REACH!! UNITED
THE leading public voice for treating addiction in america.
One Family’s Tragedy
A Nation’s Crisis
PIERCING THE STIGMA
Personal Stories of Loss and Hope
this is urgent.
This is reach!! united.
Educate policy leaders and advocate loudly for innovative programs that have measurable impact. This can be achieved through data-driven, laser focused communication strategies that target decision-makers across the country.
Reframe how the disease of addiction and its treatment is currently understood and perceived, with a long-term objective of piercing the stigma of addiction.
Shine a bright light on innovative effective approaches that evidence successful outcomes by promoting the adoption of a select list of program policy templates. The sharing of best practices across geographies is a currently underutilized tool.
Bring transparency and accountability to the performance of Opioid Abatement Councils through the public release of Reach!! United graded assessments - a project that will be co-branded with one or more highly respected academic institutions.
The Reach!! Team
Dr. Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, FASA
National Advisory Board
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Dr. Jerome Adams was appointed as a Presidential Fellow and the first Executive Director of Health Equity Initiatives on October 1, 2021 and is now the Purdue University Center for Community Health Enhancement and Learning (HEAL). He is also a Distinguished Professor of Practice in the departments of Pharmacy Practice and Public Health.
As the 20th U.S. Surgeon General and a prior member of the President’s Coronavirus task force, Dr. Adams has been at the forefront of America’s most pressing health challenges. A regular communicator via tv, radio, and print, Dr. Adams is an expert not just in the science, but also in communicating the science to the lay public and making it relevant to various audiences.
Dr. Adams is a licensed anesthesiologist with a master’s degree in public health and ran the Indiana State Department of Health prior to becoming Surgeon General. In the State Health Commissioner role, he managed a $350 million dollar budget and over 1000 employees and led Indiana’s response to Ebola, Zika, and HIV crises. Notably, Dr. Adams helped convince the Governor and State Legislature to legalize syringe service programs in the state, and to prioritize $13 million in funding to combat infant mortality. As Surgeon General, Dr. Adams was the operational head of the 6000 person Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and oversaw responses to 3 back-to-back category 5 hurricanes, and to a once in a century pandemic.
In addition to his recent COVID19 work, Dr. Adams has partnered with and assisted organizations as they navigate the opioid epidemic, maternal health, rising rates of chronic disease, the impacts of rising suicide rates in our Nation, and how businesses can become better stewards and stakeholders in promoting community health. (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/chep-sgr-business-leadersdigest.pdf)
John Harkrider
National Advisory Board
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John Harkrider provides extensive financial and deal structuring knowledge to a variety of corporations, governments and individuals with a focus on post-conflict zones. With 20 years of experience in Southern and Eastern Europe, his detailed knowledge of emerging markets is highly valued. He specializes in deal structuring, business liaison and private equity activities focusing on infrastructure, agriculture and energy for multinational companies and governments pursuing business opportunities in the industrial and financial sectors. A native Texan, Harkrider has studied in various universities in Europe and speaks Spanish, Italian, German, and Turkish. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in diplomatic history and an interdisciplinary Masters Degree in History, Government and Business from the Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania.
Brian McCabe
National Advisory Board
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Brian McCabe serves as a managing partner at DCI Group. He oversees a significant portion of the firm’s client portfolio as well as the firm’s digital services team. His breadth of experience includes extensive work in the telecommunications, technology and financial services sectors helping clients develop effective approaches to public policy issues, mergers and acquisitions, crisis communications and litigation issues.
Brian served as president of the award-winning Progress for America (PFA), a national political organization which was active during the 2004 presidential campaign. The PFA team produced the ad “Ashley’s Story,” which the Washington Post said “significantly affected the race” and Ad Age named a top ten ad of the year – the only political ad to be recognized. He then led PFA’s national campaign to build support for the confirmation of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito in 2004 and 2005.
Prior to joining DCI Group in 2002, Brian founded his own public affairs firm, McCabe Consulting Group, as well as Custom Scoop – a customizable media monitoring and analysis technology acquired by Carma International in 2016. Preceding that, Brian served as executive director of Senator Bob Dole’s New Hampshire primary campaign.
Brian earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire, where he served as student body president. Between semesters, he learned the value of hard work installing irrigation systems with Gilford Well.
