Hall of Fame
Each year the Museum’s Hall of Fame Committee will select a minimum of three members for its Hall of Fame Class. These are individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Substance Use Disorders Treatment and Recovery. The 2025 recipients are: Modena Stinnette, PH.D., Annie Powell, LCDC, Dr. Jewell Oates, Kelvin Young, Samson Teklemariam, LPC, CPTM, and Adeyemi Fatoki, MD.
2025
Modena Stinnette, PH.D Posthumous (1969-2024) Following the death of Dr. Stinnette, the Illinois General Assembly introduced Illinois House Resolution 747 recognizing the contributions Dr. Stinnette made to society as a substance use disorders professional. Dr. Stinnette worked in every segment of the substance use disorders profession including: counselor, recovery coach, advocate, research assistant, clinical supervisor, program director and college educator. She is the author of the book Inside Out which highlights the positive impact ex-offenders can make on society. Dr. Stinnette received numerous awards, including: Black Lives Matter Community Award, Community Services Pillar Award and the Women of Destiny Harriett Tubman Award.
Annie Powell, LCDC is the Founder and CEO of One World Recovery Network, a Recovery Community Organization focused on equitable access to recovery support services. With over two decades of experience, she champions peer-led and culturally responsive initiatives that address the diverse needs of individuals and families facing substance use and mental health challenges. As a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and certified Peer Supervisor, Annie advocates for policies that expand funding and improve health outcomes. Her personal recovery journey and experience with transforming systems fuels her dedication to collective impact.
Dr. Jewell Oates was the first Executive Director of the Women's Treatment Center. One of the first comprehensive and premier residential treatment facilities for women and children in the country. Under Dr. Oates, the Women's Treatment Center helped thousands of women initiate and sustain recovery. The program prepared numerous clinicians to become leaders in providing gender responsive services for women. Dr. Oates was the recipient of the prestigious Women with Vision Award from the Women's Bar Association of Illinois for her pioneering work in promoting recovery for women in the criminal justice system in Illinois. She was also honored by the Illinois Division of Substance Use Disorders Prevention and Recovery's Women's Committee for her commitment to the field of women's recovery services. Dr. Oates is enjoying her life in retirement.
Kelvin Young, RSS is certified sound healer, the co-founder of SoulCare Love, LLC and serves as the President of the Hartford, CT Chapter of Holistic Professionals of Color. Sober from alcohol and other drugs since March 6th, 2009, Kelvin’s journey in recovery has led him to integrate holistic healing modalities into the behavioral health system of care in CT. As a dedicated recovery support specialist, Kelvin skillfully incorporates sound healing into his work to support transformation and growth.
In 2024, he was honored with the Michael Askew Recovery Advocate of the Year Award from CCAR. Kelvin is also a sought-after workshop leader and keynote speaker at behavioral health conferences and proudly volunteers with The Phoenix, an organization promoting recovery through fitness and other healing modalities.
Recognized for his commitment to integrative medicine within behavioral health, Kelvin has received the 2017 Dr. F. Marcus Brown Memorial Integrative Medicine Award and the 2021 Deron Drumm Excellence in Integrative Medicine Award. His contributions were further celebrated with his induction into the CT Hall of Change in 2020, recognizing his positive impact on the community post-incarceration. Additionally, he was awarded the 100 Men of Color Award in 2023. Known for his warmth and compassionate approach, Kelvin is passionate about creating healing spaces where people from all backgrounds can connect with their inner strength, embrace recovery, and thrive.
Samson Teklemariam, LPC, CPTM Samson has demonstrated a great deal of versatility in his career ranging from direct practice, seasoned training expert and leader for some of the largest substance use disorders/behavioral health programs in the nation. As a direct practitioner, Samson worked in prisons, private practice, community mental health, school systems, substance use disorder treatment programs and behavioral health facilities.
Samson is an in-demand executive clinical leader and talent development expert. He worked as the Director of Training and Professional Development for NAADAC. Samson founded NAADAC’s Critical Issues in the Black Community Committee. This committee has educated thousands of addictions professionals nationwide on culturally responsive services for African Americans with substance use disorders.
