BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our organization can only succeed by the dedication and passion of our Board of Directors. Our Board consists of individuals in recovery, friends and family members, and allies with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences from all over the state of Ohio.
If you are interested in joining the OCAAR Board of Directors please complete an OCAAR Board of Directors Application and submit it along with a current resume or Curriculum Vitae to: moneill@oca-ohio.org
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Candice Greenwade
Chair
Candice Greenwade is a visionary leader in the field of education who is committed to the needs of youth and families. She serves as Executive Director and Head of School for Heartland High School.
She was previously the Director of Youth and Family Services at the Columbus Urban League, where she was responsible for overseeing economic opportunities and community change for public system reform. Under her leadership, she pioneered a summer-work program for inner-city youth and developed strategies and systems to ensure economically challenged youth were provided stability and opportunities.
Candice’s previous work in behavioral health allows her to have a unique perspective when meeting with Heartland’s students and families. At Pomegranate Health Systems Acute Hospital and Center for Psychiatry, she lead the Community Psychiatric Supportive Treatment team. Prior to her tenure at Pomegranate, she served as a Treatment Manager at Pastoral Counseling Service of Summit County. Candice also served as the Educational Director at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, and as an Academic Advisor for the Strive for Excellence Program at her alma mater, the University of Akron.
Tom Gregoire, PhD
Board Director
Tom Gregoire, is finishing his 13th and final year as Dean of the College of Social Work for The Ohio State University. After beginning recovery from substance use disorder over 43 years ago, Tom put his passion to work as a counselor and administrator of treatment programs, and into furthering his education. Upon completing his MSW and then PhD in Social Work, his journey took a turn into academia where he knew he could have a broader impact by helping to educate those who would be working to heal people with addiction. After leaving the dean’s office Tom will return to research and teaching as a member of the faculty at the College of Social Work where he has worked since 1996. Tom is an avid practitioner and proponent of mindfulness as a tool for enhancing well-being and supporting recovery. He is married to Carolann, and they have two adult children, Eric, and Paul. Tom and Carolann enjoy traveling on their motorcycle, having ridden in 42 states so far. Their home is made more joyful by Oskar and Pippin, two loving, grateful, and occasionally brilliant, rescued dogs. Recovery Works!!
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Kathy Elson
Board Director
Kathy Elson MS, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, MAC, SAP is an Associate Professor in the Mental Health and Addiction Services Department at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH. She has worked in direct care for over 25 years and in education for the past 14 years. She is the lead faculty member for the Addiction Services degree at Sinclair and is responsible for ensuring the curriculum meets the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board requirements for eligibility for licensure in Ohio. She has special interest in the development of students in recovery and how to integrate personal experiences with professionalism. Elson is the most recent past president of the International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education (INCASE), and a member of NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals.
Molly O’Neill, CEO
As CEO of Ohio Citizen Advocates for Addiction Recovery (OCAAR) Molly is focused on giving voice to people in recovery at all levels of policy creation and implementation across Ohio. She provides technical assistance and training for Peer Supporters and people with lived experience who are working to start Recovery Community Organizations in Ohio.
Molly has spent the last three decades enhancing the quality and quantity of recovery options for individuals impacted by addiction. With the understanding that addiction is a progressive and fatal illness, she is determined to break down the implicit bias people hold regarding substance use disorders, so that people can access help without shame.
Prior to moving to Columbus and establishing her consulting practice, Molly served for seven years as President & Chief Executive Officer of First Call Alcohol/Drug Prevention & Recovery, one of the earliest affiliates of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, which provides prevention and recovery services to over 20,000 individuals in the Kansas City area annually.
Before joining First Call, Molly spent 14 years as President & CEO of Friendship House/Catherine’s Place, where she established and developed a safe and supportive living environment in which women and women with children learn to live sober and become economically self-sufficient.
She was a founding team member of Women’s Recovery Center in 1989, the first substance use disorder treatment program for women and children in Kansas.
In 2004 Molly formed the Family Recovery Coalition, a collaboration or behavioral health organizations that designed the Community CareLink, a certified electronic behavioral health record; web-based technology for a health information exchange.
Molly’s volunteer efforts have been spent as an advisory board member for the KU School of Social Welfare and the Little Sisters of the Poor of Kansas City. As well as numerous other boards positions including the Kansas City Actors Theatre, Community Resource Network and Missouri Association for Social Welfare. She was the president of Greater Kansas City Chemical Abuse Council and a founding member of the board of directors of Amethyst Place, in Kansas City, MO.
She received a BS in Interdisciplinary Social Science from Kansas State University.
Team
The OCAAR team is small but mighty! We wear many hats and get up to lots of shenanigans! Advocating on behalf of people seeking and in recovery from substance use disorders can be heavy, so we find it necessary to make time to be silly and have fun! We dare you to join us!