Brian has served on the board of directors of the University of New Hampshire Foundation as a member (2010-2020), chair (2019-2020) and advisor (2020-present). He is also serving as co-chair of UNH’s Capital Campaign. He served on the Board of Trustees at the Brooks School from 2017-2023. Brian and his wife, Loren, live in Meredith, New Hampshire with their golden retriever, Finn.
Patrick J. Kennedy
National Advisory Board
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The Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the nation’s leading political voice on mental illness, addiction, and other brain diseases. During his 16-year career representing Rhode Island in Congress, he fought a national battle to end medical and societal discrimination against these illnesses, highlighted by his lead sponsorship of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008–and his brave openness about his own health challenges.
The son of Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy, he decided to leave Congress not long after his father’s death to devote his career to advocacy for brain diseases and to create a new, healthier life and start a family. He has since founded the Kennedy Forum, which unites the community of mental health, and co-founded One Mind for Research, a global leader in open science collaboration in brain research. Kennedy is also the co-author of “A Common Struggle,” which outlines both his personal story and a bold plan for the future of mental health in America. He is also the co-founder of SAM, Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
Siobhan Morse
National Advisory Board
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As Product Director for the Behavioral Division at UHS of Delaware, Inc. (UHS), Siobhan Morse is charged
with spearheading the research, clinical operations management and new product development
focusing on substance use disorder treatment.
Ms. Morse holds a Master’s degree in Health Services Administration, and is certified as a Master
Addiction Counselor, Clinical Research Coordinator and ARISE Interventionist. She regularly presents
original research worldwide, has published multiple articles in peer reviewed scientific journals, and
conducts education within the addiction services network in UHS.
Recently, she presented at the request of the Department of Justice to over 2,000 federal grant
recipients on treating opioid use disorder (OUD). She contributed a chapter highlighting her lived
experience with substance use disorder, trauma and mental health to the book, Breakthrough, which
later won a Book Excellence Award. In recognition of her dedicated work to support Americans who are
in or seeking recovery, Ms. Morse was presented a Presidential Proclamation in 2020 by the White
House Office of National Drug Control Policy and Bureau of Justice Administration. She is also currently
the Chairperson of the DC-Based Partners in Care Network and sits on multiple Federal Bureau of Justice
Advisory Panels addressing the use of peers as well as equity, diversity and inclusion in the nation’s
correctional drug treatment programs
Jim Murphy
Chairman & CEO
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Jim Murphy is President and CEO of Reach!! United, a not-for-profit foundation engaged in our
nation’s crisis with addiction and rehabilitation. Its mission is to promote urgent action to lower
the overdose death rate and increase the success rate of treatment programs.
He also currently serves as a strategic communications consultant at Integrated Strategy Group, a bi-partisan, corporate public affairs firm he Co-Founded with former Congressman Heath Shuler
in 2018, and an Executive Leadership and Transformational Life Coach.
Previously, Jim served as President and Managing Partner at DCI Group, a DC-based independent public affairs firm. During his 15-year association with DCI, he provided strategic and management consulting advice to blue-chip corporations and trade
associations. Among others, his client work spanned the telecommunications, gaming, financial services, and sugar industries.
As President of DCI from 2007 to 2012, he was the day-to-day manager of the firm, overseeing Finance and Accounting, Legal and HR functions. From 2002 to 2007, he managed DCI’s 50 state network of grassroots, PR, and government affairs consultants.
Jim left DCI in June of 2012 to run the Republican National Committee’s Independent Expenditure campaign on behalf of Romney for President – a $45 million-dollar paid advertising
effort in battleground states. In 2016 he was National Political Director for Donald Trump and is honored to have worked as a Senior Advisor for Bob Dole in both his 1988 and 1996 presidential campaigns.
Jim graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 1978 with a B.A. in Economics. He also has an Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership.“Murph” is a Rhode Island native currently residing in Old Town Alexandria, VA.
Sheriff Mark Lamb
National Advisory Board
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Mark Lamb, known as "America's Sheriff," served as the 24th Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, from 2017 to 2024. During his tenure, he earned national recognition for prioritizing public safety, advocating constitutional principles, and addressing critical issues like border security and the opioid crisis. Under his leadership, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office implemented innovative crime prevention programs, led specialized narcotics and anti-smuggling teams, and partnered with federal agencies through the 287(g) program to enforce immigration laws. In 2024, he pursued the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, aiming to bring his expertise in border security and fiscal responsibility to Washington.