In his current position as Vice President of Clinical Services for Behavioral Health Group, he has prioritized counseling within Opioid Treatment Programs, ensuring patients in 22 states are receiving integrated dynamic clinical care. He also serves as the Southeast Regional Vice President for NAADAC and a mentor/applicant reviewer for the NBCC-Minority Fellowship Program.
Adeyemi Fatoki, MD Dr. Fatoki is an Addictionologist, surgeon, general practitioner and Family Medicine Physician. This combination of expertise has allowed him to address the needs of the whole patient for more than three decades. Dr. Fatoki is an expert in patient-centered medication assisted treatment and recovery. He operates two clinics and is skillful at integrating medication assisted treatment and recovery support services.
Dr. Fatoki also has a specialization in medication assisted treatment for incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder. For several years he was the MAT Physician for prisons throughout the United States. He is also a nutritionist, treatment advocate, mental health advocate in the Black community, overdose prevention specialist and he gives lectures on medication assisted treatment and recovery.
2024
Dr. Corrie Vilsaint is Associate Director of Recovery Health Equity at the Recovery Research Institute and Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on addiction recovery capital, reducing discrimination among individuals in recovery and racial health equity in remission and recovery. Dr. Vilsaint is a community psychologist whose work has been recognized by an award from the American Psychological Association. Her research has been supported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism.
Dr. Fred Dyer is a specialist in direct practice, presentations, consultations, and writings on culturally responsive treatment for African American adolescents and emerging adults. He is Executive Director of Hope Recovery Center with a specialization in serving emerging adults. Dr. Dyer has over 100 publications. His scholarly writings focus on mental health, substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders treatment of African American adolescents and emerging adults. He received the Key to the City from the Mayor of Laurel Mississippi for his innovative consultations and trainings of working with African American teenage girls in the justice system. He also has a specialization in working with emerging adult refugees with co-occurring disorders.
Dr. Chyrell Bellamy is Professor of Yale University's Department of Psychiatry, Director of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, Director of Peer Support Services and Research and Director of the Yale Lived Experience Transformational Leadership Academy. Dr. Bellamy conducts community based participatory research and co-design with communities of color and with communities of people living with psychiatric Illness, substance use disorders, HIV, homelessness, and incarceration histories. Her research also focuses on healthcare disparities, sociocultural pathways of recovery and the development of culturally responsive interventions.
La Shawn Ford is the representative of the 8th District of Illinois. He is founder of The Westside Heroin and Opioid Taskforce which can serve as a model for the nation as a strategy for creating a recovery-oriented system of care in underserved communities. The taskforce has mobilized over 33 organizations to work together in the community to reduce overdose and promote recovery on the westside of Chicago. These partners include persons with lived experience; the formerly incarcerated; recovery community organizations, substance use disorders and mental health treatment providers; mobile treatment providers; hospitals; and harm reduction specialists. Last year the taskforce's work resulted in 2000 fewer calls for overdose as over 3300 community residents were trained in Narcan distribution. The Westside Heroin and Opioid Taskforce was a 2023 winner of the SAMHSA Behavioral Health Equity Challenge. Representative Ford has received the Illinois Chapter of NAADAC's Advocate of The Year Award and the Nelson Mandela Award for Justice.
Dr. Felecia Pullen is a qualitative researcher exploring structural racism's impact on attaining recovery capital for people of color with histories of drug use. Her research has resulted in the creation of MRCAT, an assessment tool for professionals who develop recovery plans in partnership with clients. Dr. Pullen is also the President and CEO of three organizations including: Let's Talk Safety, a not-for profit teen led prevention program, The PILLARS, Manhattan's first OASIS-funded Recovery Community and Outreach Center and The SAFETY Net, a teen designed club house in Harlem. Dr. Pullen's policy advocacy and activism has been widely recognized. She has also delivered numerous workshops on culturally responsive recovery.
2023
David T. Jones is Chief Behavioral Health Officer for the State of Illinois. He is former Commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability and Director of the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery for the State of Illinois. David has provided decades of leadership and innovative services in two of the largest behavioral health systems in the country. Areas of innovation have included: development of recovery oriented systems of care; mobile treatment; harm reduction; medication assisted recovery; housing first; partnerships with allied systems including school districts, criminal justice and child welfare systems to promote recovery.
