Congratulations to the 2020 Best Addiction Professional Winners!

Winner: Stefanie Robinson, Ohio Guidestone

Bio and Acknowledgment:

Stefanie Robinson Medina, Ohio native and Medina High School graduate, Stefanie calls Medina, Ohio her home with
husband, Jon, and 2 children, Jacob and Piper. After a seemingly successful career in corporate America, Stefanie found herself struggling. On the outside, she had it all together but behind the mask and behind closed doors she was battling a life-threatening eating disorder, drug addiction and alcoholism. In 2008, she spent 90 days in rehab and found freedom in recovery! She has been a voice and face of recovery ever since. Over the past 11.5 years Stefanie has sat on the boards for the Ohio Citizen Advocates for Addiction Recovery and Eating Disorder Advocates of Ohio. As a recovery advocate, she was named an Ohio Captain for the 2015 Facing Addiction National Rally in Washington DC. She has worked with Operation Keepsake as an addiction and relationship speaker and has worked with Robby’s Voice as a speaker and to assist in the development of their Family Matters Support group. As the owner and CEO of Simply Bold, a communications company, Stefanie spoke professionally for 7 years.  She shared her story with over 100,000 people through speaking engagements, TV appearances, radio interviews and magazine and newspapers stories. After seeing the addiction issues in her own community were not getting better but getting worse, Stefanie decided to take break from speaking and get trained as a recovery peer support specialist. In 2016, Stefanie was instrumental alongside the Medina County Adult Probation Department and the Medina County Court of Common Pleas in launching the Recovery Center of Medina County. In 2017, she was awarded the Cleveland Clinic Medina County Community Service Award for her leadership in the Medina Recovery Community. In 2018, the Medina County ADAMH Board awarded Stefanie the recovery advocate of the year award for her work in tackling the opiate epidemic in Medina County. She was featured as library book for the Medina County Human Library project in 2018 and 2019. Stefanie is currently the Executive Director of the Medina County’s first Recovery Community Organization, Hope Recovery Community. She is also the Medina County Peer Recovery Coordinator at Ohio Guidestone. Stefanie’s dedication to the recovery community is obvious as she gives a voice to those who have no voice and continues to lay the groundwork for innovative solutions to the current addiction epidemic.

Winner: Hazelbrook, Aurora CO

Bio and Acknowledgment:

Hazelbrook Sober Living is a recovery gem in the beautiful Denver Metro area of Colorado. It is a place of new habits, new friends, new family, and new beginnings. A place where men and women can feel safe without having to worry about the temptations of any drugs or alcohol, where they can be free to grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We pride ourselves in helping people attain LASTING SOBRIETY!

The way we do that is by showing people the grace of God and constantly setting the bar to provide quality recovery at affordable prices. Our entire program is ran by people in recovery, for people in recovery. We are always looking for latest and most effective evidence-based approaches and mainly, we just do our best to show people love! Our vision is, and has always been, “to help others so they can help others!”

We have beautiful homes both for men and women. Each of our homes has a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist on staff and we also have a Certified Nutritionist and Fitness Instructor as well! Our program cost is $730/month.
Come check us out!

We can be reached at 303-800-7009 or at www.hazelbrooksoberliving.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hazelbrooksoberliving/

Winner: Paul Hitchcock, Cathy’s House Sober Living

Bio and Acknowledgment:

I am incredibly honored, I truly am.
My name is Paul Hitchcock. I am 29 years old and incredibly grateful to be a part of such an amazing organization. Cathy’s House Inc. is such an incredible place to work. I have such a great support group, an absolutely incredible mentor within the organization, our Executive Director Jon Robinson. I grew up in Wadsworth Ohio, so it’s been very humbling to work in this field so close to home, here in Medina County. I am absolutely in love with the program of recovery. I work the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, I sponsor men myself. I truly find this field to be inspiring and so undeniably gratifying. I am blessed to experience first hand the lives of countless men and women being transformed. I love the recovery community. I believe in multiple pathways to recovery. I advocate in-patient treatment and self driven recovery. I love donating my very little free time to spread awareness of the disease of addiction and have had the honor of speaking at conventions and treatment centers etc. I am a father to my son Parker Michael, a boyfriend to his Mother Tori Sykes. My family is understanding and open to me being as dedicated as I am to helping the lives that suffer from this disease. I am truly honored and blessed to be recognized for work that I find to be so rewarding personally and so incredibly amazing. I am pursuing my dreams of being a certified Peer Support Specialist to continue to extend my hand and my heart and my will to bring others into the reality that help and support and the solutions do exist. My life is truly dedicated to this. I have been with Cathy’s House for two years now and I’m so happy to be a part of such an incredible place of help and new opportunity. I have loved and appreciated the addition of the One Step application and we’ve implemented every facet of the software and staff to our own policies and procedures. This software helps us tremendously.