Born in Hilo, Hawaii, and raised in diverse locales, including Manila and Panama, Mark developed a deep appreciation for America’s values and freedoms. He graduated from Chandler High School in Arizona in 1990 and later achieved valedictorian honors at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Academy. Before law enforcement, he owned small businesses and gained experience that shaped his practical approach to leadership. His policing career was distinguished by accolades such as Rookie, Officer, and Detective of the Year, as well as leading high-impact operations, including dismantling one of Arizona’s most dangerous gangs.
Mark’s empowering leadership style, rooted in his motto “Fear Not, Do Right,” inspired his staff and community alike. Beyond law enforcement, he remains a strong advocate for tackling national and regional issues. Mark lives in San Tan Valley, Arizona, with his wife of 30 years, Janel, and is a proud father of five and grandfather to four.
Jay Samuels DDS
National Advisory Board
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Jay Samuels DDS is a wellness dentist practicing in North Bethesda, Maryland for the past 25 years. His focus is on functional and comprehensive restorative, implant and cosmetic dentistry, whole body health and the oral-systemic link.
A past International Officer and Executive Board member for the Alpha Omega Dental Organization, Dr. Samuels has been a board member for the Sidney J. Malawer Memorial Melanoma Foundation. He has previously served on an advisory board for the Washington Capitals Hockey Organization and is a mentor for the University of Maryland Football Team.
Dr. Samuels is a fierce advocate for those suffering from mental health and addiction and provides dental care to those with special needs in Montgomery County, Maryland. He is recognized for his work with the Alpha Omega-Henry Schein Cares Holocaust Survivors Oral Health Program, and volunteers with Catholic Charities Mission of Mercy providing dental care to underserved communities in Maryland, DC and Virginia as well as internationally.
Dr. Samuels holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland at College Park, a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from University of Maryland at Baltimore, and a General Practice and Surgical Residency from the Miami Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center.
Dr. Samuels lives in Kensington, MD and has 3 amazing children--Alec, Max and Coley.
Mitzi Dawn
National Advisory Board
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Mitzi Dawn – Advocate, Strategist, and Voice for Recovery
Mitzi Dawn began her journey in the heart of Music City as a professional songwriter, with her work recorded by legends including Billy Bob Thornton, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, and Reba McEntire. Her talent for storytelling and deep empathy laid the foundation for a profound second act: advocacy and leadership in the addiction and mental health treatment space.
Since 2008, Mitzi has served in nearly every facet of the treatment industry—from Clinical Associate to Clinical Director. Her experience is more than a résumé; it’s a roadmap of service, leadership, and relentless commitment to breaking down systemic barriers to care.
Currently, Mitzi works at Aliya Health Group, where she helps individuals across the country access the best possible treatment. She also serves on the boards of Hustle Recovery, We Do Recover, Roots For Recovery and is the newest addition to the Reach United Team!
Her work is a blend of policy and passion, rooted in the belief that every person deserves access to recovery, dignity, and a thousand second chances.
Whether in a boardroom, at a rally, or across from someone taking their first step toward healing—Mitzi brings her voice, her fight, and her heart.
Heath Shuler
National Advisory Board
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Heath is a Co-Founder of ISG. He has a unique and distinguished career as a 3-term Democrat Member of Congress (NC-11), a Fortune 250 corporate executive, a successful business entrepreneur, and as an NFL quarterback. He served as the SVP, Federal Government Affairs for Duke Energy Corporation, where he led a team engaged in policy development, analysis, advocacy, and strategic planning. While serving in the US House of Representatives, he Co-Chaired the Blue Dog Coalition, and served on the US House Budget, Small Business, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Natural Resources Committees.
A Prescription for Addiction
PHASE 1
MEDS
AND
BEDS
Reduce the opioid overdose death rate by ensuring easy access to free opioid overdose reversal medications.
1
Far too many individuals overdose while waiting for a treatment bed. This gap in care can be addressed by implementing temporary respite bed facilities that offer same-day admission.
2
We will fight current restrictions on Suboxone availability, allowing patients to manage withdrawal symptoms safely during the initial stages of recovery.
3
Why Reach?
There is an urgent need for a national consensus around an integrated strategic vision - a coming together around common purpose which can only manifest as a result of a robust, highly focused national campaign.
There is an undeniable cry for a powerful voice to disrupt the status quo, battle bureaucratic inertia, and drive innovation for impact.