Dr. Dawn Tyus is the Director and Principle Investigator of Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center and The African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence at Morehouse School of Medicine. The latter organization is geared to help strengthen the behavioral health workforce's ability to service African Americans seeking behavioral health services more effectively. Dr. Tyus also actively works with faith communities to build their skill set in working with individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. She is a member of the ATTC National CLAS Standards Workgroup and the Morehouse School of Medicine National Center for Primary Care Diversity and Inclusion Workgroup.
Dora Dantzler-Wright is a national leader in the recovery oriented systems of care movement. She is founder of Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition, the first Recovery Community Organization in the State of Illinois. Her work is multifaceted. She is an advocate for substance use disorders treatment and recovery. She organizes The Annual Recovery Olympics which utilizes sports to celebrate recovery. Dora prepares individuals with lived experience to become certified recovery support specialists. She also offers recovery support services in African American and other underserved communities and operates a women recovery home. She speaks nationally on substance use disorders treatment and recovery.
Dr. Jonathan Lofgren directed the African American Center of Excellence in Minnesota and he created the Collegiate Recovery Program at Minneapolis college where he is a member of the faculty in the Addictions Counseling Program. Dr. Lofgren is a founding board member of the Center for African American Recovery Development (CAARD). He is a nationally sought after speaker on working with African Americans with substance use disorders. He advocates on the need for recovery support expansion in African American Communities and is co-author of The Definition of Recovery Principles for African Americans. Dr. Lofgren is a member of the International Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, board member of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education and the Minneapolis Association of Black Psychologists.
Dr. Dietra Hawkins is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who works nationally and internationally to help organizations with systems transformation. Her areas of expertise include: recovery oriented systems of care; asset based community development; healing racism; diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Hawkins is the Director of Consultation and Training at Yale University, Program for Recovery and Community Health. Dr. Hawkins research focus include: addressing racial and ethnic healthcare disparities; organizational systems change and transformation; HIV prevention/interventions; qualitative and community based participatory research; recovery and community engagement; cultural competence. She hosts popular dinner events which bring people together to have meaningful conversations on racism.
2022
Dr. Carl Hart is a leading researcher and thought leader on substance use disorders. He is a psychologist and neuroscientist and a professor of psychology at Columbia University. His groundbreaking research and speeches on Addiction, challenges how we as a society address substance disorders on the policy level. Dr. Hart's essays on Addiction have been published in the New York Times, Scientific American, The Nation, Ebony Magazine and The Root. He is a prolific writer, his book, High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society was the 2014 winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. His co-authored textbook Drugs, Society and Human behavior is one of the bestselling Psychopharmacology books of all time.
Tonier Cain is the former team leader for the National Center for Trauma Informed Care at SAMHSA. She is Founder and CEO of Neen Cares an organization that specializes in trauma informed addictions recovery. Tonier survived childhood trauma, domestic violence, homelessness, substance use disorders, 83 arrests and 66 convictions to become one of the nation’s foremost experts, advocates and speakers on trauma informed substance use disorders recovery. She is author of the memoir Healing Neen, and Relationships After Trauma. Tonier is an award winning film producer.
Michael Askew is the former Director of Recovery Advocacy for Connecticut Community for Addictions Recovery (CCAR). He is currently a committee member for Black Faces Black Voices of Recovery through FAVOR. Recently retired, Michael has had a distinguished career as a leading advocate for individuals with substance use disorders in the criminal justice system and communities. His work has been widely recognized. He was the recipient of the 1996 Weed and Seed Community Leader Recognition Award from the U.S. Attorney's Office; The 2000 Ünsung Heroes Award from SAMHSA; The Save Our Babies Award from The African American Historical Society of Fairfield County; The Joel Hernandez Award from Faces and Voices of Recovery. He was recently inducted into the Connecticut Hall of Change.
The Reverend Jan Brown is the Founding Executive Director of SpiritWorks Foundation Center for The Soul. She has helped thousands of individuals and families impacted by substance use disorders. Jan is also a sought after speaker nationally on the topics of Recovery Oriented Systems of Care, Recovery Support Services and Recovery Management. Jan is the former Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Faces and Voices of Recovery and co-chair of the Addictions and Recovery Commission for the Diocese of Southern Virginia. In 2014 she was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to serve on the Governor's Task Force on Prescription Drug and heroin use.
