WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (PRWEB)
August 13, 2020

The Board of Directors of the Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI) has named The Rev. Jan M. Brown as Chief Executive Officer of GRI. Prior to her appointment as CEO in July 2020, she was Executive Director of SpiritWorks Foundation Center for the Soul, a recovery community organization based in Virginia. She succeeds Cathie Hartnett, who remains a GRI board member and is committed to generating philanthropy that builds recovery support services for all who need them.

In making the announcement, Board Chair Pamela Cytron said, “Jan’s academic training, personal experience and intersectional lens makes her the ideal executive to lead GRI as we help remove barriers to recovery so that the 21 million people in the U.S. with substance use disorders can access the support they need. Just as important, her assuming this role could not come at a more critical time. Covid-19 has exacerbated the social isolation, economic strain and emotional stress that communities in recovery are experiencing. I could not be more pleased that Jan will be leading our team, and I am immensely proud to welcome her to GRI.”

Background on Jan Brown:

Jan is a certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist, a Recovery Coach and an international scholar on addiction studies. She has been an addiction educator and public speaker for more than 20 years, focusing on recovery, faith and the role of the church in addiction and recovery. In addition, she serves as a consultant to the U.S. government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Faces and Voices of Recovery, a non-profit organization dedicated advocacy and education for people in recovery. In 2014, she was appointed by the Governor of Virginia’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse. She has been in addiction recovery for 33 years.

In addition to her role at GRI, Jan serves as an ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church, and Archdeacon of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, where she currently serves at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, VA. She was appointed by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church to serve on its Commission on Impairment and Leadership. She has also been featured in the Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery as one of the pioneers making a difference in promoting resistance to and recovery from alcohol and other drug problems.

Jan received her Master of Science Degree in Addiction Studies in 2018 from the International Programme on Addiction Studies program conferred simultaneously by three universities: King’s College, London; the University of Adelaide, Australia; and Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned her B.A. in psychology from the College of William and Mary.

About GRI:

The Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI) is the first and only national community foundation dedicated to building philanthropy for organizations that deliver recovery support services to people with SUD.

GRI funds the expansion of organizations that have demonstrated success in:

• Deploying public, private, and pop culture resources to strengthen the field of recovery;
• Engaging philanthropy leaders to invest in nonprofit, recovery-focused programs and making grants in local communities throughout the United States; and
• Reducing the stigma around SUD and recovery.

For more information, visit: https://globalrecoveryinitiatives.org/

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