Tom has been involved personally and professionally in the addiction treatment and recovery field since 1986. For the past 24 years, he has worked for Pavillon Treatment Center in Western. NC, most specifically with professional monitoring organizations and collegiate recovery communities. Tom also served on the Board of Directors for the Recovery Communities of North Carolina (RCNC.) 

Tom’s hope for RAI is to provide a place for collaborative conversations to continue to evolve across populations and take advantage of the cross-pollination possible when bringing many dedicated and passionate individuals together who might otherwise not have the opportunity to work together, creating and implementing real solutions. Tom believes that this will ultimately contribute to the creation and promotion of stronger, healthier communities.

MSW, LCSW, LCAS, CCS

Chris Budnick is the Executive Director at Healing Transitions and has been working in the addiction treatment and recovery field since 1993. 

Chris has been an Adjunct Instructor with the North Carolina State University Dpartment of Social Work since 2002.  He also serves on the Recovery Africa Board.

Chris has conducted training and presentations nationally and internationally. Some of his most rewarding work has been collaborating with Mr. William White and Mr. Boyd Pickard on the history of mutual aid recovery fellowships.

Jim Van Hecke has worked for over 45 years in public and private sectors, for large and small for-profit and nonprofit ventures. For the past 30 years he has served in a variety of leadership positions in North Carolina’s behavioral health field, specializing in program development and leadership training for prevention, treatment and recovery support initiatives.

He is a native North Carolinian, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and has done post-graduate work in theology, law, and business. He is an Integrative Health and Wellness Coach and a North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist.

Van Hecke and his wife, Marsha, have two children and three grandchildren.

Dan Shephard, a graduate of Alfred University with a B.S. in Accounting, currently operates a Business Consulting Business.  He recently retired as the Chief Financial Officer of Legacy Group where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the financial operations of the group’s business activities. Dan retired as Executive Vice President of Martin Marietta Materials Inc. in September 2011, where he also had been the Chief Executive Officer of the Magnesia Specialties Division. 

Prior to joining Martin Marietta Materials, Dan was a partner in a public accounting firm in upstate New York.

Dan has served on numerous business and non-profit Boards.