Dr. William Cloud, PH.D is a recently retired professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. He has conducted numerous studies on natural recovery from substance use disorders. Dr. Cloud and Dr. Robert Garfield’s introduction of the Concept of Recovery Capital and its role in recovery initiation and successful long term recovery maintenance has revolutionized approaches to addictions treatment and recovery. Researchers and clinicians have found that increasing recovery capital helps increase recovery rates.
Dr. Mary Roberson is the Founder and Executive Director of Northern Illinois Recovery Community Organization (NIRCO). NIRCO's mission is to promote recovery for individuals, families and entire communities impacted by substance use and mental illness. Dr. Roberson has had a 3 decade career in helping facilitate recovery among women, adolescents and returning citizens in the U.S. Military. She speaks nationally on substance use disorders treatment for women, veterans and African Americans. Dr. Roberson Is author of "Identity Development's Impact on Peer Supported Recovery Among African American Women and is a contributing author of the book, Substance Use Disorders in African American Communities: Prevention, Treatment and Recovery. Dr. Roberson is a proud Navy Veteran with deep roots in the Veteran's Communities.
2021
Roland Williams, MA, ICAADC, NCAC II- For over 3 decades Roland has worked worldwide, as a counselor, interventionist, international lecturer, author and consultant, specializing in substance use disorders treatment. In his role as an international consultant Roland has helped develop world class treatment facilities. He has provide consultation services and trainings in France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Thailand, The Philippines, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Japan, Dominican Republic, and the United Kingdom. Roland is Director of Training for the CENAPS Corporation founded by Terence Gorski. He is one of the most sought after presenters in the nation. Roland has counseled numerous celebrities seeking recovery. For 25 years he led relapse prevention support groups for health care, legal and business professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area. Roland is also a specialist in culturally specific programming and author of the book Relapse Prevention for African Americans.
Pamela Alexander, MSA, MUP is the 2020 recipient of the NALGAP Founders award for her work in promoting health, wellbeing and recovery among LGBTQIA+ YOUTH IN Detroit Michigan. Pamela is Deputy Director at the Ruth Ellis Center, an LGBTQ+ Center in Detroit. Pamela’s professional career has focused on more than 35 years of experience in working in the human service field. She has an extensive administrative/management background in program development and accreditation compliance and she has been credentialed in the field of substance use disorders at the state, national and international level. As a Detroit area leader in human services, Pamela has served on numerous community, state, and national boards throughout her career to support children and families. Pamela is Founder of the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce. She is a dedicated leader and activist in the LGBTQ+ community. Pamela is a Gold Star Mother with the loss of her son, SSGT Vincent J. Bell who served in the USMC for 10 years and was killed in action in Kajaki, Afghanistan on November 30, 2011.
Anita Bertrand Bradley, LSW, LSW LICDC- An innovative leader and Founder of Northern Ohio Recovery Association, LLC. One of the first programs in the nation to provide comprehensive peer based recovery support in communities. The program expanded to provide prevention, treatment, and recovery services in Lorain, Cuyahoga and Summit County Ohio. A comprehensive program offering MAT, Inpatient, outpatient, recovery housing, peer based recovery support and adolescent treatment. Anita has received numerous awards for her work in promoting addictions recovery including: Smart Business Magazine's Women Who Excel Entrepreneur Award; Joel Hernandez Community Recovery Award; 2016 White House Champion of Change. The U.S. Presidential Administration of Barack Obama invited her to lend expertise on recovery and prevention.
Michael Johnson, MSW-In the early 1990's when crack cocaine had a strong hold on Detroit Michigan Michael Johnson held weekly relapse prevention lectures in the city of Detroit, which were attended by thousands. He was a one person army in promoted the message that recovery is possible. Michael is a leader in the Recovery Oriented Systems of Care Movement and has written numerous workbooks on relapse prevention and recovery. As a spellbinding presenter Michael divides his time on the lecture circuit between the substance use disorders and criminal justice fields. He has provided consultation and trainings to Departments of Corrections in Michigan, Missouri, Florida, New York, Nebraska, Virginia and Pennsylvania. His Videos of Recovery are viewed by inmates across the country as recovery tools. He is CEO of Break Through Recovery Services, author of Bibliotherapy and Journaling as Recovery Tools for African Americans with Substance Use Disorders and Contributing author of Substance Use Disorders in African American Communities.
