Joel Pomales is the Founder & CEO of Mainstream Recovery, he is dedicated to making recovery support immediately available to everyone who needs it.

Joel is a person in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder since 2011 and a Recovery Coach since 2013. During his time in recovery he has become a recognized leader in the addiction recovery field. Having worked on a local, state, and national level to bring needed change to our system, making it easier for individuals to access services and recover.

In 2020 Joel served as a contractor & Director of Telehealth Services for a private behavioral health facility, launching a multi-state telehealth program in NJ, TX, AZ, CA. He devised viable strategies to lead growth and quality of telehealth and telemedicine services across technical, business and regulatory activities to realize goals and forward organizational mission. This included developing new business plans and strategy to execute initiatives including remote patient monitoring and virtual visits.

In 2018 SAMHSA brought Joel into their administration to serve as a Public Health Advisor within the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. During his time at SAMHSA he delivered guidance, counsel, and technical assistance to populations in local, state, Federal, and international settings or in public health programs that require advanced occupational expertise to support grant funded program enhancement.

Joel previously served as Co-Founder and President of the Board of Directors for the Middlesex County Recovery Community Center where he provided direct oversight of day-to-day operations of the center and administrative duties and served as the Recovery Center’s face and voice to the public.

Joel is a Advocacy Leader with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-NJ providing needed expertise to stakeholders when addressing addiction issues in their community.

Joel’s past work includes working as the Clinical Outreach Director and Director of Advocacy for SOBA College Recovery. He also filled the role of Program Supervisor & Patient Navigator for the SOBA Outreach Initiative, a community-based initiative that partnered with local police departments and hospitals to assist individuals with substance use issues.

Joel’s work with NJ Law Enforcement led him to be an asset in the movement for addiction to be treated as a public health issue rather than a criminal justice issue. He has been part of many of the state/county law enforcement assisted recovery programs including the Sussex County CLEAR Program, the Union County Operation CLEAR, and the Monmouth County Correctional Institute Next Steps program and Monmouth County HOPE One Mobile Response unit. This led to the training of over 500 police officers in NJ & NY on best practice, addiction education, and program implementation.

Joel also worked with RWJBarnabas Health as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist on the State OORP Opioid Overdose Recovery Program aka Recovery Coach program. The program dispatched Recovery Specialists to area hospitals and engaged overdose survivors bedside after being revived with Narcan during an opiate overdose. He helped to launch the Recovery Coach program in their first hospitals in Ocean County and beyond.

After his time with RWJBarnabas Health, Joel successfully led the implementation of Overdose Response Programs in 6 hospitals in 4 separate hospital systems in NJ.

Joel has been awarded the Middlesex County Recovery Champion Award by Wellspring Center for Prevention, and the Middlesex County Community Leader of Distinction Award by the Chamber of Commerce. He was also awarded the National Chapter Lead of the Year Award by Young People in Recovery.

He is a member of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services-Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) and a board member of the Middlesex County Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. He previously served on the board of Prevention Links,and the board of New Jersey Alliance of Recovery Residences (NJARR) and is a certified home inspector of recovery residences in NJ.

He is a co-founder of the New Jersey Chapter of Young People in Recovery, and a co-creator of the Mentorship Program at the Raymond Lesniak Experience Strength and Hope Recovery High School, New Jersey’s first public recovery high school.

James Johansen is Director of Program Services at Damon House and a Mainstream Recovery Consultant.

James is a licensed minister at Metro Church. He is a Perth Amboy Police Chaplain, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, Renovation House Volunteer Teacher, The Chaplain House Vice President, Middlesex County Recovery Community Center Vice President, and Antonia Maria Foundation Vice President. He wears these hats and many more, but still makes time to be a dedicated and loving father of four and husband of 15 years.

James has a bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies and will soon complete his masters at Pillar College. James has spent over 25 years in the recovery field working to help others as he was once helped. James spent most of his teen years in his hometown Paterson, New Jersey leading a life that left him in and out of jail. He was running out of choices and opportunities. However, he received a chance through the Youth challenge/ Renovation House Program to turn his life around. He found guidance and peace in the ministry and has dedicated his time and talents to helping other find their path to a new life in recovery. He believes that everyone’s path is unique but ALL ROADS TO RECOVERY.

Frank Greenagel, MPAP, LCSW, LCADC, ICADC, CASAC, ACSW, CJC, CCS, is a clinical social worker who specializes in addiction & recovery treatment. He is licensed in NJ, NY, and PA.

Frank is an adjunct professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work. He is also an instructor at the Center of Alcohol Studies. He writes a blog at greenagel.com. He conducts trainings and delivers keynote speeches around the country. He completed a Masters in Public Affairs and Politics in 2015.

Frank consults for a variety of treatment programs and universities. He serves on the Board of Directors for NASW-NJ and he also sits on the Rutgers School of Social Work Alumni Council. Frank is the Public Policy Chair of the NJ Society of Addiction Medicine and the Vice-Chair of the Overdose Prevention Agency Corporation (TOPAC). He has trained thousands of police in NY, NJ and PA on issues surrounding addiction and community policing. Frank drives up to Albany, NY, a few times a month in order to serve as a Consulting Therapist for the NY State Troopers EAP. He is also the supervising therapist at the NJ Recovery High School in Roselle.

