Siobhan openly shares her personal story to help end the stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders. Her history includes 20+ years of active addiction, ending in homelessness, incarceration and a severe heroin and crack addiction. Siobhan began her recovery journey in 2006. It is also a driving force in her commitment to her work.

At 5 years clean, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent surgical intervention. She celebrates 8+ years of remission today. During her entire recovery journey, Siobhan has worked to address the trauma issues of her childhood, the underlying causes of her mental health issues. Learning to love herself and her life, including the past precisely as it is, has been one of the greatest gifts of the work she has done.

In her spare time, Siobhan trains for CrossFit. She has consistently ranked top 5% in the 50-54 age group. She has 2 worldwide CrossFit Open finishes in the top 100 women in her age group. At 53, she placed 271st in the world open competition in 2018 for her age group, which places her in the top 5% of competitors in the 50-54 women. In 2018, Nashville FIT, a local fitness magazine, wrote an article about her CrossFit and personal accomplishments. Siobhan lives in Columbia, Tennessee where she trains at CrossFit Old South with Jason Daniel. She divides her time between there and Miami, Florida, where she trains as CrossFit Armed with her coach and former CrossFit Games athlete, Kaleena Ladeairous.

Siobhan is currently Divisional Director of Clinical Services, for the Behavioral Health Division of Universal Health Services, Inc. She focuses on clinical program assessment and development, special projects and research across the company’s broad portfolio of freestanding behavioral health facilities specializing in various services across the continuum of care, including substance use disorder treatment, eating disorder treatment, inpatient acute psychiatric care for conditions including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, personal identity disorder and more; and outpatient behavioral health treatment.

Siobhan was previously Director, Research & Fidelity at Foundations Recovery Network, acquired by UHS in 2016, where she developed an industry-leading research group focusing on the mental health and substance use recovery outcomes. She regularly presents original research worldwide, has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and conducts education within the addiction services network. For example, during the opioid crisis, Siobhan presented “Characteristics and outcomes of adult opiate users in abstinence-based residential treatment” at the International Conference on Dual Diagnosis in Barcelona. Siobhan is also voluntary Adjunct Assistant Professor for the College of Family Medicine at Baylor University, participating in a research group exploring integrated solutions to addiction and mental health disorders. Further, she welcomes the opportunity to be interviewed by the media on mental health and substance use topics, seeing this as opportunity to generate awareness, educate and share hope.

In September of 2020 Siobhan received a Presidential Proclamation acknowledging her service to the treatment and recovery industry.

Since entering recovery, Siobhan has dedicated her career and her time to breaking the stigma of addiction and mental health disorders, helping other overcome the disease, and hoping to represent what is possible in recovery.

Tom Karl – Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Tom Karl founded R1 as the result of his own personal experiences in addiction and recovery. The idea for the R1 Learning System and the Discovery Cards came to Tom following a relapse when he noted a lack of practical tools in addiction treatment settings. He has used the creation of the tools to help him better understand himself and address his own personal challenges. Through R1, Tom’s goal is to put impactful self-discovery tools into the hands of individuals in recovery and empower them to change their lives. Tom has 25+ years of experience in learning and development and employee engagement, working with global companies, government agencies, and education institutions. Tom is active in the recovery community and volunteers with patient engagement programs.

Tom is a graduate of Duke University with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. Tom currently volunteers on the Patient & Family Engagement Advisory Council at Inova Healthcare System in Virginia. He is active in the recovery community, is a founding member of RecoveryDC, and volunteers with patient engagement programs.

Prior to R1, Tom was the Senior Vice President at Lee Hecht Harrison and a Partner with MasteryWorks. At Lee Hecht Harrison, Tom was the Global Practice Lead for Employee Engagement and Career Development Solutions where he led the go-to-market strategy and product development for all practice solutions. In his role, Tom consulted with clients to design, develop, and implement products and solutions to address their pressing human capital needs. As a partner at MasteryWorks, Tom led the product strategy to create the first multi-language career portal solution in the industry (including assessment tools, e-learning, career discussion planners, articles, and links to existing organization HR technologies and career resources). MasteryWorks' career portals were licensed and deployed globally. Tom, with his partner and team, built an international reputation for career planning and was acquired by Lee Hecht Harrison in 2014 after a two-decade strategic partnership.

Naetha & Calliese are a mother and daughter; they are part of 4 generations that live under one roof; it is an imperfectly perfect family in recovery! Their combination of credible lived experience and professional skill, provide a unique and valuable perspective to their passion to educate and share Recovery Coaching in the UK. They have created Recovery Coach Academy in the UK to share Recovery Coaching and also to connect and collaborate with others. While providing opportunities to engage, enhance and elevate Recovery Coaching, they also support others to implement recovery coaching and create Recovery Coach Communities.

www.recoverycoachacademy.co.uk www.facebook.com/recoverycoachacademy www.instagram.com/recoverycoachacaademy

At The Washington Pain Center, John F. Dombrowski, MD specializes in advanced minimally invasive diagnostics and treatment modalities for a variety of chronic spine and pain conditions. Most procedures are performed under X-ray guidance for precise localization and added safety. Examples of our state-of-the-art technology include the use of radio frequency technology and spinal cord stimulation.