Roland Lamb has been working in the substance use disorders profession for over 45 years as counselor, therapist, supervisor, coordinator of addictive services, program director, trainer, lecturer, consultant, and administrator. For the last 15 years, Roland has been very involved in the development and implementation of integrated behavioral health models. For over 20 years, he has played a significant role, formerly under the leadership of Dr. Arthur C. Evans and currently under David T. Jones, in Philadelphia’s transformation to a recovery-oriented system of care (A model for the nation). Roland was honored in 2010 by the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, receiving the Nyswander/Dole award. In 2011, he was honored by Faces and Voices Of Recovery with the Vernon Johnson Award. In 2012, Roland received the Lucien Blackwell Award and was the keynote speaker for the Alcohol Recovery Conference in Sheffield, England. In 2013, Roland served as conference chair for the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence Conference held in Philadelphia. And in 2014, he was awarded the Caron Foundation’s Brian Early Award for Community Leadership.
2020
Michelle Alexander – Author of The New York Times Bestselling Book, The New Jim Crow. The book shed light on the Mass Incarceration of African Americans, the majority of whom were arrested for drug related offenses. The Book won numerous awards including The NAACP Image Award for Best Non-Fiction Book. The book ignited prison release advocacy throughout the nation and played a role in thousands of individuals being released from prisons for non-violent drug offenses.
Andre Johnson - Founder of Detroit Recovery Project. He has worked in addictions recovery arena for several decades. He is a leader in the Recovery oriented systems of care treatment and advocacy movements. His program is a model for the nation. Andre's reach is international. On behalf of The U.S. Presidents Emergency plan he provided expertise of HIV Prevention and addictions recovery in Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Tanzania. He has trained recovery coaches throughout the United States and is a frequent Keynote Speaker at Addictions Conferences. In 2013 he was the recipient of the Prestigious Vernon Johnson Award from Faces and Voices of Recovery. He is a member of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's National Advisory Council.
Ayana Jordan, MD, PHD - Dr. Jordan is an Assistant Professor at Yale and a physician at Connecticut Mental Health Center. She is committed to increasing access to addiction services within communities of color, both nationally and internationally. She has done research in Sierra Leone, West Africa examining the link between mental illness, substance use and stigma. Dr. Jordan is also working with Black Churches offering evidence based approaches to reduce substance use. She is author/co-author of The Opiate Crisis in Black Communities, Handbook of Motivation and Change, Motivational Interviewing for Clinical Practice and Religious Involvement and Racial Disparities in Opioid Use Disorders Between 2004-2005 and 2012-2013.
Joe Powell - CEO of Association of Persons Affected by Addictions, Dallas Texas. He is nationally renowned as one of the premier experts on peer recovery coaching. In 2010 he received the Vernon Johnson Award, which honors individuals who are standard bearers for putting a face and voice on recovery. According to Bill Moyers, "Joe is just as well known on the streets of Dallas by individuals in recovery that he has personally helped as he is in the hallways of state and federal government. Joe is a national advocate for reducing the stigma of addiction and the promotion of recovery.” He is author of Recovery Coaching with Homeless African Americans with Substance Use Disorders and Multiple Pathways of Recovery For African American Men.
William L. Mallory Sr. (Posthumous 1931-2013) Elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1966. He served for 28 years and was the first African American elected as the Ohio Majority Floor Leader. He sponsored over 600 pieces of legislation and created Ohio's first state wide drug prevention/treatment program, The Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program (UMADAOP). This program is a model for the nation offering recovery and prevention services, with locations in most major cities in Ohio.
Pastor Cecil William - Former Pastor of Glide Memorial Church and author of the book, No Hiding Place which describes perhaps the most well known African American Faith Based Drug Ministry he established at Glide Memorial Church, in San Francisco. Pastor Williams concluded that the war on drugs in the 1980's and 90's was really a war on men of color as the prison population continued to increase. The program at Glide Church consisted of 16 generations of African Americans working on various phases of recovery, help with employment and specialized services for men and women seeking recovery. He organized entire communities to March for Recovery. Glide Church and Pastor Williams were featured in the Movie, The Pursuit of Happiness, Starring Will Smith, Who played the role of Chris Gardner who sought shelter at the church and went from homelessness to multi-millionaire.
