KEYNOTE SPEAKER

FOUNDER OF PATH2REDEMPTION

Lester Young, Jr is a native of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. At the age of 19, Mr. Young was given a life sentence (with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years). During his time in prison, Lester struggled with finding redemption and often wondered what his purpose was. While journaling, he asked himself this question: “What is the footprint you want to leave in this world?” It was then that he realized his purpose was to be “that” voice to help at-risk youth. With the warden's approval, Lester, along with the prison chaplain, began meeting to develop outlines, programs, and classes to instruct and mentor fellow incarcerated individuals. This is where the idea of his non-profit organization, “Path2Redemption,” began. On May 15, 2014 (22 years and 5 months later), Lester was released on parole. Even after his release, the outlines of his programs are still being taught in prison. He also received a pardon from the South Carolina Probation and Parole Board in 2020.

HOST

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OPERATION GATEWAY

Philip Cooper is a Western North Carolina Native, an accomplished reentry expert, and a criminal justice reform advocate. He is the Founder and Chief Change Agent of Operation Gateway Inc., whose mission is to decrease recidivism by addressing the social determinants of health of returning citizens. He is the founder of Voices of Affrilachia, which is a state-funded initiative that addresses the behavioral health stigma in the Marginalized Communities of Western North Carolina. He is an MLK Service Award Recipient, the Attorney General’s Dogwood Award Recipient, he is the recipient of the 2024 Recovery Role Model Award for the Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, 2024 Innovator of the Year for SAMHSA, Neighborhood Builder for Bank of America, 2025 TIME Magazine CLOSER Honoree, Appalachian Leadership Institute Fellow, and Leading with Conviction Fellow with Just Leadership USA. He is an ambassador for Just Economics of WNC and is the Pastor of Friends of John Recovery Ministry. Philip believes that those closest to the problem are the closest to the solution and this is why he is fully committed to teaching people how to leverage their lived experience to change the world.

FEATURED SPEAKER FOR WHAT WORKS IN RE-ENTRY: APPLYING PROVEN INTEGRATED CARE MODELS TO JUSTICE - INVOLVED POPULATIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

CEO OF INTEGRATED CARE OF GREATER HICKORY

Dr. Richardson is the CEO and Clinical & Education Director of Integrated Care of Greater Hickory (ICGH), a multi-site provider delivering integrated behavioral health and addiction treatment services across inpatient and outpatient settings, along with recovery housing and peer support, throughout North Carolina. A nationally recognized expert in opioid use disorder and justice-involved care, Dr. Richardson has led numerous federal, state, and county initiatives and regularly advises policymakers and communities on evidence-based, community-engaged solutions to the opioid crisis.

INTERACTIVE PANEL DISCUSSION MODERATOR & PRESENTER FOR RURAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FREEDOM LIFE MINISTRIES

Danny Hampton has been serving people in need for over 40 years. In 2010 he began serving as a Community Funded Chaplain at the Marion Correctional Institution, where he served for 14 years. In 2012 he founded Freedom Life Ministries, a faith-based non-profit organization formed to serve the comprehensive pre- and post-release reentry needs of justice involved people. Since 2012, Danny has served as the Executive Director of Freedom Life while also serving as the Local Reentry Council Coordinator for McDowell County and the Regional Coordinator for Reentry Councils in Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties.

INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION: RURAL REENTRY PANELIST

RECOVERY ECOSYSTEMS COORDINATOR, OPERATION GATEWAY

Kelly Bowling serves as Operation Gateway’s Recovery Ecosystems Coordinator, where he leads implementation of the ACE Grant and advances advocacy, collaboration, and education across the recovery ecosystem. In support of Operation Gateway’s 2026 goal—that 100% of individuals seeking substance use disorder treatment can access care—Kelly works to build sustainable systems, identify service gaps, and drive meaningful social change. Central to this work is the mission to train and equip an army of recovery warriors making lasting community impact.

Kelly holds a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Duke University. After experiencing significant life trauma, he developed a substance use disorder that led to incarceration in South Carolina and later probation in North Carolina, which he successfully completed in July 2025. Kelly entered treatment in Asheville in August 2023, graduating from all levels at October Road. Since then, he has become a respected leader in the local recovery community, serving on the Board of the Asheville 12-Step Club. Guided by his faith in Jesus Christ, Kelly is deeply committed to service, recovery, and supporting justice-involved individuals through resource navigation and community outreach.

INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION: RURAL REENTRY PANELIST

CLIENT CARE/CASE MANAGER/NCCPSS

Chris is a Case Manager and North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist with Freedom Life Ministries, serving justice-involved individuals across Western North Carolina. With lived experience in recovery and reentry, he brings a faith-informed perspective that emphasizes accountability, restoration, and long-term stability. Chris’s work focuses on supporting sustainable life transformation by helping individuals move beyond crisis toward purpose, responsibility, and community connection. He is committed to advancing pathways that promote resilience, dignity, and lasting change.

