Speakers

Joseph Green, CEO LMSvoice
Joseph Green, CEO LMSvoice
Spoken Word Artist, Educator, Motivational Speaker
Joseph Green is a professional storyteller, award-winning spoken word artist, educator, narrative disruptor, and person in sustained recovery. He advocates for and inspires those overcoming the disease of substance-use disorder through his keynote speeches and workshops. In his 20-year career, he has facilitated over 5000 workshops for people ranging from school-aged children to working adults on a variety of topics, including substance abuse, recovery, and mental health.

Joseph has traveled the country to work with youth and adults and has spoken for organizations such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Google, and Harvard Kennedy School’s Recovery Advocacy Project Organizing Institute. He is currently featured in the documentary, Tipping the Pain Scale, a film focused on the systemic failures and possible solutions for those struggling with addiction and our country's epidemic of pain.

As the Chief Executive Officer of LMSvoice, an educational consulting and production company, Joseph utilizes the art of storytelling and creative writing to empower people to disrupt harmful narratives about themselves and others. A Certified Peer Recovery Coach Trainer and Certified Mindfulness Facilitator, Joseph started LMSvoice as an opportunity to collaborate with other powerful storytellers and leverage his years of experience with substance abuse, mental health, artivism, social justice, and more into meaningful social change.

LMSvoice is now comprised of 3 mediums of narrative disruption: 1) LMScurriculum, an ever-growing and free online curriculum featuring culturally-responsive workshops; 2) LMSstorytellers, where we offer innovative storytelling practices that highlight lived experiences of all who participate; and 3) LMSstudio (formerly Memento), a production company pushing the edges of socially-responsible storytelling. Through his work at LMSvoice, Joseph seeks to restore humanity in all the spaces we occupy.

Sessions

Beverly A. Sharp Director of Reentry Initiatives - WV Council of Churches, Executive Director - The REACH Initiative
Beverly A. Sharp Director of Reentry Initiatives - WV Council of Churches, Executive Director - The REACH Initiative
Executive Director of The REACH Initiative
Will Add

Session

Jayna Bonfini Ph.D., LPC, MAC, NCC
Jayna Bonfini Ph.D., LPC, MAC, NCC
Education:
PhD, Counselor Education and Supervision, Duquesne University
MA, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Waynesburg University
MA, Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University
BA, Liberal Arts, Georgetown University, Magna cum Laude

Bio:
Dr. Jayna Bonfini has significant research, teaching, and clinical experience with individuals struggling with various mental health issues, trauma histories, and substance abuse problems. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Master Addictions Counselor, Approved Clinical Supervisor, and a Nationally Certified Counselor. Dr. Bonfini has worked in community mental health, a college counseling center, psychiatric hospital programs, justice-involved organizations, and private practice. She also provides consultation to non-profit organizations on program evaluation and outcomes research. She lives in the Atlanta area with her husband, two kids, and a Yorkshire Terrier, Leo.

Sessions

The Honorable Michael Aloi, J.D.
The Honorable Michael Aloi, J.D.
U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of WV
Michael J. Aloi is from Farmington, West Virginia. Prior to becoming a judge, he worked in private practice for 28 years in Fairmont. He has mediated over 2,500 cases and is the only lawyer in the state selected to be a Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators.

Aloi was appointed to the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit in 2011 by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and became the Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia in 2015. He serves on the board of the West Virginia State Bar’s Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program and he is a member of the bar’s Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. In addition to teaching as an adjunct faculty member at WVU Law, he is an Instructing Judge for Basic Criminal Advocacy at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, and a faculty member at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, DC.

Aloi earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia Wesleyan in 1980. In 2018, he was awarded the Justitia Officium, the highest award presented by the WVU Law faculty in recognition for his outstanding contributions and service to the legal profession.

His daughter, Iris, is a 2017 graduate of WVU Law.

Session

Alexander Waitt, MS, MS Ed., LPC
Alexander Waitt, MS, MS Ed., LPC
Co-Director CE-ATTC
Alexander is a Licensed Professional Counselor and serves as the Co-Project Director for the Central East Addictions Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) and is responsible for the programmatic and administrative coordination of all training and technical assistance for the Central East ATTC Region. He is the spokesperson and liaison to federal, regional, state, and local entities, academic institutions, mental health agencies, etc. Alex also supports the development of other training and workforce initiatives.

Session

Angela Alston, MPH
Angela Alston, MPH
Executive Director of Southeastern AHEC. West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Angela Alston is a public health professional and executive director of the Southeastern Area Health Education Center at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. Angela oversees the coordination of interprofessional training experience for students in health professions through public health interventions that are service-based, prevention-oriented and community focused, designed to impact Healthy People 2030 objectives.

Session

James Syphax, OCPS, ICPS, CDCA
James Syphax, OCPS, ICPS, CDCA
Community Prevention Manager
James serves as the manager of community based service at Prevention Action Alliance, the state-
level behavioral health prevention provider in Ohio. James provides training and technical
assistance to coalitions across Ohio, supports families grieving loss to overdose and suicide, works
with the Ohio Department of Education on a statewide information dissemination campaign, and is
part of the team managing Ohio’s award winning Before You Bet and Change the Game problem
gambling prevention campaigns. James is also a member of Ohio’s Problem Gambling Advisory
Board, co-chairs Ohio’s PG prevention committee, is a member of the National Council on Problem
Gambling’s prevention committee and emerging trends sub-committee.

Session

Kristina Jacob: Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CPS-AD), TIC, FPM, WC
Kristina Jacob: Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CPS-AD), TIC, FPM, WC
Krissi Jacob is the Peer Recovery Support Specialist for the National Recovery Institute Training Team for Faces & Voices of Recovery. As a person in long-term recovery, advocating for peers and allies within the addiction recovery
movement has been a passion since the beginning of her personal transformation in late 2014. Starting out as a front desk coordinator in the same treatment center she attended, Krissi rose quickly to facilitating yoga and meditation classes, Spiritual Principles groups, and creating after care plans for peers at the organization. After seeing that access to yoga and meditation as a recovery path was limited within her community, Krissi began assisting recovery
community organizations with implementing a personalized approach to yoga and meditation for recovery groups. Krissi is a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist, Certified Yoga and Meditation Instructor, currently working on attaining Master Yogi status, Forensic Peer Mentor, and Spiritual Life Coach. It is with passion and purpose that she strives to offer the best of herself to all whom she encounters and to embody the spirit of recovery in all she does.

