Melissa Schmidt is a Fully Licensed Clinical Master Social Worker in the State of Michigan.  She received her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Saginaw Valley State University and her Master of Social Work degree from Wayne State University. She also holds a school social worker certification.

Melissa has almost 10 years of experience using evidence based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, and Mindfulness. Currently, she also works as a high school social worker within Washtenaw County. Past employment includes job coaching individuals with disabilities to promote personal and professional growth with young adults.

Melissa has successfully coached high school Men’s & Women’s golf leading them to multiple state championships throughout the years.  She has a Sports Performance Certification from the University of Michigan with an emphasis on mental performance with collegiate and high school athletes.

Will works in mental health education & community outreach for the University of Michigan’s Eisenberg Family Depression Center. As a public speaker, Will also shares his story of battling and overcoming major depression and anxiety, while playing football and attending school at the University of Michigan. After first trying to hide his illness and ‘tough it out,’ he finally got the help he needed. Due to successful treatment, Will went on to thrive at U of M, graduating as a 4-time letterman in football, a 4-time Academic All-Big Ten award winner, and twice a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. In Will’s senior season, he started every game at defensive tackle for the Wolverines, who knocked off Ohio State on their way to an 11-2 season and a Sugar Bowl Championship. After graduation, he helped found and launch Athletes Connected, a program supporting student-athlete mental health and wellness.

Will has teamed up with the Miles J. Roberts Foundation, and become Champion for Mental Health. He is passionate about helping high-school athletes better understand their mental health by reducing stigma, increasing awareness, and promoting help-seeking. Outside of mental health work, Will enjoys coaching high school football, and helping student-athletes utilize mental health as part of a winning strategy.

Lauren Huissen is a School Nurse at Pioneer High School. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan. She holds both a professional school nurse certificate from the state of Michigan and a national board certification in school nursing. Since transitioning from hospital nursing to school nursing in 2018, Lauren has grown to value the impact of health promotion, education, and disease prevention. In her daily practice, she sees the overlap between mental and physical health and the strength of the mind-body connection. Lauren is an assistant coach for the Pioneer Varsity Volleyball program and enjoys supporting student athletes in school and on the court.

Don Packard is in his 37th year of teaching in the English Department at Pioneer. He is also in his 21st season as the Pioneer Men’s Water Polo Coach. Don grew up in Ann Arbor and graduated from Pioneer before moving on to The University of Michigan where he swam for two years and earned a BA in English and a concurrent Teaching Certificate. Don has his masters in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University but has chosen to stay in the classroom where he can work more closely with students. At Pioneer, Don teaches Contemporary World Literature, a 9th grade support class, and runs the Trailblazer mentorship program. Don is married to Slauson Middle School 8th grade teacher Maria Murphy and has three mostly grown kids, Emma, Maggie and Luke.

Jenni Wilkening is in her 25th year of teaching science in the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) district, having spent 17 years at Huron High School and 8 years at Pioneer High School. Her passion for education extends beyond the classroom, where she actively engages students with hands-on learning and fosters a love for science. A former high school swimmer at Alma High School, Jenni went on to captain the University of Michigan’s swim team, earning All-American honors. Her leadership and dedication to the sport have also been evident in her coaching, as she led the girls’ swim team at Huron for 12 years, shaping young athletes both in the pool and in life.

Outside of her professional life, Jenni is a dedicated wife to Rick and a loving mother to three children: Jack, Lily, and Violet. Balancing a successful career with a vibrant family life, Jenni is deeply committed to making a positive impact both in her students’ lives and within her community. Her blend of expertise in science, leadership in athletics, and passion for family make her an invaluable member of the AAPS team.

Maureen (Mo-Jo) Murrett has had the privilege of coaching swimming at every level since 1985. She began coaching as a volunteer assistant at the Ohio State University and continued coaching at Kenyon College. She moved to Ann Arbor to become head coach at Eastern Michigan University where she coached 17 MAC Champions, NCAA and Olympic Trials qualifiers and was twice chosen MAC Coach of the Year. After an extended break from coaching, Mo-Jo was hired to coach girl’s swim & dive at Skyline High School when it opened in 2008. She became head coach of the boy’s team in 2016. She has coached 3 State Championship Teams, 26 individual state champions, 6 relay champions and 60 All America performances. Every team in her tenure has been named to the Academic All State and Academic All America Teams. She was chosen by her peers as the MISCA Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2022. The MHSCA (Michigan High School Coaches Assn) named her Coach of the Year in 2013, 2018, 2022.

Since 2014, Mo-Jo has been the assistant to the athletic director at Pioneer High School. She is excited about the opportunity to bring the MJR Foundation to Pioneer after having experienced the program with both of her swim & dive teams at Skyline.

Mary is a fully certified speech language therapist, licensed in Michigan. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Psychology, Speech and Hearing Sciences with a teaching certification from the University of Michigan. She has worked in her field for over 30 years with all ages. Additionally Mary has participated in All Kinds of Minds and Trails training which she implements in her current job in AAPS daily. An avid sports fan, Mary raised three hockey players and is now the assistant coach for Skyline girls and boys golf. She brings humor and a passion for sports and mental health to both teams.