Frank worked as the Recovery Counselor at both Rutgers New Brunswick & Newark for five years, where he oversaw recovery housing and coordinated student & alumni activities. In 2011, Rutgers won the NAADAC (National Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors) Organization Achievement Award. Rutgers is considered by many to have the strongest recovery college program in the world. Frank served in the United States Army while studying history and English at Rutgers. He studied Shakespeare at the University of Cambridge in England, and taught English in Japan in 2003. Frank graduated with his MSW from Rutgers in 2006. He spent three years teaching English at Elizabeth High School and six years working as an outpatient counselor at Hunterdon Drug Awareness. He has served on the NJ Governor’s Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse (GCADA) since 2011 and was the Chairman of the NJ Heroin & Other Opiates Task Force. He served on the Board of Directors for Hazelden-Betty Ford from 2014 to 2017. In 2014, 10 years after he was granted an honorable discharge from his first time in the Army, Frank was directly commissioned into the Pennsylvania Army National Guard as a First Lieutenant. He helps soldiers that have experienced PTSD, substance abuse issues and tries to point them all in a positive direction. In 2018, the President of the NJ State Senate, Stephen Sweeney, appointed Frank to NJ Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council.

Frank is a passionate sports fan who loves the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is also an avid traveler, having been to five continents, 27 countries, 46 states and 42 baseball stadiums (every current MLB park and 12 that have since closed). Frank has run two marathons. During the spring and summer, he spends several hours each week on his flower garden. A true Anglophile, he’s played croquet since childhood. He has visited every major Civil War battlefield.

Frank is an avid hiker and Catskill 3500 club member #2998 and an aspirant to the Adirondack 46er Club. He is proud to have achieved the summit of Mt. Washington in January of 2017. He summited Mt. Fuji while living in Japan in 2002. In March of 2018, he summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in a blizzard with a NY State Trooper. Frank has taken hundreds of students, clients, soldiers, veterans, friends and family members on hikes.

Keith Murphy, MA, LPC, LCADC I Recovery Counselor at Rutgers University

Keith Murphy is a licensed professional counselor and licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor in New Jersey. Keith earned his Bachelor’s in Sociology in 1994 from Rutgers University and his Master’s from Nyack College in Nyack, NY in 2006. He has over 14 years experience in helping those who struggle with addiction and other major life issues rebuild their lives. Prior to joining Rutgers University as a Recovery Counselor in October, 2014, Keith worked at the Market Street Mission’s Life Change Program in Morristown, NJ with homeless men overcome their struggles with active addiction and alcoholism. While working at the Market Street Mission Keith worked with various county and government-based agencies to foster better relationships between people of diverse social and economic backgrounds and to end homelessness in Morris County.

In his present role as a Recovery Counselor, Keith has been tasked to help the students in the College Recovery Program develop skills for recovery and life in college and beyond. As a member of the Rutgers counseling staff, Keith has the privilege of seeing students flourish and become world-changers.

Keith presently lives in Morristown, NJ with his wife and dog. They enjoy spending time outdoors, eating-out, walking their dog, volunteering at their church, and being a part of the larger Morristown community.

Antonia Montalvo is the driving force behind the Antonia Maria Foundation and she is the Executive Director of Gracie’s House located in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

She is a Certified Social Worker, Sociologist, Shaman, Reiki Master and a devout follower of Jesus Christ. On July 8, 2015, Antonia made a choice to get sober and live a life of pure, honest, spiritual recovery. She started her nonprofit foundation 6 months into her sobriety and built her women’s home shortly thereafter.

Antonia was a “one man show” in the beginning and learned every role before hiring others to help her on her mission. She never stopped asking questions and getting past her fears and limitations that kept her stuck in active addiction for so many years. She describes herself as being the best version of herself, growing, honoring and embracing her wounds and change. She feels we just have to remember who we are; and to her that is simply pure, unconditional love.

She overcame substance use, mental health and weight issues, and physical, mental and sexual abuse. She has dealt with severe, chronic physical ailments and has had several near death experiences. What brought Antonia out of the darkness was spirituality. She practices many different types of spiritual techniques and is always open to trying new things. She views her vision as a pathway into healing her inner child and beginning the recovery process to her true nature which is of a strong, bold, brave, independent, spiritual woman of recovery.

Today Antonia’s home has been open a year and half and is thriving. She is getting ready for her new venture of building her second home. Antonia’s mission is to help at-risk women become more spiritually consistent and eliminate the “one size fits all” culture in recovery. To learn more about Antonia and her mission visit www.antoniamariafoundation.org

Dr. De Jesus is an author, entrepreneur, recovery and social justice advocate.

She is the Founder of The Wellness Cooperative, a recovery coaching practice dedicated to helping people develop the skills necessary to live a healthy purpose driven life in recovery. Dr. De Jesus serves as the Coordinator of the Alcohol and Other Drugs program at Montclair State University as where she serves as an advisor to the Red Hawk Recovery Program. She worked as the Educational Coordinator of the Campus Alcohol Substance Awareness (CASA) program at Temple University. She is currently in her second term as the co-chair of the New Jersey Higher Education Consortium on Alcohol and Drugs. Dr. De Jesus is on the board of the National Youth Recovery and is an active member of various other recovery and prevention organizations.

Kristine holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from Rutgers University, completed a Masters of Arts degree in Organizational Behavior at Alliant International University and received a Doctorate of Psychology degree from the California School of Professional Psychology, where she specialized in Health & Cross Cultural Psychology.