Samantha Lewandowski is the Program Director of New Hampshire’s Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) initiative. She first began with the initiative as a Recovery Friendly Advisor, where she worked 1:1 with over 80 workplaces. During her time with RFW, Samantha has helped the initiative grow from around 25 “early adopter” workplaces to over 370 participating workplaces, representing over 94,000 employees. She has been able to support these efforts in large part due to being able to manage, grow, and support an incredible team of Recovery Friendly Advisors. Samantha is also passionate about collaborating with partners, integrating lived experience, breaking down silos, and elevating diverse voices to create the strongest version of RFW possible.
As word of New Hampshire’s model spread, other states began reaching out to learn more. Eventually, over 30 states had reached out. To further support other states – and to better leverage the synergy of passionate advocates with a shared goal – Samantha convened the nation’s first ever RFW Multi-State Community of Practice, which saw anywhere up to 100 attendees at its quarterly meetings. Samantha has spoken about RFW across the nation, including presenting on the subject for several White House agencies. RFW has also been covered by a variety of news outlets, including being featured in Fortune magazine in 2023, as well as NPR’s Marketplace in 2024. In 2023, she helped support the creation of the Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute, which now oversees national efforts related to RFW.
Samantha first began working with individuals with SUD back in 2013 through a residential harm reduction program. She holds a Master of Science in Community Development & Applied Economics from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Loyola University of Chicago. She is also a loved one and ally of people in recovery, as well as a trained Recovery Coach.