Collegiate Recovery Awards

The 16th Annual Collegiate Recovery Conference will be held in-person June 25-June 29, 2025. Award recipients for the annual Collegiate Recovery Awards will be announced in April and will be celebrated at an event during the conference. If you have any questions, please contact Kristina Canfield at [email protected] or the conference committee at [email protected].

The 2025 Collegiate Recovery Awards Nomination form is now closed! View a PDF of the submission form to help you prepare for next year.

Award Descriptions

ARHE Awards

ARHE Lifetime Achievement Award – Honors a faculty member or professional staff member who has displayed excellence in service and leadership and has made significant contributions to the field above and beyond designated work responsibilities. The nominee’s contributions to ARHE and the field of recovery in higher education should reflect a high degree of commitment and service to the Association and should extend well beyond regular involvement.

Collegiate Recovery Champion Award – Honors an individual or organization who has championed collegiate recovery in a transformative and astounding manner. The Collegiate Recovery Champion Award is the highest annual honor recognized by ARHE.

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year – Honors an undergraduate or graduate student who has displayed excellence in academics and leadership to the field above and beyond designated work/study responsibilities.

Collegiate Recovery Staff Member of the Year – Honors a college or university staff member who has displayed support and commitment to a collegiate recovery program beyond the designated level of expectation.

Collegiate Recovery Award for Outstanding Service – Honors an individual who goes above and beyond in their service efforts for the continued advancement of collegiate recovery. 

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year – Honors an individual who has tirelessly advocated for the implementation, advancement, and sustainability of collegiate recovery at a local or national level.

 

Access, Belonging, and Connection Award – Honors an individual who has aided in the advancement of EDI and SJ in the field of collegiate recovery for BIPOC and/or 2SLGBTQIA+ students or has displayed a strong commitment to these populations in the wider recovery communities.

ARHE Cornerstone Award for Student Support – Honors an individual or organization who has gone above and beyond to support students in recovery. The Cornerstone Award recognizes and celebrates the core of what the field is about: supporting students in recovery.

ARHE Community Member / Organization of the Year – Honors an individual or organization who has aided in the advancement of the field and/or to the specific development of a community, area, resource or topic related to recovery in higher education.

Collegiate Recovery Philanthropist of the Year – Honors an individual or organization who has made extraordinary and significant contributions to collegiate recovery. This award recognizes the generous giving, either financial or in-kind, that directly enables collegiate recovery to grow and thrive.

Visionary Award for the Advancement of Collegiate Recovery – Honors an individual or organization who has made groundbreaking and significant contributions to collegiate recovery that have advanced the profession forward in a way that significantly affects students, programs, and institutions. 

ARS Awards

Jim Czarniecki Visionary/Pioneer Award – Jim Czarniecki was the CEO of Sobriety High from 1998 to 2005, and he envisioned a sober school in every community. He was a leader in the development of the Association of Recovery Schools and did more than anyone else in his time to develop and promote recovery high schools across the world, including helping start the Massachusetts schools and an effort to launch a school in Russia. He died of cancer in July 2006, just days before the annual conference that year at Texas Tech. ARS dedicated the Jim Czarniecki Visionary Award to honor visionaries and to recognize his immense impact on the establishment of the recovery high school movement. When Minneapolis hosted the conference in 2007, ARS gave the award to Czarniecki, posthumously, and his widow, Kitty, delivered an emotional acceptance speech.

Stacie Mathewson Guardian Angel Award – As the founder of the Stacie Mathewson Foundation, Stacie focused on promoting addiction awareness, recovery, prevention and education at the local, state, and national level, including making a major investment in both recovery high schools and collegiate recovery communities in the 2010s. Stacie was both professionally and personally connected to the cause, witnessing since childhood how addiction disease can tear families apart and span generations. With the loss of a son who first faced the disease of addiction in his early adolescence, Stacie’s commitment to preventing addiction and protecting the health of our youth was unrelenting. A new award was created in 2015 called the Stacie Mathewson Guardian Angel Award to honor an advocate that makes an impact, and she was the first recipient.

 

AAPG Awards

Visionary Award for the Advancement of Alternative Peer Groups – The Association of Alternative Peer Groups (AAPG) proudly presents the 2025 Visionary Award, honoring individuals that have made groundbreaking contributions to the APG community. This award recognizes exceptional leadership, innovation, and dedication in expanding the APG model and ensuring that young people and families have access to meaningful, peer-driven recovery support.