Dr. Stephen Taylor, MD, MPH - Dr. Taylor is in his 10th year as the Medical Director of The Players Assistance/Anti-Drug Program of The National Basketball Association (NBA) and The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), a program he designed and implemented. Dr. Taylor is a certified medical review officer and serves on the board of Directors of the Medical Officer Certification Council. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the international society of sports psychiatry.
2019
John Lucas II, was the first player selected in the 1976 NBA Draft. Lucas was cut from the Houston Rockets in 1986 due to behaviors related to his active addiction. In recovery he has spent nearly 3 decades providing recovery support, mentoring and coaching to professional basketball players who were suspended for violating the league’s drug policy. He coached and mentored them following their primary treatment experiences. It was said of the team of suspended athletes that he coached and mentored in the 1990's that they were talented enough to beat some NBA teams. During that era the NBA had a stigmatized reputation as a drug using league. Lucas's interventions played a major role in decreasing that stigma and saving careers. His interventions preceded our current movement towards the use of recovery coaches and recovery oriented systems of care. He shared his recovery story all over the country and encouraged NBA Stars like Michael Jordan to do prevention presentations for youth. His memoir is entitled, Winning A Day at A Time.
In Recovery Lucas became an NBA coach of the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggetts. He started a foundation and basketball camp in Houston Texas to help promising young basketball players succeed in life and sports. He is currently the player development coach of the Houston Rockets.
Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. Is currently the CEO Of the American Psychological Association. Prior to his work at the APA he was Commissioner of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disability Service. In this position he led a movement to realign the departments delivery model towards a public heath approach and a focus on recovery which improved behavioral health outcomes in the city of Philadelphia. Historian William White, MA called the work led by Dr. Evans, "A Recovery Revolution In Philadelphia!" People have made a "pilgrimage" from all over the world to learn how the city of Philadelphia successfully shifted from the acute care model towards a Recovery Oriented System of Care with Arthur's leadership. They have used the knowledge gained to begin to transform the systems they serve. In Philadelphia people in recovery now have a voice in all levels of programming. The slogan, "nothing about us, without us" is alive in Philadelphia. There are hundreds of murals throughout the city which tell stories of recover, abandoned buildings and warehouses have been transformed to recovery drop in centers and recovery homes, and multiple pathways of recovery options are available. They even have a recovery basketball league.
Dr. Evans has received numerous awards for his innovative work in the recovery arena, including, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's advocates for Action, The American Medical Association's top government award in heath care, and the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for his leadership in transforming Philadelphia's Behavioral Heath System.
Hattie Wash, Psy.D, CSADC CODP II has worked in behavioral health for 4 decades. She is a pioneer and leading expert in culturally Specific Treatment for African Americans with Substance Use Disorders. DR. Wash was one of the first Presidents of a Chapter of the National Black Alcoholism Council. She opened one of the first halfway houses in the nation for African American women seeking recovery during the heights of crack cocaine epidemic. Dr. Wash’s influence in the addictions field ranges from micro practice, advocacy, teaching, training, thought leadership, mentorship, writing and entrepreneurship.
As a micro-practitioner, leader and administrator Dr. Wash has specialized in medication assisted treatment and recovery, mental health, substance use disorders, and co-occurring disorders treatment with emphasis on Culturally specific programming in African American Communities. In 1988 Dr. Wash developed and published a culturally specific model designed for the treatment of African Americans with substance use disorders. The book is entitled, Culturally Specific Treatment: A model For The Treatment of African American Clients, revised in 2018. The model has been adopted by numerous organizations including EMAGES an organization founded by Dr. Wash which provides addictions, mental health, anger management and sex offender services. She has educated and mentored numerous professionals throughout the years.