Sessions

Tina Ramirez
Tina Ramirez
Director, Great Rivers Regional System for Addiction Care, Marshall Health Division of Addiction Sciences
In accordance with CDC’s National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) plan, she has the expertise of identifying partners and community members in the public health system, engaging those partners in health assessment and improvement planning, while promoting improvement in agencies, systems and communities. As the Director of Great Rivers Regional System for Addiction Care within the Marshall Health Division of Addiction Sciences, she has built infrastructure and strengthen collaborations in the communities and neighborhoods hit hardest by the opioid epidemic in West Virginia. These include Cabell, Jackson Kanawha and Putnam counties. The components of the system that she coordinates include public health harm reduction programs offering syringe exchange with wrap around services, community-based ‘quick response teams” (QRTs) to visit individuals following overdose events, hospital programs to identify and link individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) to treatment from the acute care setting, a community-based hub for comprehensive treatment and referral services, naloxone education and distribution, an enhanced capacity and infrastructure to effectively drive community engagement, prevention and education and a mechanism to coordinate all of these components as a true “System for Addiction Care”. Her responsibility is to help develop capacity and coordination for implementation and evaluation of the System for Addiction Care components in the above mentioned counties. This program is building and strengthening infrastructure to have measurable impact in saving lives and changing the course and future of individuals, children and families impacted by the opioid epidemic in the Great Rivers Region of WV. She has also previously partnered with Johns Hopkins University, WV University and Gilead Sciences to evaluate various aspects of the harm reduction program at Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. As a result of the gaps identified by Johns Hopkins and WV Universities, she co-authored the “Harm Reduction Syringe Services Program Procedure Manual” which was distributed nationally to assist entities in establishing harm reduction programs.

Session

Reverend Christopher Scott, M.Div.
Reverend Christopher Scott, M.Div.
Winfield United Methodist Church
Rev. Christopher Scott is a United Methodist elder where he has served as pastor of Winfield United Methodist Church for over four years. Chris has served in congregations across West Virginia and is a former chaplain of West Virginia Wesleyan College. In 2020, Chris launched "The Ezekiel Project," a West Virginia faith-based harm reduction ministry that trains and equips congregations with naloxone, a life-saving opioid reversal drug. Since 2020, The Ezekiel Project has trained over 20 faith communities in naloxone and equipped hundreds with the power to reverse an opioid overdose. The Ezekiel Project has also hosted a community wellness block party and a "Harm Reduction and Recovery Town Hall." Chris currently pastors Winfield United Methodist Church and is pursuing a Masters in Social Work from West Virginia University. He is also a field education intern at Religious Coalition for Community Renewal.

Session

Susie Mullens, MS, LPC, Licensed Psychologist, AADC-S
Susie Mullens, MS, LPC, Licensed Psychologist, AADC-S
West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network Program Coordinator
Susie Mullens is a licensed psychologist, licensed professional counselor, certified advanced alcohol & drug counselor, master addiction counselor & supervisor. She is the Treasurer for WVAADC.

She has been working in the mental health & substance use disorder field for over 30 years and has worked in all aspects of the continuum of care. She is currently the program coordinator for the WV Collegiate Recovery Network which is a project of the Alliance for the Economic Development of Southern WV housed at Marshall University Research Corp. to help expand collegiate recovery efforts in higher education in WV. She was formerly the Interim Director of the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP). While at ODCP she was responsible for securing the seed money (100K) for 5 collegiate recovery programs in WV.

Prior to ODCP she was the Director of Operations for the Associate of Recovery in Higher Education, served as a Recovery Specialist helping establish the WVU Collegiate Recovery Program & Therapist at West Virginia University and was the Mid-Atlantic Regional Representative on the ARHE Board of Directors. She is also a past president of WVAADC, the state alcohol and drug counseling association.

She hosts a show on the WV Library Commission Network called Solutions, Service & Serenity which helps raise awareness about programs around West Virginia which are working across the continuum of care (prevention, early intervention, treatment & recovery).

Sessions

Sazha Alexandra Ramos, MSW
Sazha Alexandra Ramos, MSW
MSW, RA MA Global Alliance Kundalini Yoga Teacher
Sazha Alexandra Ramos is Navy veteran, social worker & woman in recovery. When she is not educating on veteran's cultural competence or addiction recovery. Her passion in life is bringing yoga, meditation & spiritual teachings into spaces for people to activate their whole being, mind-body spirit. She teaches daily on the Breathe Network-- a global virtual community for people to use to heal and begin again and is stream-lived in 14 countries.

Sessions

Allen R. Mock, MD, MS, DABP, FCAP, FASCP, FNAME
Allen R. Mock, MD, MS, DABP, FCAP, FASCP, FNAME
Chief Medical Examiner, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of West Virginia
State of WV Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Al Mock, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of West Virginia, served as Deputy Chief Medical Examiner for three years before being appointed Chief. Dr. Mock previously served as Assistant Medical Examiner in Tennessee’s Knox and Anderson Counties.

Dr. Mock is a graduate of LSU Baton Rouge with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry. He holds Master of Science degrees in Microbiology, Immunology, Parasitology from the LSU Health Sciences Center. Dr. Mock received his M.D. at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, completed a surgical and clinical Pathology residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, and a Forensic Pathology fellowship at the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque, NM. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Body Recovery School and the National Rifle Association Firearms Instructor School and interned at the Orleans Regional Security Institute under Dr. Wade Schindler.

