Leadership

Mary Jo McMillen
Executive Director
Mary Jo is well recognized for her leadership and advocacy work with state and local governments, treatment agencies, healthcare entities, and community partners, promoting public awareness about substance use disorders and recovery through listening to people with lived experience.
In 2007 Mary Jo joined a group of colleagues and people in recovery to establish USARA as a non-profit advocacy organization. In 2010 she became the Executive Director and USARA became a statewide peer-run Recovery Community Organization (RCO). In 2011, with the support of community partners and the Board of Directors, she opened Utah’s first Recovery Community Center in Salt Lake County.
Mary Jo is most proud of USARA’s dedicated team of Peer Recovery Coaches, Family Recovery Coaches, volunteers, and administrative staff that have developed and implemented non-clinical Recovery Support Services and best practices for peer coaching and family support. USARA’s entire staff collaboratively works with local community leaders, government entities, treatment providers, healthcare clinics, hospitals, public health, courts, jails and probation services, homeless shelters, and others to help individuals and family members connect with resources they need to support recovery from addiction. There is a saying she learned in early recovery that holds true for her and others today, “What we can’t do alone, we can do together.”
“My recovery has blessed me with an amazing life. I have a loving family, a rock-solid marriage of 30+years, two beautiful grown daughters, dogs past and present, countless dear friendships, an amazing recovery community, and the best job ever!”

Becca Brown
Education & Training Director
Prior to joining USARA, Becca dedicated over 15 years in the Social Services sector, cultivating a specialty in Career & Life Coaching for individuals with significant disadvantages. In Early 2015 Becca joined USARA’s team and now serves as the Education & Training Director, working toward the vision of statewide Recovery Services that are accessible to all who desire.
In her free time, Becca loves to read and write. However, her greatest pride & joy in life is her family. She treasures the gift of watching her children thrive and loves going on adventures with her husband, children, and fur-son, Yoshi.

Lisa Walker
Operations Director

Marcie Gray
Program Manager

Riley Drage
Peer Recovery Coach

Evan Done
Development Director
Evan is a person in long-term recovery from both a substance use and mood disorder and has been on USARA’s staff since April 2017. With over ten years of experience in social justice advocacy, he is dedicated to creating a more equitable and sustainable world.

Mark Morgan
Program Manager
Mark has been working in the field of addiction since February of 2004, bringing his extensive experience in working with individuals and families to promote recovery in our community. Mark has been instrumental in program management with starting treatment programs in Orem, Taylorsville, and Salt Lake City. He has a proven record for successful community outcomes in the areas of education, outreach, marketing, and client satisfaction. He served five years on the Board of UATOD-Utah Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence and was able to bring awareness in the community to the growing national problem of substance use disorders. In addition to maintaining an ASUDC in good standing, Mark was appointed to the DOPL board as a Substance Use Disorder Board Member in October 2018.
Practicing a solution-focused style, Mark has demonstrated a passion for helping individuals get into recovery and treatment. By seeing the best in each individual, he helps them find inner strength and self-identification solutions that guide them toward their goal of recovery.
A successful graduate of SLC Drug Court, Mark has maintained involvement with alumni in Drug Court leadership.
Mark is a proud University of Utah alumnus with a degree in Organizational Communication. He enjoys sports, reading and black and white movies.
Administrative Support

Teresa Kim
Administrative Coordinator
In her free time, Teresa enjoys spending time in the outdoors with family, friends, and of course, dogs.
Salt Lake County Staff



Adriel Hanson
Peer Recovery Coach
Adriel has been volunteering with USARA and YPR since the beginning of his recovery journey. His experience is in executive management, recruiting, job placement, and more recently working at an inpatient and sober living facility. His long term goal is to start an inclusive adolescent treatment facility for those impacted by substance use disorder, trauma, and mental health issues. He is excited and passionate about using his lived experience to help others in long term recovery.
He is married with 3 boys, and has a passion for YPR, SMART, and sharing his lived experience with others seeking recovery. In his spare time, he loves to go on road trips with his family, as well as camp, hike, and watch movies.