Benneth Lee, MA, CADC, Benneth Lee is a leader in the addictions recovery, gang prevention/violence prevention, and prison reentry/advocacy movements. He is founder and Executive Director of The National Alliance For The Empowerment of The Formerly Incarcerated. Benneth's leadership and advocacy were apparent early in his life. As a leader of one of the 3 largest street gangs in Chicago, in the 1960's he and the leaders of the 3 gangs in collaborated with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to form LSD (Vice-lords, Stones, and Disciples). They successfully advocated for construction companies operating in African American Communities to hire African American construction workers. Benneth was incarcerated 15 of the first 30 years of his life for gang and drug related offenses. While incarcerated in the early 1980's he successfully organized inmates to stop cleaning the prison at "slave wages" until the prison re-instated educational and vocational programs which help the incarcerated rehabilitate.
Benneth celebrates 34 years of addictions recovery and has received numerous awards for his practice and advocacy for persons seeking recovery, transitioning from gangs, and reentering society from prison including: the Addictions Professional of the Year Award in Illinois, Johnson Institute Award for persons in recovery making a difference and the Project Safe Neighborhood award given by the FBI. Benneth currently organizes reentry circles to help persons leaving prison successfully return to society. He organizes voter registrations drives, negotiates gang truces and helps gang members leave gangs. He has been described as a man who could "single-handedly stop a riot." A riveting spellbinding speaker, he has delivered presentations throughout the United States, Israel and Ghana, West Africa. His audiences include, judges, police and probation officers and addictions professionals. He teaches Sociology and Gang Intervention courses at Northeastern Illinois University and North Park College. He also Teaches Martin Luther King's approach to non-violence in Urban Communities. His story is chronicled in the book, Chicken Soup for The Recovering Soul and a recent TED Talk entitled, When Do Prisoners Wrongs End and Their Rights Begin?
Bakahia Reed Madison, PsyD, LCPC, CADC, Dr Madison is honored for her successful work in several arenas including: education, direct practice, leadership, board membership and advocacy. Currently, Dr. Madison is the Chair and Professor of Human Services and Substance Abuse Counseling Program at Oakton Community College. She is the former Director of Women’s and Children programs for one of the largest treatment center in Chicago Illinois. She co-founded the Illinois Coalition of Family Based Treatment. She served as a member of the National Family Based Director’s Coalition and Allies. She currently serves as an executive board member of the Women’s Committee of the Illinois Advisory Committee of Substance Use, Prevention, and Recovery. She was appointed to the Maternal Mortality Violent Crimes committee, and a member of the Illinois Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome committee.
As a National advocate, Dr. Madison has championed alternative sentencing for women with non- violent offenses and human trafficking victims; additionally, she advocated for pregnant and postpartum women (PPW) funding developed an advisory chapter to address shackling during labor and delivery, and low- income housing impacting women and young black males. Regionally, she has coordinated advocacy days in six states that addressed, substance use disorders treatment funding, mental health services, hate crimes, food insecurities, environmental injustices, and prison reform.
2018
Clara McBride-Hale (1905-1992) known as "Mother Hale" Clara founded Hale House in New York City. The home was a place for children who were prenatally exposed to heroin in the 1960' and 70's, and for children exposed to cocaine in the 1980's and 90's and children born HIV Positive. Clara's father died when she was young. Her mother died when she was 16, leaving Clara orphaned. She finished high school and married Thomas Hale who soon died of cancer leaving Clara to care for their 3 small children. It seems that through her experiences of loss she found her purpose, to mother thousands of children who needed to be cared for.
Malcolm X (Malcolm Little, el-Hagg Malik el-Shabazz, 1925-1965) the noted Human Rights activist, recovered from addiction through his conversion to Islam. Malcolm viewed addiction among African Americans as a failed escape from oppression and championed assertive outreach to African Americans with Addictions in communities and prisons (a practice he referred to as "fishing for the dead") to rescue African American men and women addicted to alcohol and other drugs. His Autobiography, Malcolm X has inspired scores of African Americans to recover.
H. Westley Clark is the former Director of The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Under Dr. Clark's leadership we witnessed some of the greatest innovations in Addictions treatment and recovery. He helped create the Recovery Community Services Programs, which involved peer to peer recovery support. He was involved in the development of Recovery Oriented Systems of Care, and the Presidential Faith Based Initiative Access to Recovery. During his tenure CSAT championed programs which addressed the needs of under-served and under-represented communities, including: persons with co-occurring disorders; HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C; military families; persons in rural and urban settings; LGBQ, gender and racial/ethinic disparities. Dr Clark was also a leader in the medication assisted treatment arena. He led a movement which led to 12,000 doctors becoming certified to administer Buprenorphine.