Winner: Avenues NYC – New York

Bio and Acknowledgment:

Avenues NYC community members aren’t just residents, they’re family. At Avenues NYC, we encourage our residents to engage and support one another, creating meaningful bonds of friendship that can last a lifetime. By facing challenges and celebrating triumphs together, Avenues NYC residents learn the importance of community and fellowship, two crucial pillars of healthy growth. Avenues NYC: we grow together, learn together, and restore together.

Combining refined comfort, peaceful and serene surroundings, and purpose-driven support, Avenues NYC strives to assist men and women seeking a better way of life.

Avenues NYC is a network of luxury sober living environments offering custom-tailored support in the heart of Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood. Avenues NYC provides a comprehensive selection of supportive services to residential and offsite clients.

Winner: Tim McLeod, Sierra Tucson

Bio and Acknowledgment:

Tim McLeod joined the Sierra Tucson team as Alumni Coordinator in February 2001 and was named Director of Alumni Relations & Connect365 in May 2018. After struggling with addictions for 27 years, he came to Sierra Tucson for treatment in the fall of 1999. “I can honestly say that the ‘Promises’ of the program have continued to unfold,” he says. Tim also attended the Sierra Tucson Family Program when a family member entered treatment. His experience and empathy give him a deep passion for supporting Sierra Tucson alumni. His personal mission statement: encourage the struggling; celebrate the miracles, and always bring the love.
Tim lives in Kansas and directs Sierra Tucson’s Alumni Relations. He offers encouragement to others in recovery through follow-up phone calls, facilitating workshops, assistance with local Alumni Support & Continuing Care Groups, and the Alumni eNews, “Beyond the Miracle.”

Winner: Jamie Vinck MC, LPC, NCC Chief Executive Officer, Sierra Tucson

Bio and Acknowledgment:

Successfully operating Acadia Healthcare’s Flagship behavioral health facility, Jaime Vinck, MC, LPC, NCC, is the second female CEO at internationally-renowned Sierra Tucson. An industry advocate, she speaks nationally and internationally on trending topics including: Suicide, Addiction & Depression –It’s Complicated, Compassion Fatigue and Provider Resilience, The Importance of Collaboration When Treating Co-Occurring Disorders and at the All-Party Parliamentary Meeting, House of Commons, Today’s Marijuana and the Addiction Treatment Experience.

Successfully operating Acadia Healthcare’s flagship behavioral health facility, Jaime Vinck, MC, LPC, NCC, is the second female CEO at internationally-renowned Sierra Tucson. Jaime has introduced groundbreaking outcomes measurement and recovery programs that have earned the facility top recognition within and outside the industry. One of those programs, Connect365, provides support through an industry-leading app that helps individuals stay connected and engaged, while also providing one-on-one access to their own personal nationally-certified recovery coach. Also under her leadership, Sierra Tucson initiated the Red, White & Blue Program for military and first responder trauma recovery; the Voice the Legacy Program, created to help residents struggling with the loss of a loved one who died by suicide; the Licensed Professional Program; and relaunched a Comprehensive Assessment Program, which offers a special five-day assessment that harnesses Sierra Tucson’s experts to provide insight and answers for previously unsolved behavioral health issues. In addition, she worked with the Sierra Tucson team to implement “Visible Hands,” a resident safety and accountability technology platform utilizing Bluetooth technology. Jaime oversaw a major campus extension at Sierra Tucson with the building of Copper Sky. The 30,000- square-foot building opened May, 2019 and offers both residential and outpatient services for high-acuity patients with severe mental illness. As the first major expansion at Sierra Tucson in a decade, Copper Sky was built with Jaime’s unique perspective of how a therapeutic environment can help patients progress safely toward recovery with a focus on concentrated and customized care. In addition, Copper Sky is home to Chrysalis Crossing, a state-of-the-art detoxification and psychiatric stabilization hospital with 24-hour nursing care designed to build a trusting relationship with each substance abuse patient as they stabilize to prepare to move to residential care. Jaime has been recognized as a mentor to women in leadership positions both internally at Sierra Tucson and within the industry. She was named Licensed Professional Champion as part of the 2018 Women of Influence Awards sponsored by Inside Tucson Business and in 2019 was named as one of Arizona’s Most Influential Women by AZ Business Magazine. Jaime has regularly been named one of the top leaders in Arizona in both healthcare and behavioral health, and in 2018, was elected to the Board of Directors of NAATP, the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. While Jaime speaks to industry professionals to advance information, education, and innovation within the recovery field, she also is an adept spokesperson bringing the message of recovery through national consumer media with recent interviews on National Public Radio, and in U.S. News & World Report, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Holistic Horse and Human Resources Executive Magazine. Often sought out for her expertise, she is frequently quoted in local and industry publications as well, and her dedication to helping educate the local community on behavioral health struggles has resulted in frequent interviews on a variety of topics. Her segment on Mental Health Radio, KGUN 9, on functioning alcoholics became the most downloaded show in the station’s history. In addition, she has written articles for GRAND Magazine on holiday stress and has been a contributor to articles on both LIVESTRONG.com and SheKnows.com.

