Meet the team:
M.Ed., CSAC, CPRS
Sandy is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Roads to Recovery. Her personal recovery is through lived experience as a family member of loved ones with addictions, mutual help programs, individual therapy, and daily reading and meditation practice. She is committed to providing help and support for family and friends because, “we are often so focused on the person with addiction that we don’t realize how distorted our own thinking and reality have become. We need treatment and recovery support as much as our loved ones with SUDs. “Sandy has over 30 years of experience in substance use disorder counseling, prevention, program development, management and supervision, teaching and training, all levels of care, and agency administration. Sandy is also a trainer and consultant statewide for peers and professionals in stigma fighting, advocacy and recovery management for people with substance use disorders, recovery-orientated systems of care, and peer leadership training. Sandy has taught courses in Counselor Identity, Function and Ethics, Substance Abuse Counseling along with being a regular presenter at State Addiction Conferences in VA, WV, and TN. Sandy is a CPRS (Certified Peer Recovery Specialist) and a CSAC (Certified Substance Abuse Counselor) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Lynchburg College. She enjoys hiking, biking, music, theater, reading, and time with family and friends.
B.S., R-CPRS
Mark began his journey in recovery as a peer in our Monroe house back in 2016. Shortly after, he brought
his knowledge of finance to the team as a part-time accounts payable clerk. Since 2018, Mark has been overseeing all of Roads to Recovery finances and was made Chief Administrative Officer in January of 2020. Also, a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and state trainer for peer specialists, Mark enjoys the coaching he does with our peers, helping them to repair and rebuild their finances so that they can meet their goals for the future. Mark also enjoys delivering professional and community workshops, where sharing the possibilities recovery brings, is a passion of his.
CPRS, i-FPRS
Bryon is a person living in long-term recovery. He didn’t think this was possible until he came to Roads to Recovery in June of 2016 and enrolled in the residential program. He was astonished by the fact that no one at R2R judged him by his past. Instead, they wrapped their arms around him and gave him hope for the future that he never thought possible. He lived in our Monroe house until November of 2017, learning the tools necessary to live a life in recovery from substances, getting the support essential to receive the help he needed to live a life in recovery from a severe mental illness, and establishing lasting relationships with others in recovery. R2R saved his life and showed him that there are people in our society that see substance use and mental health disorders as diseases that need to be treated with love and compassion. Things have come full circle for Bryon as now he is the Chief Operating Officer for R2R. He is honored to be a member of a team that lives out recovery every single day.
M.S., CPRS, NCC, LPC-R
James is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and a Certified SMART Recovery Facilitator who coaches individual peers and facilitates several groups including Building Recovery Capital Group twice each week. James began with Roads to Recovery in August, 2015. James was born and raised in Lynchburg and has been in recovery since April 2014. James holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from VCU and is pursuing his master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, also from VCU. In his spare time James can be found exercising or reading.
My name is David Lewis and I am a person in long-term Recovery. I work for Roads to Recovery as a Peer Recovery Specialist and a Program Coordinator. I came to Roads to Recovery as a peer on October 9th, 2018. I came here trying to recover from substance use disorder. I've attempted to stay sober multiple times, but was not successful. After being admitted into Roads, my life almost instantly got better! I got back into recovery support groups, I started working, and then I started pursuing my career as a Peer Support Specialist. Now, I work here helping others trying to sustain long term sobriety! My life has changed tremendously for the better since I've made R2R a part of my family. My dream and goal is to do the same for others!
CPRS, i-FPRS
My name is Kylee Howes and I am living in long-term recovery. After being in recovery for a while I felt like something was missing until coming to Roads to Recovery.
Helping peers find recovery and eliminating the stigma of addiction is a passion of mine. Thanks to Roads to Recovery I now get the opportunity to do that every day.
In my spare time, I enjoy nothing more than being with family, friends, and my fur babies.
I came to Roads to Recovery in 2019 not sure what to expect and scared. I have struggled with substance use disorder my entire life. I was greeted with "welcome home." It has been just that ever since! The team at Road to Recovery, that I call family now gave me all the support I needed to not only recover but to succeed. After one year I became the house manager of our Rivermont house. I am now a full-time certified peer recovery specialist, living my dream by giving back what was given to me!
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