Now there is a way to to find out more about us SMART folks
Enjoy a series of brief articles that introduce you to members of our National Office team, and many other SMART-types, in a short & sweet way.
You’ll get to know more about who we are, and get a sense of why we do what we do. We are all here to help individuals and families live life beyond addiction, but we’re also individuals ourselves. Some know us as just a voice on the phone or words in an email. Now you can know what activities fill our work day and what we like to do outside of work too.
Enjoy!
Steve Kind
You can call Steve Kind by his official title of National Support Team Administrative Assistant, and he’d be happy to answer, but it would be like calling a fully loaded Maserati just a way to get around. Steve’s role at SMART is multifaceted and extends in many directions, including outreach and marketing. And having a variety of responsibilities on a daily basis is just fine with him.
Jodi Dayton
If you want to talk about longevity at SMART Recovery, the conversation starts and stops with Jodi Dayton. Jodi started working at SMART in 2003 (rumor has it she needed a youth work permit) and is now the Office Resource Coordinator. “[SMART] was looking for a part-time employee and reached out to see if I was interested. I started working 3 hours per day 3 days a week in 2003.” It quickly turned into a full-time position. Clearly the match was made to last.
Luke Frazier
Talk about the right place at the right time. When Luke Frazier, SMART’s Director of Marketing and Communications was sitting in a crowded coffee shop he was overheard talking about the kind of communications work he was doing. A person who worked for SMART Recovery overheard, and SMART was looking for communications help at that time. The rest, as they say, is history. Luke says, “I wasn’t even planning to go to that coffee shop. My schedule changed and I ended up there.”
Melina Gilbert
Melina Gilbert is SMART’s Director of Meetings and Volunteers. She says that means exactly what it says, “The job title speaks for itself. My job is to make sure our volunteers have the supports they need to start and maintain their SMART Recovery meetings.” This includes offering support and resources to increase volunteer satisfaction and develop additional skills.
Brad Glaser
For Brad Glaser, SMART’s Project Coordinator for Fletcher Group Grants, coming to work for SMART seems like a kind of natural progression, “I have been a participant in SMART Recovery going back nine years and became a facilitator in 2019. When this position with SMART became available, I was so excited to come to work for an organization that has meant so much to my life.”
Jas Hilbert
Sometimes hearing about a company from someone on the inside makes for a great job connection. That’s what happened for SMART’s Office Assistant Jas Hilbert. A SMART employee suggested she check out SMART, and Jas says she fell in love with the program. Next stop: new hire paperwork.
Alena Kuplinski
For Alena Kuplinski, a SMART employee who splits her work responsibilities between the Call Center and Volunteer Headquarters (VHQ), her success at SMART came by way of Poland. As in the country of.
Leah McSween
If you called Office Assistant Leah McSween’s journey to SMART employment quick, then you might just be understating it. As Leah points out, “I think from application date to hire date was two weeks. Kind of a whirlwind.” While due, in part, to the SMART’s being a smaller agency back in 2019, it also indicated the fit was right, and both sides knew it.
Pete Rubinas
As of July 1, SMART welcomed a new staff member to fill a brand-new position in the organization. Pete Rubinas became SMART’s first Organizational Culture Change Facilitator, representing a major internal effort to help SMART evolve in positive ways. Pete says, “As we attempt to be more inclusive of all, it’s critical that we have systems in place that support true inclusion. That’s what I’m focused on.” He also advises Acting Executive Director Christi Alicea and the Board on human resource, financial, and Board governance matters.
Kenya Welch
It’s true that money can’t buy love, but foundations, government and corporate funders provide monetary resources that can buy organizations a whole lot of other things. And connecting with those sources of funding is now Kenya Welch’s job at SMART.