WOMEN IN REENTRY: SHE ROSE PANELIST

DAC PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR FIRST AT BLUE RIDGE, INC.

Monica is a North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist and is trained to provide Mental Health FIRST Aid for individuals in crisis. She is a Drug Court Graduate with honors and has first-hand experience with many of the challenges faced in reentry.

Monica has worked at FIRST for five years, specializing in direct client care. She serves as the Vice Chair of the Buncombe County Reentry Council, has served at the Peer University at Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, and is a certified Recovery Coach. Currently, Monica works closely with Operation Gateway in Buncombe County and has established the first-ever Reentry Support Group for formerly incarcerated individuals with a history of substance use disorder. This group meets weekly to address the specific needs associated with individuals with SUD and face additional barriers with reentry.

Monica is a leader in the community and is passionate about peer and reentry support. She is well-versed in trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, motivational interviewing, and integrating case management models to recovery curricula designed to navigate clinical systems of care. Most importantly, Monica is a dedicated mother, wife, and mentor to the hundreds of individuals she helps each year. Averaging over two hundred unduplicated individuals annually at FIRST alone, Monica is an advocate and social connector for the reentry community in Western North Carolina. She hopes her work will have a lasting impact on the individuals she serves.

WOMEN IN REENTRY: SHE ROSE PANELIST

NCFIT CHW, OPERATION GATEWAY

Taylor Cayton brings lived experience, professional training, and a deep commitment to community transformation to her work in reentry advocacy. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Human Services and is a North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist and North Carolina Certified Community Health Worker. As a member of the Careers and Education Subcommittee Board in Buncombe County, North Carolina, she works to expand equitable pathways to education, employment, and long-term stability. Taylor believes that meaningful reentry begins on the inside, and when communities invest in restoration, accountability, and connection, lives are not only rebuilt — they are transformed.

ACCESS TO HOUSING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES PRESENTER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CALDWELL HOUSE

Ryan Carver is a recovery advocate and the Executive Director of The Caldwell House with lived experience in addiction, incarceration, and reentry. After seven trips to prison, Ryan found recovery and dedicated his life to helping others access treatment, resources, and second chances. He is a passionate voice for accountability paired with compassion and treatment-focused solutions that create lasting change for individuals and communities.

ACCESS TO HOUSING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES PRESENTER

SENIOR REENTRY COORDINATOR, OXFORD HOUSE NC

Jesse Wilson is the Senior Reentry Coordinator in North Carolina for Oxford House, Inc. Jesse plays a crucial role in managing the Oxford House Reentry Program, which focuses on assisting individuals in reentering society after incarceration.

Jesse Wilson has been in long-term recovery since January 21st of 2018 and has been working with Oxford House since December 1st of 2019. His personal experience, including serving a prison sentence in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections and being released with no options of recovery, has fueled his passion for helping individuals transition back into the community.

ACCESS TO HOUSING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES PRESENTER

ARC COORDINATOR, HENDERSON COUNTY

Daniel Conway serves as the Program Coordinator for the Adult Recovery Court (ARC) in Henderson County, NC. He is Certified in North Carolina as an Alcohol & Drug Counselor, Criminal Justice Addictions Professional, Peer Support Specialist, and Community Health Worker. Daniel partners with courts, treatment providers, and community organizations to strengthen diversion and reentry pathways to help improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals. Drawing from his own lived experience as a justice-involved Veteran in recovery, he brings compassion, hope, and a person-centered approach to building support systems that help people returning to the community.

WOMEN IN REENTRY: SHE ROSE PANELIST

JUSTICE / CAREER NAVIGATOR, GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA CHW I

Angel Boone is a Justice Navigation Services Facilitator and Career Navigator with Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, where she works directly with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals to support successful reentry and long-term stability. She delivers structured reentry curriculum inside correctional facilities and in the community, focusing on cognitive restructuring, goal setting, employment readiness, and personal transformation. Angel brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work, allowing her to build trust and create meaningful pathways for individuals navigating reentry.

In addition to her role with Goodwill, Angel serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Cliff’s Closet, a nonprofit transitional housing organization dedicated to providing safe, structured housing for individuals returning from incarceration and rebuilding their lives in recovery. She is a Certified Community Health Worker I and holds a Career Navigating and Coaching Certificate. Angel also serves on the Buncombe County Reentry Council, helping strengthen local collaboration to support successful reentry. Her recovery advocacy has included bringing Narcotics Anonymous meetings into the Buncombe County Jail, and she serves on a Narcotics Anonymous committee, remaining committed to supporting individuals at every stage of recovery. Her work emphasizes trauma-informed care, dignity-centered support, and addressing the structural barriers that impact justice-involved individuals across Western North Carolina’s reentry landscape.

