenges they, and others face. The goal is to restore women’s rights and dignity, to create a platform where her voice and experience can influence change and be a part of transforming self, family, community, systems, and the world. We aim to offer a culture where women can heal, grow, and become all that she is created to be! When she writes HER-Story, she is advocating for herself and every woman seeking to do the same. When she is empowered, we all win!

Prior to this role, Tamra worked 12 years for DHS as a Human Services Program Coordinator Recovery Support Specialist at the Wisconsin Resource Center; a mental health treatment facility classified as a prison. She was the first “peer” to be hired in the state of Wisconsin to work in a prison in the past 30 years. Tamra is the 2015 recipient of the State of Wisconsin’s Virginia Hart award. She is a national speaker, consultant, group facilitator, and believes deeply in cultivating a culture of hope, healing, and compassion for all. She is a co-founder of Hope Road – Soul Punch Skill Training (with love), a consulting business. Her audiences range from corrections, residents within the system, judicial folks, lawyers, law enforcement, juvenile justice, school systems, county agencies, community support agencies, Peer Support Agencies, SAMSHA grantees, and participants at many, many conferences.

Over the last 17 years she has been working with individuals in the criminal justice system with addiction and mental health challenges. She has also been an AODA Counselor for 10 years. She has facilitated Thinking for a Change, Anger management, Domestic Violence groups, Stories of Change, and assisted people with reentry planning. She has sat on many committees, developed programs, and helped develop policy and procedures that represent the voice of those we serve. She has also been a part of helping to develop a Peer Support Program that has an interest in creating an environment that is also mindful of the potential for vicarious trauma and its effects on the individuals who work serving others.

Ms. Oman uses humor and compassion to connect with her audience. She brings a unique perspective based on her own personal and professional experiences. Ms. Oman is a proponent of systems creating a recovery “culture” that includes Trauma Informed Care, Person Centered Planning, Strength Based Approach, Motivational Interviewing, and Evidence Based Practices. We are in this together! It is up to us to create the world we wish to live in. In order to have a just and compassionate world/system we must become the change we wish to see in the world. We must do the internal and external work to create spaces for EVERYONE to thrive and grow!