NANCY ALEXANDER
Nancy Alexander’s interests and work include addiction recovery issues, especially in Africa in relation to gender issues. She has consulted to the US House Financial Services Committee and the International Labor Organization and founded or held senior positions at several non-profits, including the Center for Policy Negotiation and Bread for the World. She is currently Director of the Economic Governance Program for Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (HBS) North America, a non-profit foundation which acts as a catalyst for green visions and projects, a think tank for policy reform, and an international network. HBS places particular emphasis on gender democracy.
KIRT & HILDA BROMLEY
My wife and I have managed a non-profit charity in Ghana called Books For Africa Library Project since 1997. In 2000 we began to distribute Alcoholics Anonymous and other AA literature to Ghanaians as we set up libraries. AA meetings struggled when I went to the States. Long-term recovery in Ghana seemed to require an in-depth exposure, a residential programme. Off and on over the past five years we have had a peer recovery programme for men in Kukurantumi. While we currently do not have a residential recovery house, we do make weekly visits to the Government Hospital in New Taft and St Joseph Hospital in Effiduase to give out information on Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon. Learn more...
Shannon Egan
Shannon Egan is an author, an award-winning SAMSHA grant writer, and a marketing and development consultant for addiction recovery organizations world-wide. Despite training as a writer on humanitarian issues for the United Nations, Shannon prefers sharing her personal stories of addiction and recovery to infuse hope in those still struggling. Previously, Shannon lived in Sudan, Africa's largest country, and wrote about the various humanitarian crises affecting individuals and families living in the Horn of Africa. She is passionate about supporting the Recovery Movement throughout Ghana and beyond. Learn more...
Emily Eisenhart
Emily Eisenhart (MA, Social Sciences) is on the Advisory Council of RA and is the Director of the Center for Addiction Recovery in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. Eisenhart is the assistant director of the Study Abroad Ghana trip organized within the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and has brought Georgia Southern students in long-term recovery to Ghana in the summer of 2012 and 2013. The aim of the GSU study abroad students in long-term recovery is to exchange experience, strength, and hope with Ghanaians and gain insight and experience working within the international public health sector. Learn more...
John Elford
John Elford lives on the Isle of Wight in England. Prior to launching his own company John was engaged as the Registered Manager of a residential psychiatric care home for adults with complex and varying mental health problems. Running alongside the above career, and for the last twelve years, he has been developing models of treatment combining CBT, the 12 Steps and teaching methodology. This has resulted in the creation of the Integrated Step Course, an intensive rehab program that has been implemented in various treatment facilities across the UK. Learn more...
Glenn Lesak
Glenn Lesak is a trade union/child labor/community engagement professional with decades of experience in international development. He served at the director level with Solidarity Center/AFL-CIO for the Africa region for 19 years. He served as Project Director/Chief of Party for Save the Children (UK)/Solidarity Center from 2007-2010, working to prevent more than 13,000 children from the worst forms of child labor in an USDoL-funded artisanal mining project in the DR Congo. More recently he worked as a Labor Specialist Consultant, training senior trade union leaders in the mining sector in Katanga, DR Congo. He serves on the Board of his local housing association (Regency Estates Citizens Assoc.) and volunteered for Meals on Wheels in Gaithersburg, MD. since 2012.
Gerald Marti
Gerald Marti, MD, PhD is a physician scientist who spent the last 30+ years in the US PHS at the NIH and FDA studying hematological malignancy. He is also a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). As a member of the Maryland ASAM chapter, he has primarily focused his efforts in the area of continuing medical education. Learn more...
Patty McCarthy Metcalf
Patty McCarthy Metcalf, M.S., is the Executive Director of Faces & Voices of Recovery, the nation's leading recovery advocacy organization since 2001. Her work focuses on public policy, public education, community mobilizing, peer-based recovery support services and peer workforce development. She has been instrumental in the development of national accreditation standards for peer recovery support service. Patty has designed and delivered training on topics such as recovery messaging, ethics and boundaries, recovery-oriented systems of care (ROSC), peer recovery coaching and much more. As a woman in long-term recovery from alcohol and drug addiction since 1989, Ms. McCarthy-Metcalf has frequently participated as a subject matter expert and thought leader with SAMHSA sponsored policy discussions. Learn more...