Danny K. Davis, The U.S. Congressman from Illinois co-authored a bill in congress to expunge the records of non-violent offenders. Many of these offenders were incarcerated for felony convictions for drug related offenses. Congressman Davis is a champion for challenges which impact African American communities, including: mental illness, unemployment, homelessness and addictions. He leads an annual recovery walk on the westside of Chicago during Recovery Month.
Lonnetta Albright, former Executive Director of the Great Lakes Addiction Technology Transfer Center (GLATTC). Under her leadership GLATTC helped affiliate states shift from an acute care model of addictions treatment towards recovery management and recovery oriented systems of care. Her decision to publish numerous monographs on these subjects played a major role in a worldwide Recovery Revolution. As a result of her leadership, the field of addictions treatment and recovery will never be the same. In addition to her impact on recovery, Lonnetta has impacted the addictions field by mentoring numerous emerging leaders.
2017
The Hall of Fame Committee has selected three professionals for the 2017 class. The professionals selected includes: Brother Earl Cannamore (Post Humanus, 1995) for his outstanding contributions to addictions recovery in the African American Community through his educational videos which have been viewed nationwide for over two decades; Carl C. Bell, M.D. for contributions to the field through innovative approaches to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome prevention and intervention strategies; Ijeoma Achara-Abraham, PsyD a worldwide leader in shifting the addictions field from the acute care model towards a recovery oriented system of care. You can scroll down to learn more about these outstanding professionals.
Ijeoma Achara- Abraham, PsyD is one of the nations foremost experts in helping to shift the addictions field from the acute care models towards a Recovery Oriented System of care. An approach that support recovery across the life span, is culturally sensitive and anchored in the natural environment. Ijeoma served on the faculty of Yale University and was Director of Strategic Planning for the Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services for the City of Phiadelphia. Ijeoma is a consultant to whole states, helping to transform their behavioral health programming systems wide.
Brother Earl Cannamore (1995), the career of Earl Cannamore was influenced by the work of the late, great Father Joseph Martin, a Jesuit Priest who helped reduce the stigma of addiction through his public testimony of recovery as a priest and his renowned educational videos on addictions, the "Chalk Talk Series." Earl once stated, "I chose the name Brother Earl because I was inspired by Father Martin. His videos were called, Chalk Talk. My first video was called, Street Talk to reflect the black urban population I worked with." Earl Cannamore created a number of educational videos that have been utilized in treatment centers and prisons nationwide for the past two decades. His videos include: Street Talk; What Problem; Recovery The Gift; Cocaine Monkey; Goodbye Cocaine and Our Father.
Dr. Carl C. Bell, M.D. has impacted addictions prevention, intervention and recovery for over 30 years. First, through his groundbreaking research on the impact of community violence on African American youth and intervention strategies. His work was ahead of the field in that we are just now learning about the link between trauma and substance use disorders and the need for early interventions to address trauma. He has done extensive work both in the written form and in speeches describing mental health and substance abuse protective factors within African American Communities. Perhaps his most important contribution to the addictions field thus far is his direct practice as a psychiatrist and writings on the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and intervention strategies in African American Communities.
2016
Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), who played a pivotal role in the abolition of slavery in the United States, was also a leading temperance advocate. Douglass viewed ritualized drunkenness (drinking contests for slaves hosted by slave masters) as part of the machinery of slavery and viewed sobriety as a key strategy in the emancipation and full citizenship of African-Americans.
Andrea Barthwell, M.D., FASAM, is founder and CEO of Two Dreams addiction treatment program. She is a former president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and served as Director of Demand Reduction at the office of the National Drug Control Policy under President George W. Bush.
Peter Bell, an early advocate for addressing the special needs of African Americans within addiction treatment in the Unites States, co-founded and, for fifteen years, served as executive director of the Institute on Black Chemical Abuse. He is the author of Chemical Dependency and the African American, The Black Alcoholic: Growing Up Black and Proud (A Substance Abuse Prevention Curriculum for African Americans) and Cultural Pain and African Americans.