Previously, as chief operations officer and chief clinical officer, she led strategic initiatives to improve clinical quality and advance Sierra Tucson’s specialized treatment services. As a result, Sierra Tucson gained national recognition with the 2016 Organizational Achievement Award, the highest award bestowed by NADAAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. Jaime is also the founder of Hoofprints to Healing™, an equine psychotherapy program targeted at addressing the emotions underlying addiction. Her passion for horses and their role in behavioral health solutions has been instrumental in expanding Sierra Tucson’s equine-assisted therapy program, which is part of the facility’s integrative therapies used to treat depression, addiction, trauma, complex pain, and cooccurring disorders. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers and 10,000 beds and is an Advisor for the Center for the Advancement of Recovery Excellence (CARE). Jaime holds a bachelor’s degree in employee relations from Michigan State University; and a master’s degree in professional counseling from Ottawa University.

Winner: Lloyd Fitzsimmons, Mountainside

Bio and Acknowledgment:

Lloyd Fitzsimmons worked in finance, construction and the service industry before his own personal addiction recovery journey brought him to the addiction field where he has worked for the past 6 years. After doing client support and recovery coaching for a premier sober living, he served as their Vice President for 2 years before moving on to doing business development for treatment centers. Lloyd currently represents Mountainside in New York City and is very passionate about connecting professionals and helping families. In his free time Lloyd loves to hang with his dog Evie. A recent recipient of Mountainside’s Best in Class award, he is honored to accept this award from One Step!

I’m very lucky to be able to represent Mountainside in the 5 Boroughs and am always happy to help connect folks with mental health, addiction or eating disorder resources anywhere in the city whether or not it’s a Mountainside client.

Winner: High Watch Hope House, Warren CT

Bio and Acknowledgment:

High Watch Recovery Center is dedicated to seeing the disease of addiction go into remission for each individual who passes through our door. The caring team at High Watch provides compassionate care to every patient. We integrate the latest breakthroughs in addiction medicine alongside the spiritual teachings of AA’s 12 Steps. Through these teachings and treatments, we offer patients the tools and foundation to live sober after leaving High Watch.

Winner: Rick Hubbard, Corporate Director of National Business –

Origins Behavioral Healthcare

Bio and Acknowledgment:

Rick Hubbard – Corporate Director of National Business Development and Referral Relations for Origins Behavioral Healthcare
Rick began working in the addiction treatment industry in 2002 and has significant experience in multiple aspects of treatment administration including admissions, utilization review, marketing, referent relations and business development. Rick is a trained intervention specialist with over 14 years of sobriety. His extensive professional and personal experience has empowered the recovery of many patients and families from the horrors of addiction and has helped hundreds of individuals find a new way to live. Rick brings to Origins a strong background in finance and real estate, which includes many years ‎as an executive in commercial banking and real estate lending for one of the largest independent bank holding companies in Texas.

Winner: Dr. John Dyben, DHSc, MCAP, CMHP – Chief Clinical Officer –

Origins Behavioral Healthcare

Bio and Acknowledgment:

With his multi-faceted experience and leadership in the substance use disorder treatment field, John brings a remarkable skill set of pastor, counselor, clinical manager, teacher and respected expert to Hanley. In his role as Chief Clinical Officer, John provides supervisory and clinical oversight to all of Origins Behavioral HealthCare’s programs. John continually builds upon his academic expertise through research and nationwide speaking engagements on addiction, spirituality and related topics.

John’s academic training includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master of Arts in Conflict Management, a Master of Science in Management, a Doctor of Health Science, and postgraduate studies in psychology, philosophy and religion. John is a Master Certified Addictions Professional and a Certified Mental Health Professional in the State of Florida. He is an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Substance Abuse Professional meeting all Federal DOT qualifications. John is a musician, writer and a private pilot, and he enjoys spending time with his family.

Hear Dr. Dyben in a podcast: https://www.originsrecovery.com/dr-john-dyben/

Winner: The Dunes East Hampton

Bio and Acknowledgment:

The Dunes East Hampton staff has more than 350 years of collective sobriety. Our management and clinical staff members know, from their own experience, the fears, anxieties and resistance that drug and alcohol addicts face when confronted with having to go into a recovery facility.

We have found that clients recognize the sobriety our staff members enjoy and develop a sense of hope for themselves. Hope starts replacing the desperation, fears and denial that are so pervasive with addicts who are entering a recovery experience. With hope comes client open-mindedness and willingness to find solutions to their problems. The Dunes staff can then help clients quickly begin their path to recovery, and towards a full and satisfying addiction-free life.

Staff members know, from personal experience with recovery, the thoughts and triggers that tempt someone to relapse. They can share their own success as they deal with these same instances with clients. The “Power of Example” set by our staffers is the key that opens the door to enable our clients to benefit from the unique clinical protocols that Dr. Howard J. Shaffer has created for The Dunes East Hampton.