Art Mellor
Art Mellor is the Director of SPSARV, the United Methodist Church’s Special Program on Substance Abuse and Related Violence. Art is a licensed social worker and was credentialed for 19 years as an addiction counselor. Art has started a family treatment program and a state-licensed outpatient substance abuse program. He has ten years of experience working in inpatient detox and treatment facilities. He has also developed training programs for a variety of audiences, including the criminal justice, social service personnel, and the faith community. Learn more...
Jerry Moe
Jerry Moe, MA, is the National Director of Children’s Programs at the Betty Ford Center, a part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. An Advisory Board Member of the National Association for Children of Addiction, he is an author, lecturer, and trainer on issues for children and families hurt by addiction. Through the years Jerry has received the Marty Mann Award, Mona Mansell Award, Father Joseph C. Martin Award, and America Honors Recovery Award. He has written several books including Kids’ Power: Healing Games for Children of Alcoholics, Discovery … Finding the Buried Treasure, and Understanding Addiction and Recovery Through a Child’s Eyes. He was featured in the Emmy Award winning Nick News Special “Under the Influence.” Learn more...
PAUL MOLLOY
Agnes O'Laughlin
Agnes O’Laughlin is a Board Member of Hopeful Way Foundation, Recovery Africa Inc.'s (RA) partner organization in Ghana, and a member of the advisory council of RA. Since 2005, Agnes has been a key person in the establishment and implementation of recovery efforts in Ghana. She participated in numerous recovery related training programs at places such as Willingway Hospital, Healing Transitions. She was trained in recovery coach training at City of Angels in New Jersey. While in Ghana, she plays important roles in the House of St. Francis, its family meetings and with the furthering of Al-Anon groups. Learn more...
Janis Small Omide
Janis Small Omide, MAC, CSAC – I am a person who was “called” to help people recover from the disease of addiction. I was introduced to the alcohol/drug treatment “field” in the 90’s and witnessed it grow into a profession. I have a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling for addiction (and am a Master Addiction Counselor-MAC). I am also a certified substance abuse counselor (CSAC) in Virginia, USA with experience in very diverse modalities. However, my most valued accomplishment has been learning and teaching the 12-steps of recovery. My greatest reward comes from witnessing the transformation of others in body, mind and spirit. I am interested in Recovery Africa because I witnessed Byron Merriweather struggle in his addiction and grow in his recovery—and he invited me to the team. Learn more...
SHAWN REYNOLDS
Shawn Reynolds, Ph.D., is a consultant research scientist at Organizational Wellness and Learning Systems in Fort Worth, TX. He lived in Accra for five years until 2007, and has been assisting the Hopeful Way Foundation, Recovery Africa's partner organization in Ghana, since 2008. Shawn conducts research in social, cognitive, and quantitative psychology, focusing mainly on workplace substance abuse, help-seeking attitudes and behavior, deception, and measurement of wellness culture and climate.
Shawn is helping local researchers’ continuing efforts to design prevention and wellness programs for teachers and civil servants. He has agreed to help Hopeful Way Foundation initiate evaluation protocols for some of the projects it supports. Shawn also supports the research and development of Employee Assistance Programs and workplace health promotion. Studies on the development of EAPs in Ghana would have implications for how to scale EAPs into rural and underserved areas all over the world.
TERRIE SCHWEITZER
In August 2011, I received my official invitation to enter Peace Corps service in Ghana. I didn't know anything about Ghana, and though I wanted to serve, my biggest worries centered around leaving the supportive circle of friends I had in Sonoma county. One of those friends smiled when I talked about going to Ghana; he knew Dan and Agnes and put me in touch with them and I learned about their work in Ghana with Recovery Africa and the Bill Moore Oxford house they'd established there. Bill Moore is legendary in certain Sonoma county circles, so that seemed like a good sign. Learn more...
Shelia Stigall
Shelia Stigall In June of 2013 I was a student in a Master of Social Work program at Portland State University and took advantage of an opportunity to study in Ghana. Being a woman in recovery thoughts started to enter my mind that I might be able to try palm wine and akpeteshie and no one would know. I could probably get away with one taste, right?? Because my recovery is the most important thing in my life I sighed heavily and called my academic advisor about a placement in treatment and recovery. Learn more...