Host Committee
Honorary Co-Chairs

Former Congresswoman
Mary Bono
FaegreBD Consulting
Washington, DC

Former Congressman
Patrick Kennedy
The Kennedy Forum

Host Committee
Members

Richard Buckman
Long Island Recovery
Association
Long Island, New York

Tim Cheney
Chooper’s Guide
Walpole, Maine

Leslie Glass
Reach Out Recovery
Sarasota, Florida

Laura Griffith
Recover Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming

Gloria Nepote
Keystone Treatment Center
Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Tonya Wheeler
Advocates for Recovery
Denver, Colorado

Staff

Patty McCarthy Metcalf
Executive Director
Faces & Voices of Recovery
Washington, DC

Jerry Gillen
Director of Operations
Faces & Voices of Recovery
Washington, DC

America Honors Recovery

Our annual awards ceremony recognizing those individuals who work tirelessly to end discrimination facing people with addictions and to promote the reality of long-term recovery. Join us on Thursday, July 23, 2015 in Arlington, Virginia as we honor outstanding individuals in recovery and one recovery community organization (RCO), as well as the annual Voice of Recovery Award.

The 2015 Outstanding Honorees include:

Voice of Recovery Award

The Voice of Recovery Award recognizes an individual who has shared their story in a very public way to demonstrate the power and proof of long-term recovery.

Greg Williams

Greg Williams is a passionate champion of the new addiction recovery advocacy movement who has made extraordinary contributions as a voice of recovery. He is a person in long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction since age seventeen. Greg became very active in recovery while helping other young people and their families find and sustain recovery through Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families, a statewide organization focused on prevention, treatment and recovery services for youth and families facing problems with alcohol and drug addiction. It was there that Greg found opportunities learn about national leaders who were offering strength, hope, and a voice for young people and their families.

Today, Greg is a husband and father, a health policy advocate, and a documentary filmmaker who specializes in the creation of compelling and purposeful content. At age 30, The Anonymous People, is Greg’s first independent feature-length film. The film has gained a large following and has weaved its way across America and into other countries. The moving story of The Anonymous People shines a light on the personal and societal value of recovery.

Now, along with a powerful team and a large coalition of partners, Greg is channeling his passion, skill and energy towards Unite to Face Addiction, producing a historical event in the nation’s Capital in October of 2015 to raise awareness of the human and social costs of addiction. In his young life, Greg Williams’ work has impacted millions of lives and has fueled a critical conversation about recovery.

Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award

Faces & Voices of Recovery is pleased to annnounce this first-ever Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award to celebrate one incredible individual who has had the greatest impact on the new recovery advocacy movement.

William White

There are few people as deserving of Faces & Voices of Recovery’s first Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award as William L. White. His more than 47 years of meritorious service to individuals, families and communities is but one reason for this recognition.

Through the publication of two editions of Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America, Bill has documented the most thorough history, not for history’s sake, but in order to challenge us to continuously re-evaluate and re-examine our current practices. Bill’s work is well known in the United States, but his website often receives the greatest number of hits from persons outside the US extending his international reach and influence. His writings of more than one hundred interviews with addiction treatment and recovery leaders, and hundreds of articles, monographs, books and blog posts, have given voice to all styles and pathways of recovery and have advanced our field with principles of recovery management and recovery-oriented systems of care.

Bill’s career, particularly as a renowned research consultant, can be characterized by service, with the overarching objective and sole desire of helping more individuals, families and communities find healing, health and wellness. Often at personal sacrifice, Bill has been willing to give voice to tough issues and to pose difficult questions to controversial topics. 

Bill’s humility is less about maintaining a modest view of his own importance as it is about seeking the greater good while avoiding personal recognition. 

Bill White is the most influential recovery historian of our lifetime. He is a true friend, advocate and mentor for the new recovery advocacy movement. Bill is incredibly deserving of this, first-ever, Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lisa Mojer-Torres Award

H. Westley Clark, M.D.

The Lisa Mojer-Torres Award honors a tenacious fighter who believed in the dignity and rights of every person. Lisa's inquiring and challenging mind offered new insights and by example, she encouraged us to stand up and speak out on behalf of all pathways to recovery, including the use of medications.

In the world of prevention, treatment, and recovery, H. Westley Clark, MD, JD, MPH, CAS, FASAM, is the face of exemplary leadership. Dr. Clark has had a distinguished career in which his impact on research, practice, policies, and programs in the treatment of substance use disorders is unparalleled. He has inspired several generations of people dedicated to treating addictions to reach beyond the status quo and to expand the field with a new vision of improving the lives of those who seek recovery from addiction. He has brought to his endeavors a wealth of knowledge and expertise that few others could match.  He recognizes the struggles of those entering recovery and is a true champion of the recovery movement. 