Dr. Mock holds an appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor at the WVU School of Medicine and Marshall University. He is Board certified in surgical, clinical, and forensic pathology. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Pathology, a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists, and a Fellow of the National Association of Medical Examiners.

Dr. Mock’s interests include firearms, ballistics, forensic toxicology, public health, health law, and 1714-1810 period furniture construction.

Session

Donald McDonald, MSW, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and Recovery Coach Professional
Donald McDonald, MSW, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and Recovery Coach Professional
Technical Expert Lead at JBS International
Donald McDonald is a person thriving in recovery from severe mental and substance use disorders. Previously, Donald served as the National Field Director of Faces & Voices of Recovery, the Executive Director of Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, and the Director of Advocacy & Education at Recovery Communities of North Carolina. His current role is Technical Expert Lead at JBS International, where he provides training and technical assistance to HRSA-funded rural consortia across the country as they build capacity in response to the overdose crisis.

Donald is a veteran, husband, father, grandfather, social worker, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and Recovery Coach Professional. He holds a Bachelor of Education from NC State University and a Master of Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill. Donald is a proud recipient of the NCADD Bronze Key Award and the North Carolina Dogwood Award. For fun, he is the producer and host of the YouTube video podcast No Thanks But Yes, which features chill conversations with splendid people who’ve overcome chaotic substance relationships.

Sessions

Christina T Veselak, MS, CN, LMFT
Christina T Veselak, MS, CN, LMFT
Ms.
Christina Veselak, MS, LMFT, CN, is passionate about reducing relapse rates and overdose deaths in people recovering from substance use disorders by using targeted nutrition to address the biochemistry of addiction and recovery. With 40 years of experience working as a psychotherapist and mental health nutritionist in the addiction treatment field, she brings an unparalleled breadth of knowledge and a wealth of compassion and expertise. and has always been drawn to working with people experiencing chronic relapse, committed to identifying and helping them overcome the blocks to their recovery. Her own journey of recovery from PTSD, co-dependency and a myriad of health issues provides her with deep compassion, understanding, and personal experience of hope and transformation. She moved to West Virginia from Colorado in 2019, and lives in Wayne County.

As one of the few people in the country who understands how feeding the brain with the nutrients it needs to repair itself and function optimally provides people with a much-needed foundation to be successful in their recovery journey, she has positively impacted the world of treatment and recovery through her online school for professionals, The Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition and her non-profit organization, Eating Protein Saves Lives, Inc. She is a co-founder and former Executive Director of a non-profit organization founded in 2007, The Alliance for Addiction Solutions. Like her current organizations, the Alliance was created to let the public know that medication is not the only option available to address the biochemistry of addiction. Along with healing from trauma and community connection, people in recovery (like children in school) also need a well-fed and functioning brain to fuel their efforts. This research has been done since the '60s but has been buried.
Christina Veselak is a dynamic public speaker with an enthusiastic following. Her vision as a global changemaker is to make this life-saving information available to all people, from a kitchen in a mud-house in Africa to the White House.

Session

Jeremy Hustead, MD
Jeremy Hustead, MD
Assistant Professor, Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry
Dr. Jeremy Hustead, M.D., serves as an Assistant Professor and Medical Director of the inpatient Dual Diagnosis Unit at WVU Medicine’s Department of Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry in Morgantown, West Virginia. Prior to joining the WVU faculty in 2020, Jeremy completed 4 years of General Psychiatry training there including being their Chief Resident during his final year. After residency graduation, he served as the first Addiction Psychiatry Fellow in program history and is now involved in training both Addiction Psychiatry and Medicine fellows. Throughout his career, Dr. Hustead has maintained a keen interest in educating various audiences including other physicians, medical students, nurses, APPs, and those in the criminal justice system. Jeremy has given over thirty formal lectures on various topics from medication assisted treatment of opioid use disorder to combating stigma in addiction treatment. He is currently serving as the President of the West Virginia Society of Addiction Medicine (WVSAM), the state chapter for the American Society of A ddiction Medicine (ASAM). In the future, he plans to continue to advocate for effective substance use treatment and to reduce the enormous of amount of stigma that follows those with the terrible disease of addiction.

Session

Elizabeth "Libby" B. Stuyt, M.D.
Elizabeth "Libby" B. Stuyt, M.D.
Consultant Psychiatrist for Pueblo Community Health Center
Dr. Stuyt is a board-certified Addiction Psychiatrist and has worked in the addiction/behavioral
health field since 1990. She was the Medical Director for the Circle Program, a 90-day inpatient
treatment program, funded by the state of Colorado, for persons with co-occurring mental illness
and substance abuse who have failed other levels of treatment from 1999 to 2020. She retired
from this position in May 2020 in order to spend more time attempting to educate as many
people as possible on the un-intended consequences she has seen from the commercialization of
marijuana in Colorado, focusing primarily on the deleterious effects of high potency THC on the
developing brain and mental health.

Session

JoAnna Vance
Recovery Advocate

Session

Emily Birckhead, MSW
Emily Birckhead, MSW
Executive Director of the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences
Emily Birckhead is the executive director of the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences, which has been tasked with implementing nationally accepted best practice standards and ethical guidelines for non-treatment residential recovery houses in the state. She graduated from WVU with her BS in Political Science and received her Master of Social Work Degree from Marshall University in 2020. She is certified as both a CCAR Peer Recovery Coach and 200-RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher). Emily has previously worked as a Recovery Coach with the Partnership of African American Churches and as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Try This WV. She has also supported the development of organizations like WVU’s Collegiate Recovery Program and WV Recovers, an integrated, statewide peer recovery network for people with mental health and substance use disorders. Emily serves on the Board of Directors for the Kanawha Pastoral Counseling Center (KPCC).

Session

Ronni Rittenhouse, Ph.D.
Ronni Rittenhouse, Ph.D.
West Virginia Certification Board for Addiction and Prevention Professionals
Dr. Ronni Rittenhouse is retired (mostly) from a private practice in Wheeling, West Virginia. A therapist for more than 44 years, she holds a B.A. in speech pathology from Adelphi University, an M.S. in special education from Hunter College, City University of New York, a Ph.D. in Human Services and Counseling from Pacific Western University and a doctoral Certificate of Advanced Study in counseling from West Virginia University.

A Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Certified Social Worker, Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Dr. Rittenhouse serves on the Care Committee of the WV Medical Professionals Health Program and the Board of Directors of the WV Lawyer Assistance Program. She is the past president of the West Virginia Certification Board for Addiction and Prevention Professionals (WVCBAPP) on which she still serves as the Certification Chair, and has been on the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors.

Sessions

Haylee Heinsberg, M.Ed.
Haylee Heinsberg, M.Ed.
"Haylee Heinsberg, M.Ed., currently serves as the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM). Prior to this position, she served as the Director of Education for the Center for Rural and Community Health, and assisted with the inception of the center in 2010. Since 2004, she has held various positions at WVSOM, including working in admissions, graduate medical education, and serving as the Southeastern AHEC Assistant Director and Executive Director.
Born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains, she has a passion for life-long learning, rural health, and West Virginia. She has 30 years of experience within distinct roles and capacities focused on education and training, public health, behavioral health, clinical/patient care, policy, advocacy, scholarly activities, research, and community outreach and engagement. Working with faculty and staff, she has developed education, health literacy, and research tools and resources, as well as a competency-based training for community health workers, and related education programming and tools for health professions and communities to proactively address opioid use disorder and the opioid epidemic.
Throughout her career, Ms. Heinsberg has served as an innovative developmental strategist and a change-agent through evidence-based strategies, advocacy, and collaboration. She has worked extensively with numerous statewide, regional, and national organizations and has made unique connections within diverse communities, including, migrant and community health workers, Native American tribes, and underserved, at-risk, and minority populations. It has been her privilege to dedicate much of her professional career advocating for rural health.
She loves gardening, home-canning, traveling, music, and animals."

Session

Rachel Thaxton, M.A.
Rachel Thaxton, M.A.
Interim Director, WV ODCP
Rachel Thaxton was named Assistant Director of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ Office of Drug Control Policy in April 2019.

Prior to joining DHHR, Rachel served as Director of Development and previously as Program Director for Recovery Point West Virginia. Her past experience includes serving as Support Team Leader at Harmony House.

Rachel holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University.

Session

Lee Storrow, BA
Lee Storrow, BA
Director of Regional & National Policy Community Education Group
Lee Storrow joined Community Education Group in 2021 after serving as the executive director of North Carolina AIDS Action Network for seven years. Under his leadership at NCAAN, the organization successfully tackled significant policy challenges in North Carolina. Storrow led campaigns that increased access to health insurance for individuals on the HIV Medication Assistance Program, modernized the state’s HIV criminal law, saved the state's syringe service law, and secured more than $1 million in new funding for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for hepatitis testing and linkage to the cure. Before coming to NCAAN, Lee was the managing director of the North Carolina Alliance for Health, a coalition that advocates for policies that promote wellness and reduce the impact of tobacco and obesity.

Session

Judith Feinberg MD, FACP, FIDSA
Judith Feinberg MD, FACP, FIDSA
E.B. Flink Vice Chair of Medicine for Research and Professor of Medicine/Infectious Diseases and Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine
Judith Feinberg, MD, FACP, FIDSA, is the E.B. Flink Vice Chair of Medicine for Research and Professor of Medicine/Infectious Diseases and Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. In 2005, she was the first physician in metropolitan Cincinnati to recognize that the injection opioid epidemic had arrived in southwestern Ohio due to the increased number of admissions for infective endocarditis. Understanding what would come next from her experience as a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Feinberg started gathering data and support for a syringe exchange program. In 2014, this effort came to fruition as The Cincinnati Exchange Project, Ohio’s 3rd syringe exchange and its first true syringe services program. After a long career in HIV/AIDS research, she was recruited to WVU in late 2015 to develop a research program that focuses on the intersection of the injection drug use epidemic and its associated medical (overdose) and infectious (HIV, hepatitis B and C, endocarditis, etc.) complications. Dr. Feinberg recently completed her term as the Past Chair of the Board of the national HIV Medicine Association and has served on numerous federal (NIH, CDC, FDA) and state committees dedicated to HIV/AIDS and the opioid epidemic. She currently holds federal (NIH, PCORI, CDC, Appalachian Regional Commission), state and industry grants for studies in the management of substance use disorder and complications of injection drug use. Dr. Feinberg is committed to turning the tide on these diseases that are devastating West Virginia.

Session

Dona Dmitrovic, MHS
Dona Dmitrovic, MHS
SAMHSA Senior Advisor for Recovery
Currently serving as the Senior Advisor for Recovery in the Office of the Assistant Secretary at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dona supports recovery initiatives across the agency. In her previous role, she served as the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention providing executive leadership for federal efforts to improve the nation’s behavioral health through evidence-based prevention approaches. Ms. Dmitrovic is an experienced addiction and recovery specialist executive with over 36 years in the substance use field. She has experience in raising public awareness and supporting program development for individuals with substance use disorders through advocacy, policy and program development.

Prior to her arrival at SAMHSA, she served as the Executive Director for Foundation for Recovery in Las Vegas, NV, where she developed and implemented peer recovery support programs, education and training on peer support services and led the organization’s growth to a statewide agency. Ms. Dmitrovic also held the position of Director of the National Office of Consumer Affairs for Optum Behavioral Health, UnitedHeathcare. There she used her vast experience to develop peer products and tools to support individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders. As the Chief Operating Officer for the RASE Project in Pennsylvania, Ms. Dmitrovic assisted the CEO launching the Buprenorphine Coordinator program serving opioid dependent individuals with recovery support services in treatment; one of the first in the country which received two national awards for innovation.