Dr. Dombrowski offers comprehensive care for a full range of chronic pain conditions and coordinates care with our growing network of primary care physicians, neurologists, psychiatrists, surgeons, occupational medicine physicians, chiropractors, podiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and cognitive-behavioral psychologists.

He is dedicated to the care and treatment of patients with chronic pain. Through a coordinated approach, we strive to offer the best options for pain relief and functional improvement. Dr. Dombrowski is board certified with advanced specialty training in pain medicine. He is on staff at Georgetown University Hospital and Suburban Hospital. Furthermore, Dr. Dombrowski is a published author, has been seen on The Today Show to discuss the latest technologies in pain medicine, and is a respected educator in the Pain Management community.

The Washington Pain Center is designed specifically for the care of patients in pain. We understand the physical and emotional toll pain can cause in both the patient as well as the patient’s family. With this in mind, we will always schedule appointments within 24 to 48 hours of phone calls. We also pride ourselves on our “personal touch”. Our telephones are always answered by our professional office staff; answering machines are only used during the lunch break.

In keeping with the personal touch and the aspect of concierge medicine, patients at the Washington Pain Center never see a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner. They are only seen by a physician, Dr. John Dombrowski. At the end of a consultation and/or procedure, every patient is given Dr. Dombrowski’s cell phone number should there be any questions or concerns. This personal touch adds to the success of the Washington Pain Center.

The Washington Pain Center also provides care in a multidisciplinary manner. Appropriate patients are referred to physical medicine rehabilitation, neurologist, physical therapist or internist for appropriate medical management. This team approach is individually tailored so that the patient has access to the best possible care for his specific needs. The Washington Pain Center does not have any financial interest in referrals.

Wally Paton is the originator of the Back-to-Basics Beginners’ Meetings, which have grown to more than 2,200 groups and produced more than 500,000 recoveries since its reintroduction into the 12-Step community in 1997. Wally started his 12-Step spiritual journey on October 30, 1988. From 1992-1993, Wally held the position of Arizona Area archivist. From 1994-1995, he was a member of the National Archives Study Committee reporting to the General Service Office in New York City. Since 1999, he has been the overseer of the personal archives of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith. He makes presentations on their archival materials at various recovery events.

Britt Schanks is a seminar presenter, facilitator, and president of the Back-to-Basics Foundation. Britt shares her experience of battling addiction, as well as her successful recovery from a serious dis-ease that led her to conventional medicine for ways to better health and wellness. She is also studying integrative nutrition and detoxification of the body from everyday toxins.

Sara K. Varga, LCSW-C, Head of School. Sara is an Alumna of Syracuse University where she completed her undergraduate education and after working in a domestic violence shelter in Fairfax County, Virginia she obtained her Master’s in Social Work from Catholic University in Washington, DC. Sara soon realized a desire to work with young adults and adolescents who struggle with substance abuse. She has had the opportunity to work as a wilderness therapist for two wilderness programs in Upstate New York and was the Clinical Director of an Intensive Outpatient Program for dual diagnosed adolescents and young adults that specialized in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It has been through her work with adolescents struggling with substance abuse that Sara has become keenly aware of the need for such programs as Recovery High Schools. Seeing so many adolescents struggle with addiction, the transition to recovery can be even more challenging without a network of other sober peers especially in an educational setting. Sara feels passionately that the Phoenix Recovery Academy in Frederick, MD would not only meet the needs of the students in recovery but also the needs of the families and community. She is honored to be able to serve the Frederick community in the capacity of Head of School for the Phoenix Recovery Academy. When not working at Phoenix Recovery Academy, Sara loves spending time with her family, doing anything outside.

I am Byron Fogan, a grateful recovering alcoholic and compulsive gambler. I took my last drink in August of 2013. I spend my time today working on my own recovery and sharing my experience with others who seek to find a solution to their problems with addictions.

I have a BA in International Relations from Georgetown University and a JD from Albany Law School. I was a practicing attorney and public relations consultant for a number of years in Washington, DC, representing foreign individuals, entities, and states here in the US. My own personal plunge into the depths of substance abuse and the subsequent cleaning of that plunge's wreckage took me to some dark and unfriendly places, including suspension from the practice of law and a short stay in Federal prison. But, that history of fall and recovery has blessed me by pointing me in this new direction—a life where I help and advocate for returning citizens and those who struggle with addictions.

Raised in Buffalo, NY, I currently live between Lancaster, NY (a suburb of Buffalo) and Columbia, MD. I spend my time writing and speaking about my experiences both in active addiction and in recovery. I celebrated seven years of continuous sobriety this past summer. I am the father of an amazing 21-year-old son.

My unique experience of being both a former attorney and a recently returned citizen with a history of substance abuse and addiction are the foundations upon which I have built a life that works under any condition. I believe that my spiritual connection to God has allowed things to change in my life. My life today is miraculous. I am grateful for every minute of that miracle.