Angel is currently pursuing an Associate in Applied Science in Human Services Technology with a focus on Addiction and Recovery and plans to continue her education so she can expand her leadership and advocacy for justice-impacted individuals. Her work is grounded in the belief that reentry is not simply about compliance, but about restoration, opportunity, and rebuilding identity. Through her leadership, advocacy, and direct service, Angel is committed to helping individuals move from surviving systems to reclaiming their lives and futures.

WOMEN IN REENTRY: SHE ROSE PANELIST

NC STATE OPIOID TREATMENT AUTHORITY (SOTA) FIELD COORDINATOR

Lauren Garvie is a Peer Support Specialist and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor who turned her lived experience of justice involvement, including over 40 arrests and multiple incarcerations, into a mission of advocacy, systems change, and recovery leadership. Today, she works across Western North Carolina to expand access to MOUD, peer support, and recovery services for people navigating substance use and the criminal legal system. Lauren’s has worked with rural communities and people most impacted by system gaps, and she is passionate about building recovery pathways rooted in dignity, opportunity, and long-term stability for all. She is especially committed to uplifting the voices and needs of women and others who have historically been underserved within reentry and recovery systems.

MODERATOR, WOMEN IN REENTRY: SHE ROSE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ARISE COLLECTIVE

Ms. Jackson has served for over a decade as CEO of Arise Collective, a 46-year-old Raleigh-based nonprofit that equips women to heal, grow, and thrive, both in prison and upon return to their communities. Under her leadership, the organization has grown fifteen-fold, offering peer-led residential and nonresidential reentry services, safe and supportive housing, and holistic, trauma-informed programming. In 2025, she oversaw the successful merger of Mothers and Their Children (MATCH) into the organization and has championed expressive arts initiatives including Conviction: Songs of Faith by Women in Prison and the Stitching Stories Reimagined public art project.

A 30-year nonprofit veteran, Ms. Jackson serves on the Bob Barker Company Foundation Advisory Committee. Prior service includes the Wake County Local Reentry Council’s Executive Committee and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s Community Leadership Council. An ordained Interfaith Minister, mindfulness meditation teacher, and yoga instructor, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and her Master’s from Indiana University. She believes deeply in the power of forgiveness to transform hearts and minds.

PANELIST, MEDICATION PLUS WHAT?

Program Director, Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court

Kevin is a combat-wounded (32 surgeries) Marine Corps veteran, receiving a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in combat. Kevin is also a person in long-term recovery, remaining a vocal community advocate for harm reduction modalities, including medication-assisted therapy.

Kevin serves as the Program Director for the Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC), a treatment-based alternative to incarceration for justice-involved veterans. He completed his Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Tennessee in 2024.

In his free time, he enjoys playing music. He released his first-ever solo album in April 2024.

MODERATOR, MEDICATION PLUS WHAT?

JUSTICE SERVICE LEAD, NCDHHS- Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services

Ashley serves as the Justice Services Lead for the Substance Use, Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Section of the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services at NCDHHS. Prior to this role, Ashley led the NC Division of Public Health's Overdose Prevention Team, working to increase access to evidence-based interventions to reduce overdose across the state. Ashley came to the state from the direct services world, where she worked for the Mediation and Restorative Justice Center/Homestead Recovery Center's LEAD and Recovery on the Inside programs. Her direct service experience solidified in her the personal and professional goal of changing systems to change lives. Ashley is also a current Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, focusing on addiction and overdose.

PANELIST, MEDICATION PLUS WHAT?

ORGANIZATIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE HOLLAR HARM REDUCTION & FOUNDER OF HEALING THROUGH HARM REDUCTION

Kimberly’s passion for harm reduction and recovery comes from the lived experience of substance use disorder, housing instability, and the loss of a partner in chaotic use. Shortly after entering recovery in 2015 and learning about harm reduction as an evidence-based approach to combat overdose, she began as a volunteer at The Steady Collective, and soon after became a board member. In the past decade, Kimberly has worked in homeless services, as the Lead Peer at Haywood Street Respite, and at Harm Reduction organizations across 3 WNC counties, landing as the Organizational Director of Holler Harm Reduction in Marshall, NC. In 2023, Kimberly founded the Healing Through Harm Reduction support group, a substance use support group for people experiencing homelessness that are seeking change without the expectation of abstinence. Kimberly is passionate about supporting folks in the space between chaotic use and abstinence, where healing truly takes root.