Sessions

Gary Seech, BS, MBA
Gary Seech, BS, MBA
Regional Director of Operations
Gary Seech worked in the addiction and recovery field for 35 years. Passionate about helping addicts and alcoholics be restored to not only sanity but living life to its fullest on life’s terms. Mixing personal stories and facts about Abstinence Based Recovery. Unique style of presenting that will touch your heart and make you laugh.

Session

Olubunmi “Bunmi” Kusimo-Frazier, J.D.
Olubunmi “Bunmi” Kusimo-Frazier, J.D.
Director of Magistrate Court Services at the West Virginia Supreme Court
Olubunmi “Bunmi” Kusimo-Frazier was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia. A magna cum laude graduate of Florida A& M University, Bunmi also holds a juris doctor from Washington and Lee University School of Law, in Lexington, Virginia. After law school graduation, Bunmi returned to Charleston to work as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and as a criminal defense lawyer for a private firm.
As a criminal defense attorney, Bunmi represented numerous clients in federal, state, and municipal courts, and was named one of the "Top 40 under 40" by the National Trial Lawyers Association. She also worked as a Deputy Counsel for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Bunmi currently works as the Director of Magistrate Court Services the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, where she manages over several hundred employees, and the operations of the fifty-five magistrate courts in the State of West Virginia.
In 2020, Bunmi was named a part of The State Journal’s Generation Next- 40 under 40, and in 2022, Bunmi was inducted as a West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow. Bunmi served on the WVU Law Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Faculty in Fall and Spring of 2021, presenting a course on magistrate courts. She currently serves as a Commissioner on the WV Juvenile Justice Commission; and is a member of the State of West Virginia’s Traffic Records Coordinating Committee. Bunmi is also the co-Chair of the Minority Lawyer’s Committee of the West Virginia State Bar.
Bunmi is married to Stuart Frazier, and they have one daughter, Naomi. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Alpha Omicron Omega Chapter, and the Charleston-Institute (WV) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

Session

Bill Stauffer LSW, CCS, CADC
Bill Stauffer LSW, CCS, CADC
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance (PRO-A)
William Stauffer has been the Executive Director of Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance (PRO-A), the statewide recovery organization of Pennsylvania. He is in long-term recovery since age 21 and has been actively engaged in public policy in the recovery arena for most of those years. He is also an adjunct professor of Social Work at Misericordia University in Dallas Pennsylvania.

He holds a Bachelor's in Social Work degree from Cedar Crest College and a Master's of Social Work Degree from Kutztown University.



William Stauffer has initiated numerous workforce expansion initiatives for persons in recovery. A major focus of his work has been aimed at moving our entire SUD care system towards a five-year care paradigm to dramatically expand the numbers of Americans in Recovery while saving lives, resources, and communities. Mr. Stauffer has been a staunch advocate for strong SUD Patient Privacy Protections at both the state and federal levels for many years.



He ran a recovery house taskforce for the Pennsylvania that helped inform PA Act 59 of 2017. In 2018, he testified in front of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging on the opioid epidemic and older adults, and in 2019, he conducted a hearing with the PA House Human Services Committee to expand recovery opportunities for young people. He is co-chair of the public policy committee for Faces & Voices of Recovery and the 2019 recipient of the Vernon Johnson Award Individual Recovery Advocate of the year. Mr. Stauffer was also the 2002 Recipient of the Lecie G. Machell prize in Social Work and, prior to taking the position of executive director of PRO-A , received Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliances award of the Recovery Advocate of the year, in 2008.



Bill lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania with his wife, Julie and dogs, Tweak and Ella. He loves spending free time wandering in the woods taking photos and birdwatching, and reading everything he can get his hands on.

Session

Tony Sanchez, Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CPS-AD), TIC, CADC I
Tony Sanchez, Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CPS-AD), TIC, CADC I
Tony Sanchez is a passionate advocate who works tirelessly to enhance and develop recovery-oriented systems of care for all people. As a person in long-term recovery, Tony is continually amazed by the opportunities that have
come his way to use his lived experience and knowledge of recovery to serve others. He served as the Director of the Office of Recovery Transformation at Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
(DBHDD) from 2016 to 2021. In that role, one of his responsibilities was to manage the state contracts of 26 Peer Led Recovery Organizations. He also played a major role in the implementation of Georgia’s Recovery Focus Change Training, assisting the Behavioral Health Safety Net Providers in Operationalizing Recovery. Tony co-founded People Living in Recovery “PLR” a Recovery Community organization in Athens, Georgia, and serves on various state and local
committees where he brings a message of hope. He is also very business minded, co-founding Superior Commercial Cleaning Service in 2006. In 2008 he began working at Advantage Behavioral Health Systems as a House Parent in the Alcohol and Other Drug Unit at Miles Street.  While there in 2011 he was offered an opportunity to be in the first cohort of Georgia’s Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CARES). Tony has a firm belief that everything happens within a cultural context and because of that, he has a passion for Diversity Equity, and Inclusion work,
helping to create safe spaces where people can bring their whole selves.

Sessions

Beth Bailey LSW, ADC
Beth Bailey LSW, ADC
Program Director
Beth Bailey is a Program Director at Community Connections, Inc. She works in Mercer, McDowell, Wyoming, Summers, and Monroe counties, with the focus of her work being QRT development and implementation, OUD/SUD education and outreach, and as a liaison with law enforcement and first responders. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Johnson University and is a Licensed Social Worker and Certified Addictions Counselor. Beth has over twenty years experience in addiction treatment, medical social work, and criminal justice interventions with special emphasis on program development and implementation.

