Director  Term Exp. 12/24

Liza Plourde is a mother, business owner, and retired corrections officer. She is married with two children and has resided in Delta County her entire life. Active in her community, Liza has also been a member of New Life Church, the Child Advocacy Center, and the Victim Service Unit of the Delta County Sheriff’s Department. Liza joined Families Against Narcotics after 22 years as a corrections officer, where she saw firsthand the devastating effects of addiction problems on her community. She hopes that this chapter of FAN will bring awareness, education, and hope to the families of Delta County that have been adversely affected by addiction.

Director Term Exp. 12/24

Nancy Kutzera works as the Health and Disabilities Manager for Head Start. She has worked for Head Start for the past 21 years and has been actively involved in working with children and families. As an Early Head Start Home Visitor, Nancy worked with many grandparents who were raising their grandchildren because of the addiction struggles of the children's parents. She chose to become a part of FAN because she has seen the devastating effects that drugs have had on children, families, and our community.

Director  Term Exp. 12/24

John Gudwer has been a Delta County resident for most of his life and has worked in law enforcement for more than 23 years. He started his career as a corrections officer in the Delta County Jail, where he first learned the effects that drugs and alcohol have on people in the local community. John then went to the Gogebic County Sheriff's Department and worked road patrol before becoming an officer for Escanaba Public Safety, where is is currently detective lieutenant. Once John started working as a police officer, he saw the cost drugs and alcohol had on his community--not only on the financial side, but also on the human side. He saw the dysfunction in families and young children growing up in unsafe environments. He saw how drugs were more important to some parents than their own children because of addiction. And he saw how drugs affect not only the person using them, but their families, too. While working at Escanaba Public Safety, John has had the honor of running the Angel program, which helps people with a substance use disorder get into treatment. "If we can get a person into recovery, we not only save them, we save everyone around them from the destruction of drugs and addiction," John says. "Once the addicted person is in recovery, hopefully they can begin to repair the relationships that have been destroyed." John has also learned that there is no real support for the families/friends of the addicted person. "There is treatment and support for the addicted person if they want to find it, but I don't know of any real program or support for the family and friends of the addicted person. This is why I want to be a part of Families Against Narcotics. I am hoping FAN can become a beacon of light for family and friends of the addicted person and give them hope."

Director  Term Exp. 12/24

Nicky is a nationally certified community health education specialist and trained peer recovery coach. She is currently employed as the Opioid Health Home Coordinator with NorthCare Network, the funding source for mental health and substance use services in the Upper Peninsula. Nicky has worked in mental health since 2017 and began working in the area of substance use disorder in 2019. In recovery herself since 2014, Nicky continues to learn about the many facets that go into the overall health of a person. Nicky says, "There is more information available than there ever has been previously on mental and emotional health. Learning that all areas of health are interconnected really sparked my desire to continue to learn more on this topic, and to teach others if they are willing to learn."