From the very beginning, Dr. Clark acknowledged that there were many pathways to recovery and he worked diligently to ensure that all those pathways were supported, encouraged, and celebrated. Dr. Clark took on the controversies that arose surrounding medication-assisted treatment and worked to encourage physicians to become certified to prescribe medications approved for the treatment of addiction. He has strived to assist the criminal justice system in incorporating and expanding programs for diversion of non-violent felony offenders in an effort to increase public safety and decrease recidivism rates. 

Dr. Clark is a tireless advocate for underserved communities and for innovative outreach and treatment for isolated rural and frontier populations. He has a long history of striving to improve the quality of care and making it available to all Americans. His work on workforce development was inclusive of training of recovery coaches, building community recovery organizations, and supporting a comprehensive system which incorporates primary health care, addiction treatment, and on-going community support – all of which are necessary for the health and well-being of persons in and seeking recovery. 

Dr. Clark recently retired as the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Currently, he is a professor at Santa Clara University in California.

We will also salute the legacies of two outstanding recovery pioneers. The Joel Hernandez Award honors an organization that works diligently on behalf of the recovery community.

Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA)
Executive Director, Mary Jo McMillen

Since 2006, USARA has been proividing information about substance use, addiction and recovery, while helping people to connect to community resources, treatment and recovery support services. The programs and services offered at USARA are developed and facilitated by volunteers, who are peers in recovery and others, such as family members. USARA is dedicated to helping individuals and families overcome obstacles they may encounter on the journey to recovery. USARA's focus is on the "solution"  that involves mobilizing community resources and providing peer recovery support services to promote recovery.

For the past seven years, USARA has hosted a Rally for Recovery at the Utah State Capitol during the Legislative Session. USARA conducts "Recovery Messaging Trainings" to prepare people in recovery, families and allies to speak with Utah House Representatives and Senators. They have also been involved in legislative advocacy efforts to promote important  bills such as Expungement Amendments, The Good Samaritan Act, Opiate Overdose Emergency Treatment and Medicaid Expansion.

The Vernon Johnson Award honors individuals who have devoted their lives to recovery. These extraordinary organizations and individuals work tenaciously to promote the reality of recovery from addiction and to make it possible for others in need to find a pathway as well.

Melissa Killeen

Melissa Killeen, of Laurel Springs, New Jersey, has been an advocate for peer recovery coaching since 2006. She is an author, blogger and social media developer who specializes in working with people in recovery from addictions and advancing the leadership skills of recovery coaches. Melissa mentors recovery coaches across the country. She is the former President of Recovery Coaches International and has authored the book, "Recovery Coaching: A Guide to Coaching People in Recovery from Addictions." As a woman in long-term recovery, Melissa has served for decades in service roles to give back to her community.

Honesty Liller

Honesty Liller is the Chief Executive Officer of the McShin Foundation in Richmond, Virginia, where she is responsible for the daily operations, community outreach and advocacy events. She is a mentor for many people who are in or seeking recovery from alcohol and/or drug addiction. Honesty also serves as the Clean Life Medical Detox Program Manager and is a certified NAADAC Peer Recovery Coach. Honesty serves on the Enforcement Workgroup for Governor Terry McAuliffe's Prescription Drug and Heroin Task Force and has done countless interviews with newspaper journalists including North of the James, Richmond Times Dispatch and CBS Channel 6. Honesty is very involved in her community and has served as the Secretary Clerk of Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church for the past 3 years. In 2010, Honesty was the Employee of the Year at the McShin Foundation. As a woman in long-term recovery, Honesty Liller has been influential and involved with countless awards received by The McShin Foundation including two Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Recovery Month Awards.

Molly O'Neill

Molly O'Neill is the President & Chief Executive Officer of First Call Alcohol/Drug Prevention & Recovery in Kansas City, Missouri, which provides prevention and recovery services to over 20,000 individuals annually. As a woman in long-term recovery, Molly has spent the last three decades expanding the quality and quantity of recovery options for individuals impacted by addiction and is determined to remove barriers to recovery so that those struggling with addiction, and their families, can access quality services. Molly regularly appears in the media to demonstrate that addiction is a disease, treatment works and recovery is possible. She shares openly about her recovery in this context in an effort to eliminate the negative public perceptions.