Meet Our Recovery Coaches!

Charlie

Charlie Olinger began his recovery journey on February 13, 2010 and he treasures all the ups and downs that have come with his journey because he truly knows what it means to spend the larger part of his life not feeling anything.

In addition to being a Certified Recovery Specialist, Charlie is the Program Director for the Housing and Transportation Department. He is responsible for providing transportation to individuals in need of Inpatient Treatment when no other transportation is available. During these rides, he is able to share some of his experiences with these individuals. He hopes that this personal connection will help them feel a little less anxious. He is also working with the agency on providing recovery housing to individuals in need. His role will ensure that the individuals are not only living in a safe and structured environment, but they will also work on their own recovery by building the coping skills to start their journey into this wonderful way of life.

Charlie has been a CRS since 2012 and throughout his time he has been able to meet some of the most remarkable people and help some of them find their inner strengths and use those strengths to build a life in recovery. He also connects them to local resources needed to reach the goals that they set for themselves.

Charlie says that it is an amazing feeling to have a family and someone you care about look to you for love, advice, strength, and hope. His recovery means everything to him because without it he would have lost everything he cares about, including himself.

Carrie

Carrie Meier started her journey into recovery on March 6, 2015. When she started her recovery process, she never expected to find herself working recovery, but this is where her amazing journey has led her.  Carrie started working in Recovery at a local half way house in 2017 and joined the RSS staff at LCDAC in 2019.  One of Carrie’s favorite things about working in Recovery is when she gets to sit down with a person who is struggling with addiction and help them understand what they are worth.

Carrie can usually be found in the outdoors and loves to kayak, swim, fish, and spend time with her loved ones.   She is thankful for those who have stuck by her side even when her disease was impacting their lives.

Deidra

Deidra Fornataro has been in recovery since April 18th, 2016. Her personal recovery afforded her the gifts of being a mother to five amazing children, a wife in a healthy marriage, a good friend, a daughter, and a family member who is present for those she loves.

Deidra is one of many on a team dedicated to helping deliver others from active addiction. She desires to help others who are trying to move forward in their recovery by helping them to set and achieve goals that will help them stay on the path to freedom from active addiction. She assists with everything from navigating recovery to helping those in recovery re-establish themselves in their families and communities. Deidra is honored to serve others who struggle the same way that she did in early recovery and strives to support and lift others up while also guiding them on the pathways of their choosing. To Deidra, Recovery Support means that we are in this together and that you are not alone and that’s exactly how she approaches her interaction with her clients.

She enjoys spending time at home with her family and continuing to discover who she is.

Matt

Although Matt has struggled with addiciton and everything that comes along with it since his early twenties, he is proud to say that he has been successfully recovering since February 24, 2016. Matt truly believes that actually doing the work and not just removing the alcohol and the drugs is the key to his, and others’, recovery. His focus is on changing behaviors and working on mental, as well as spiritual, recovery. Matt is a proponent for spiritual recovery and he advocates for meditation as part of recovery.  Matt is currently studying for and will soon obtain an instructor’s certification in meditation.

If you know Matt, you know that he is a music and book nerd (his words!) and he loves older classic horror films. His biggest inspiration for sticking with recovery is his daughter. Matt has dealt with multiple hip replacements since 2006, but the last one, which was in 2016, seems to have done the trick because he has reached a point where he can walk without a cane and is able to to work, albeit part time. Pushing through this tough time and prevailing encouraged Matt to pursue the Certified Recovery Specialist training.  He knew that he wanted to use his past and his knowledge to benefit others. Since starting his work in recovery, his life has changed so much for the better and continues to do so. He is grateful to LCDAC for giving him his first opportunity to work in recovery.  He cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Mildred

Mildred Boyd is a Certified Recovery Specialist with 24 years experience in the drug and alcohol field. She has been a Recovery Coach at LCDAC since 2009. Mildred has a passion for education, housing, and transportation for individuals in recovery.

The experience, strength and hope Mildred has gained from long term recovery, enables her to provide outreach, engagement, and support to individuals before, during, or after treatment.

Mildred’s perfect evening would consist of a dinner of honey mustard wings while watching game shows  followed by playing both board and card games. Mildred is well-known for long, loving hugs.

Shawn

Shawn Johnson has been in long-term recovery since November 2, 2013.  His personal recovery has afforded him a life he would have never thought possible just a few years ago.  Shawn’s recovery has led him to a life that consists of helping others, becoming a better father, friend, and an outstanding productive member of society.

Shawn found a passion for Recovery thanks to his own Recovery Support Specialist when he entered into recovery.  Shawn’s day as a Recovery Support Specialist includes meeting with clients, assisting them in various areas, formulating as well as achieving goals that have the potential to better their lives. He is honored to support and assist others on their journey in Recovery.  Through years of Recovery Coaching, Shawn truly has become a beacon of hope for people struggling with active addiction and a pillar in the recovery community.