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Cathie Hartnett

Hartnett serves as the Executive Director of Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI). GRI ran one of the first and largest recovery high schools, launched Young People in Recovery, organized two national Recovery Research Summits that informed the White House National Drug Control Strategy and assisted AmeriCorps with the launch of Recovery Corp.

Hartnett,  and the GRI Board of Directors, established the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute to engage employers, content experts, and state leaders to implement Recovery Friendly Workplaces.

Eliza Zarka

Eliza serves as the Director of State Engagement for the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute, where she works with other states to help encourage, guide, and inform establishing a Recovery Friendly Workplace model.

Eliza brings her expertise on the Recovery Friendly movement from her previous role as the Addiction & Behavioral Health Coordinator for the New Hampshire Governor’s Office. Eliza worked on issues relating to Substance Use Disorder across the continuum, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and the intersection of mental health.

During her time at the NH Governor’s Office, Eliza worked on a number of projects, including the NH Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative, which has grown to over 350 participating businesses. Eliza saw how successful it was in New Hampshire, and after the release of the federal toolkit, Eliza wanted to take a lead role in moving the needle in this ever-important RFW movement being a part in bringing the model to other states.

Eliza’s overall goal, professionally and personally, is to help people be well, get well, and stay well.

Michael Barnes, Esq.

Michael C. Barnes, Esq., is Senior Advisor to the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute and Managing Attorney at Sequel Health Law. Mr. Barnes advises clients on legal and regulatory matters involving opioids, cannabinoids, access to treatment, insurance coverage and payment, parity, privacy, digital health, recovery in the workplace, and correctional health care, among other topics. He is also Chairman of the Center for U.S. Policy and a member of the advisory board for the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit, the board of directors for the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, and the editorial board for the Journal of Opioid Management. Mr. Barnes’s research and analysis have been published in more than 15 legal, policy, and medical journals. He is a recipient of the Federation of State Medical Boards’ Ray L. Casterline, M.D., Award for Excellence in Writing. Mr. Barnes previously served as confidential counsel in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Francesca Pece

Francesca is an intern with the Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation that works on a number of projects for the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute. She is currently a student at Flagler College, double-majoring in Psychology and Biology and minoring in Coastal Environmental Science. Francesca is part of Flagler’s Cross Country Team and has been working on research in resiliency. She is passionate about behavioral health and plans to apply her research experience and interests to her work with the Institute, to work toward her goal of earning a Masters.