Christy Smart
Peer Recovery Coach
In Christina’s free time she likes to spend time with her family, her fur baby Athena, exploring nature as well as painting. She lives a life full of happiness today and loves being involved in her recovery community.

Tiffany Naccarato
Peer Recovery Coach

ARCHES

Mitchel Staheli
Peer Recovery Coach
Mitchel believes that in recovery you should build a life worth living. He has learned how to be a father in recovery and someone people are able to rely on. This attitude has also given him the ability to graduate from Dixie State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Accounting and go on to pursue a Masters Degree in Business Administration at Western Governors University. He decided to find a route to help people realize that there is life after addiction and found USARA.
In his free time Mitchel enjoys riding dirt bikes and his street bike, snowboarding, repelling, going on trips, and always trying something new. He loves hanging out with his family and watching the kids grow up and grow into their own personalities.

Jesse Rich
Peer Recovery Coach

Karissa MacDonald
Peer Recovery Coach

Jareth Williams
Peer Recovery Coach
Jareth wants to be able to give back the same support to the recovery community that he received when he first began his journey.
Jareth has two beautiful daughters that are his world. Some of his hobbies include: D&D, Magic the Gathering, video games, reading fantasy books, and going on walks.
CRAFT Family Support

Darlene Schultz
Family Support Coordinator
Darlene is a wife, mother, and a proud Grandma to two very special kids. She lost her son, Adam, to an overdose in 2012, yet continues to change the hearts and minds of people with negative perception toward substance use disorders. She has proven herself to USARA through her deep sense of purpose and commitment to the CRAFT Family Support Group.

John Garbett
Family Support Facilitator

Leslie Conklin
Family Support Trainer/Facilitator
Ogden/Weber County Staff

T. Zachariah Rasmussen
Peer Recovery Coach
Price/Carbon County Staff

Shirley Wayman
Peer Recovery Coach
Shirley is enthusiastic to break down stigma and to discuss that everyone’s pathway to recovery is as individual as they are.

Mersades Morgan
Peer Recovery Coach
Mersades prides herself on her passion for helping others out of the hopelessness and depths of addiction. Prior to joining USARA, Mersades has experience working in an inpatient treatment facility where she was Head of Employee Experience and Lead Recovery Advocate working one-on-one with individuals. Mersades also facilitates a weekly Dharma Recovery group at USARA. Her goal is to advocate and empower those that have been affected by addiction. Mersades has a beautiful family of four that she cherishes and credits much of her success to their love and support.
Moab/Grand County Staff

Lanette Denton
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery is the most important thing in her life, it enables her to maintain her family and the things that are important to her. Lanette’s gratitude seems like a never ending stream and when she wakes up each day to the blessing of having her children with her, a safe home for them, and heading out to a job she loves that allows room for not only helping others; but a space where she can learn as an individual, a woman, and a mother.
She says, “I feel like I have everything that I have ever wanted. I will be celebrating another year in long term recovery in July of this year. I want to shout out to the world that recovery is possible and to never give up!”

Heidi Fuger
Peer Recovery Coach
She not only found herself, but also purpose through volunteering to run recovery meetings, helping with recovery day and family fun nights, and being involved in USARA and other recovery community events, both in and out of town.
She is an active member in 12 step meetings, has 2 beautiful daughters and strives to be a positive role model for all those she comes in contact with. She has a passion for helping others find what she found through USARA and that is empowerment, support, and encouragement. And hope is what we create! We DO recover!!
St. George/Southwest Utah Staff

Marcie Gray
Program Manager

Ben Martinez
Peer Recovery Coach
A Saint George native, Ben enjoys all the wonder that Southern Utah has to offer. He enjoys hiking, climbing, and camping in the natural beauty that surrounds Saint George. He is also passionate about live music and comedy, and can be found at a live show from Vegas to SLC on any given weekend. Ben’s biggest joy in life would be his dog, if his landlord would let him have one.

Crystal Randall
Peer Recovery Coach