Session

Rev. Dr. Michael A Poke Sr.
Rev. Dr. Michael A Poke Sr.
Pastor, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church
Dr. Poke holds a BS in Social Psychology, Master of Divinity, MA in Religious Studies, and Doctorate of Ministry. He has been the Pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in St. Albans, WV since 2001.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, February 8, 1960. He received his elementary and secondary education in the Kansas City, Missouri, Public School District. Rev. Poke's higher education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Psychology from Park College, Parkville, Missouri; a graduate of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Kansas; earning a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies. On May 21, 2005, Rev. Poke received his Doctorate in Ministry (D.Min.) from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Upon graduation from seminary, Reverend Poke served as an Assistant to the Pastor at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri, training under the leadership of The Reverend Dr. Wallace S. Hartsfield. He served as a teacher in the Sunday School Department, member of the Christian Workers Ministry and was Minister of the Children's Church.
In June 2001, God gave direction to Rev. Poke to move from his beloved home in Kansas City to accept his first assignment as a full-time pastor at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in St. Albans, West Virginia. He was installed there on July 15, 2001, and continues to bring the gifts and skills of strong moral values based on the word of God, and a great love of family and the church community. He displays a shepherd's heart in his counseling and pastoral care of his St. Paul Baptist flock, especially the sick-and shut-in and ministering to the elderly. His ministry leadership style is that of a servant leader-he empowers others to do the work of our Lord. Rev. Poke is a spiritual leader committed to the service of God and humanity.
God has blessed Rev. Poke with a loving and caring woman of faith in the person of his wife, Mary, who works alongside him in the ministry at St. Paul Baptist. They are the proud parents of one son, Michael, Jr., and a granddaughter, Trinity.

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Dr. Matthew Christiansen
Dr. Matthew Christiansen
Commissioner WV Bureau for Public Health
Dr. Matthew Christiansen, State Health Officer for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Bureau for Public Health, plans and directs West Virginia’s efforts in combating the opioid epidemic. He was appointed to this position in October 2020 by Governor Jim Justice.

Dr. Christiansen also serves as Associate Professor in the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Health where he practices primary care and addiction medicine. Prior to his appointment to the Office of Drug Control Policy, Dr. Christiansen was active in treatment of addiction/dependence across the lifespan. He has lectured across the tri-state area on addiction issues from a public health and primary care perspective.

Dr. Christiansen earned an MD and MPH from Marshall University.

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Autumn McCraw
Autumn McCraw
SurThriver, Advocate, Consultant
Autumn McCraw has a wealth of lived experience in many areas, including domestic sex trafficking, substance use disorder recovery, and reentry after incarceration. She currently serves as the Certification & Community Engagement Coordinator for the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences. She has become a leader in changing systems that personally impacted her life. Autumn was recently published as a contributor in the first national survivor study by Polaris, “In Harm's Way; How Systems Fail Survivors” in January 2023. Autumn is a WVBACPP certified PRSS and a facilitator for WVARRs Peer Recovery Coach Academy. After supporting the development of Pollen8 Inc, she now sits on their Board of Directors as their Secretary. She also serves as a member of the WV Human Trafficking Task Force and a steering committee member for the Hope In Action Alliance. She recently stepped down from Interim Director WV Families of Convicted People and now serves as a Senior Board Member. Of all these roles, Autumn’s most important title is Mom to her beautiful daughter and fur babies Nova and Sir Thomas.

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Drema Hill, Ph.D., MSP
Drema Hill, Ph.D., MSP
Vice President for Community Engagement and Development at WVSOM
Drema Hill, Ph.D., MSP, is Vice President for Community Engagement and Development at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM).
Mace works at the intersection of higher education, community workforce development, community engagement, and partnerships to guide the creation, implementation, and evaluation of integrated strategies that generate health improvements.
Mace has served as executive director of WVSOM’s Center for Rural and Community Health (CRCH) since 2016. The CRCH is a resource center designed to improve the health and well-being of West Virginians through initiatives in which professionals and community members work together on research, education and outreach. Additionally, she leads the work of the WVSOM Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization that accepts charitable gifts made to the school and provides oversight of student scholarships, the WVSOM Endowment Fund and short-term student loans, as well as financial stewardship of student club accounts.
In her time with WVSOM, Mace has replicated six opioid prevention and awareness toolkits in West Virginia, created an international research project in partnership with Kilimanjaro Medical University in Tanzania and helped bring millions of dollars in funding to WVSOM. Most recently, she facilitated the partnership through which the school is leasing the barn at Lewisburg’s Montwell Commons that will be known as the Clingman Center for Community Engagement.
Mace, was raised in Boone County, W.Va., and currently lives in Alderson, said growing up in a rural area has helped her understand the needs of West Virginia residents and will aid her in helping WVSOM meet those needs.
Before coming to WVSOM, Mace worked in leadership positions for the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, the Tennessee Department of Health, the Nashville Health Management Foundation, Vanderbilt University’s Comprehensive Care Center and the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Health Office. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in public service management and a doctorate in human services with a specialization in health care administration.

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Jenna Hinkle, MPS
Jenna Hinkle, MPS
Director of Education, WVSOM
Jenna Hinkle currently serves as the Director of Education at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Center for Rural and Community Health. Throughout her career, she has worked with a diverse population in West Virginia, namely individuals with substance use disorder. Her work environment has been broad, ranging from a healthcare environment for individuals in crisis to working with at-risk youth. Over the years, Jenna has been committed to providing guidance with regard to behavioral health services, employment/educational opportunities, and various trainings to those experiencing substance use disorder. Through these endeavors, and as a native West Virginian, she found her passion for educating and promoting healthy lifestyles and behaviors in West Virginia.

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Deborah Harris, M.A.
Deborah Harris, M.A.
Lead Transition Agent, Jobs and Hope
Deb Harris is the lead transition agent with Jobs & Hope WV. In her role as the Lead Transition Agent for Jobs and Hope WV, Deb is part of a team that supports people in recovery and helps them to find employment. Her commitment to empowering others is evident as she talks about the statewide program that launched in 2019. She worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA as she attended Bridge Valley Community and Technical College, studying behavioral health addictions. Prior to her current position she worked as a peer counselor as she worked toward her Bachelor degree at West Virginia State. She continued to counsel students while finishing her Master’s degree. Her team of Transition Agents work statewide with other partners to identify people who can benefit from the Jobs & Hope program.

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Susan Bissett, Ph.D.
Susan Bissett, Ph.D.
President, WV Drug Intervention Institute
Susan Bissett, Ph. D. is the president of the newly formed West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in Charleston, West Virginia. Bissett is a higher education professional with roots in academic and student affairs who is fiercely committed to public health and health education. Her professional experiences have included: teaching communication, pharmacy, and social science courses; developing curriculum for pharmacy and scholarship programs as well as first year programs; assisting with the development of learning outcomes and rubrics for pharmacy, communication, and writing courses; implementation of a digital portfolio for pharmacy education and assessment; and implementation and design of living learning communities. She has also implemented and developed opioid prescription and medication safety programs aimed to educate young people and the public about the dangers of prescription and illicit drug use/misuse. Dr. Bissett has written over 100 articles to date with her most recent publications focusing on metrics for pharmacy student success, harm reduction programming, medication safety, and increasing the pipeline of health care professionals in Appalachia.

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The Honorable Robert E. Richardson, J.D.
The Honorable Robert E. Richardson, J.D.
Greenbrier County Circuit Judge & Judge of the Adult Drug Court
Richardson is a graduate of West Virginia University and the University of Virginia School of Law and was an adjunct faculty member of the Georgetown University Law Center and WVU College of Law.

He has been an associate at Ford Law Firm and later partner of Ford & Richardson in Lewisburg and served as managing attorney of a regional office of the West Virginia Legal Services Plan, the predecessor to Legal Aid of West Virginia.

Richardson has been an active leader in the West Virginia Bar Association, Habitat for Humanity of West Virginia and Legal Aid of West Virginia. He has also been a leader in West Virginia 4-H for more than 20 years.

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Debra Davis B.S., M.A.
Debra Davis B.S., M.A.
Founder/Executive Director One Voice, Inc.
Debra Davis, is the Founder/CEO of One Voice, Inc. established in 2005, Wyoming County Partners for Hope Consortium Chair, and Southern West Virginia Opioid Response Consortium Coordinator. Debra was awarded the 2012 Governor’s Service Leadership Award, 2019 WV HIVE Social Enterprise Award and recently named WVVA Hometown Hero. She is a retired teacher and earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Concord University and her Master’s in Arts from West Virginia University. Debra has 30 years of teaching experience, community involvement, and 20 years of working in/with Substance Use Disorder across the state and nation building stronger families and communities.

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Rev. Dr. Barry Steiner Ball
Rev. Dr. Barry Steiner Ball
Barry Steiner Ball graduated from The Citadel with a B.A. in Psychology and then from Duke University
with a Master of Divinity. Barry was then ordained as a United Methodist Minister. Barry served three
different charges on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in Talbot County. In 1998 Barry was offered a position
with the Maryland Natural Resources Police (game wardens and marine police), working Talbot and
Caroline counties and serving as the NRP’s chaplain when needed. In 2008 Barry was moved into the
investigative unit for NRP and worked boating and hunting accidents and larger commercial fishing
cases. During this time Barry also served in the Air Force Reserves as a chaplain at Dover Air Force Base,
supporting the work of the Port Mortuary. Barry began a Doctor of Ministry program at Wesley
Seminary in Washington DC focusing on Military Chaplaincy. In 2012 Barry’s wife, Sandra, also a United
Methodist Minister, was elected into the office of Bishop and moved to West Virginia where she
oversees all the United Methodist Churches in West Virginia and Garrett County MD. With the move
west, Barry was offered by the NRP a position on a Drug Enforcement Administration’s Task Force in
Hagerstown Maryland. In this position Barry worked larger drug cases in Western Maryland and the
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. During this assignment Barry was exposed to the plight of Drug
Endangered Children and changed his doctoral project and began working with local United Methodist
Churches helping them discover how they can support these children. Barry earned his doctoral degree
finally in 2017! Barry retired from the Maryland Natural Resources Police on Oct. 1, 2017 to work full
time with local churches in helping them find their ministry in response to the opioid epidemic. Barry
and Sandra have two grown daughters, Sarah a high school math teacher in Talbot County Maryland and
Becky, a Montessori elementary school teacher in Delaware.

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Joe Deegan, MSW, LICSW, AADC-S
Joe Deegan, MSW, LICSW, AADC-S
Business Development Liaison, Thomas Health
Joe is currently employed by Thomas Health in South Charleston, West Virginia as Business Development Liaison for Behavioral Health Services.
Mr. Deegan received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Social Work from West Virginia University. Joe is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and is credentialed as an Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor/Supervisor (AADC-S) in West Virginia as well as Masters Addiction Counselor (MAC).
He has worked extensively in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment for over 40 years. Joe serves on the Boards of the WV Chapter of NASW, WVAADC - the Association of Addictions Professionals and the WV Medical Cannabis Advisory Board. Joe is also President-elect for the West Virginia Behavioral Health Providers Association.

Sessions

Frankie Tack,  MS, AADC, CCS, NCC, CTTS
Frankie Tack, MS, AADC, CCS, NCC, CTTS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Mental Health and Addiction Studies Program Coordinator, Department of Counseling and Learning Sciences, West Virginia University
Frankie Tack is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Mental Health and Addiction Studies bachelor’s degree program and the Addiction Studies and Human Services minors in the Department of Counseling and Learning Sciences at West Virginia University. She has worked and taught in the addiction field for twenty-five years, with special interests in women and families affected by addiction, tobacco use disorder, and the LGBTQ+ population. Frankie is a West Virginia certified advanced addiction counselor, a certified clinical supervisor, and a certified tobacco treatment specialist.

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Rich Sutphin, MPH
Rich Sutphin, MPH
Executive Director, WVRHA
Rich Sutphin is the executive director of the West Virginia Rural Health Association (WVRHA). He joined WVRHA in 2021, and his broader experience includes working in academic medical centers, community-based hospitals, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

He is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College and has his masters in public health from Marshall University. He is also a graduate of Leadership West Virginia and the Advocacy Co-Chair of the West Virginia Immunization Network.

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Martina Steiner Unger, RCP
Martina Steiner Unger, RCP
Executive Director of GRaCE
Marti Steiner Unger received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Glenville State University. She is a Recovery Coach Professional, GRaCE Recovery Coach/Life Coach Master Facilitator, and a WRAP I facilitator. Marti is co-founder and Executive Director of Greater Recovery and Community Empowerment (GRaCE), a 501c3 nonprofit organization that, in conjunction with higher education, trains, empowers and connects Recovery/Life/Youth/Nurse Health Coaches (www.StrengthInGRaCE.com). She is an award winning film director, author, composer, the mom of five amazing people, and is the caregiver of 100,000 honeybees. Marti is a member of Mt Zion Episcopal Church, in Hedgesville WV, a graduate of the WV Iona Collaborative (Seminary of the Southwest) and currently a candidate for ordination for the Episcopal Diocese of WV.

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Kenneth Birchfield, BA, BS, MAT
Kenneth Birchfield, BA, BS, MAT
Division Director of School Based and Children’s Grant Services
Kenneth Birchfield is the Division Director of School Based and Children’s Grant Services (Wyoming, McDowell, and Mercer) for Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Science in Biology from Concord University; afterward, he earned his Master's in Teaching from Marshall University. Kenneth has 15 years combined experience working in/with Substance Use, Mental Health, and Education Systems in Rural West Virginia.

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Wendy Lewis, Ph.D., LPC, AADC
Wendy Lewis, Ph.D., LPC, AADC
Clinical Director of Behavioral Health Services for PAAC, Infinite Pathways
Wendy Lewis currently serves as the Clinical Director of Behavioral Health Services for PAAC, Infinite Pathways. In her current position she provides mental health counseling services including assessment, intake, treatment plans, and evidence-based substance use disorder and mental health counseling. She is the director of Residential Services for a 44 bed men’s treatment facility and a Women’s ten bed sober living home. .
Dr. Lewis is an Adjunct Professor who served as the Program Administrator/Clinical Therapist-Opioid Addiction Medication Assisted Treatment Program at West Virginia University, Charleston WV Campus. She has filled many other relevant roles that contribute to her significant expertise in substance abuse and Medication Assisted Treatment.
She has a Master of Arts in Counseling from Marshall University and completed her Ph.D. in Counselor Education Supervision at Hampton University. Dr. Lewis’ research focuses on how people of color experience racial microaggression. Specifically, she examined areas of ethnic-racial microaggressions directed against African American helping professionals (counselors, psychologists, social workers) while in the workplace. She has also conducted research in the areas of racial disparities in health care. Dr. Lewis’ certifications include Licensed Professional Counselor and Advanced Alcohol Drug Counselor—WV.

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Christina R. Mullins, MS
Christina R. Mullins, MS
Deputy Secretary for Mental Health & Substance Use Disorders, DHHR Bureau for Behavioral Health
Christina Mullins serves as the Commissioner for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Behavioral Health. She previously served as the Director of DHHR’s Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health and worked in a variety of maternal and child health programs.
In her nearly 20-year tenure with DHHR she has worked to establish West Virginia’s youth anti-tobacco campaign, collaborated with a multitude of partners to launch a surveillance system for neonatal abstinence syndrome, and co-authored the 2016 West Virginia Overdose Fatality Analysis. Christina graduated from Marshall University with a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.

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John Unger II
John Unger II
Senior Advisor to the White House Executive Office of the President/ Special Senior Advisor to the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
Rev. John R. Unger II is a social entrepreneur and spiritual coach utilizing an adaptive, servant-leadership approach through theology, asset-based community development (ABCD), restorative justice, and public service. A Rhodes Scholar, Pastor Unger worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India, to provide care to the poorest of the poor and emergency relief for Kurdish refugees, orphanages, children's hospitals, senior care homes, and homes for the mentally disabled in Iraq during the wars. Pastor Unger is a pastor and priest of three historic Harpers Ferry Civil War churches of three denominations (Lutheran, Episcopal, and United Methodist). As a Recovery/Life Coach Professional / Master Facilitator and a WRAP I facilitator, Pastor Unger started in Appalachia the Greater Recovery and Community Empowerment (GRaCE) where he helped train over 4,000 recovery/life coaches and peer recovery support specialists who work to address trauma, addiction, and mental illness in their communities. He also serves as Senior Advisor to the White House Executive Office of the President (EOP) and Special Senior Advisor to the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), engaging and coordinating international faith leaders in an international interfaith coalition to address the global synthetic drug threat and assisting rural communities on trauma, addiction, and mental health integrated approaches that save lives.

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Kathy Brunty, BA
Kathy Brunty, BA
Kathy Brunty holds a BA in Early Childhood Education from Lee University and works as the Partnerships for Success Coordinator serving Wyoming, McDowell and Raleigh Counties. She has dedicated the past 16 years to building the Prevention Coalitions and implementing evidenced-based prevention programs. She has empowered youth by serving as a SADD Advisor since 2011. The Wyoming County SADD earned National Chapter of the Year 2015, and she was chosen SADD Advisor of the Year in 2016. Kathy has presented across the nation, including Puerto Rico, to empower communities to build stronger youth programs. In Wyoming County, Kathy has led prevention by opening two youth centers, increasing SADD membership from eight students to over 700 students. In the past two years, she chaired the Prevention Task Force to bring the Future Leaders Program with the National Guard and Prevention Resource Officers to both high schools. She also obtained funding to purchase evidence – based curriculum for every school and has helped establish the Communities in Schools Programs in Wyoming County under the leadership of First Lady Cathy Justice.

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Cynthia Parsons, MA
Cynthia Parsons, MA
Program Manager, Bureau for Medical Services, WV-DHHR
Cynthia Parsons has a master’s degree Community Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions and Corrections. As a therapist Cynthia worked with adult and children with substance use disorders, serious emotional disorders, eating disorders, and veterans for over 13 years. Cynthia is the Director of Behavioral Health and Long-Term Care Services for the WV Bureau for Medical Services (also known as Medicaid) within the WV Department of Health and Human Resources

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