Award recipients embody:

  • A commitment to the mission and values of AAPG
  • Significant contributions to the growth and sustainability of APGs
  • A spirit of excellence and innovation in addiction recovery

Join us in celebrating those shaping the future of alternative peer groups.

2025 Award Recipients

ARHE Awards

ARHE Lifetime Achievement Award: Lori Holleran Steiker

Collegiate Recovery Champion Award: Kristen Harper

Collegiate Recovery Students of the Year Award: Bryan Sadler & Megan Dobbs

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: John Shiflet & Chelsie Graham

Access, Belonging, & Connection Award: Chesley Kennedy

Collegiate Recovery Award for Outstanding Service: Annette Baldwin

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Onawa LaBelle

Collegiate Recovery Cornerstone Award for Student Support: Blake Schneider

Visionary Award for the Advancement of Collegiate Recovery: Jessica McDaniel

ARHE Community Member of the Year Award: Stephanie Lake

ARHE Community Organization of the Year Award: Imagine Recovery

ARS Awards

Stacie Mathewson Guardian Angel Award – Patty McCarthy

Jim Czarniecki Visionary/Pioneer Award – Ken Simon

AAPG Awards

Visionary Award for the Advancement of Alternative Peer Groups – Becky Ahlgrim & Mariah Fountain

Previous Award Recipients

2024 Award Recipients

ARHE Lifetime Achievement Award: Vincent Sanchez

Access, Belonging, & Connection Award: Ayesha Al-Akhdar

Collegiate Recovery Champion Award: Angie Bryan

Collegiate Recovery Award for Outstanding Service: Jessica Estok

Collegiate Recovery Students of the Year Award: Andrew Chiala & Ellie Morris

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Dawn Kepler

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Marci Berney

Collegiate Recovery Cornerstone Award for Student Support: Aaron Blankenship

Visionary Award for the Advancement of Collegiate Recovery: Chris Perry & the Jamie Daniels Foundation

Collegiate Recovery Community Organization of the Year Award: Anna Trevino & P.O.W.E.R.

Collegiate Recovery Philanthropists of the Year: Michael Ervin & Coal River Coffee

2023 Award Recipients

Access, Belonging, & Connection Award: Dr. Evelyn Vázquez

Collegiate Recovery Students of the Year Award: Jordan Jurinsky & Syd Danzinger

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Mitzi Averette & Tre’Sean Cooks

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Susan Packard

Collegiate Recovery Cornerstone Award for Student Support: Mack Park

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: Dr. Allison Smith

Collegiate Recovery Philanthropists of the Year: Joseph Shaffner

2022 Award Recipients

Access, Belonging, & Connection Award: Dharmakrishna Mirza

Lifetime Achievement Award: Sandy Valentine

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award: Jodi Link & Shawn Rostker

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Morgan Humberger

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Nathan Payne

Collegiate Recovery Cornerstone Award for Student Support: Monica Piercy

Collegiate Recovery Champion Award: Dominiquie “CJ” Clemmons-James

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: The Phoenix – Doug Levy

Collegiate Recovery Philanthropists of the Year: Dr. Tommie Lauer

2021 Award Recipients

Access, Belonging, & Connection Award: Kristine De Jesus

Lifetime Achievement Award: M. Dolores Cimini

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award: Maysa Mohmoud 

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Jennifer Cervi

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Susie Mullens

Collegiate Recovery Cornerstone Award for Student Support: Anna Lee Trevino

Collegiate Recovery Champion Award: Independence Blue Cross Foundation

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: Sazha Alexandra Layugan Ramos

Collegiate Recovery Philanthropists of the Year: Kathy and Ray Hayes

Watch the 2021 awards celebration by clicking here.

2020 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Meri Shadley

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award: Ali Clements

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Lilly Ettinger

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Shauntelle Hammonds

Collegiate Recovery Cornerstone Award for Student Support: Jonathan Lofgren

Collegiate Recovery Champion Award: Patrice Salmeri

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: Hannah Fitzpatrick

Collegiate Recovery Philanthropists of the Year: Opiant Pharmaceuticals

2019 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Frank Allison

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award: Dustin Huckabe

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award: Morgan Pettis-Humberger

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Kristina Canfield

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Thomas Guerra

Collegiate Recovery Cornerstone Award for Student Support: Jason Whitney

Collegiate Recovery Champion Award: Tom Hill

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: Diana Williams

Collegiate Recovery Philanthropists of the Year: La Hacienda Treatment Center

2018 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Thomas Kimball

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award: Ashley Wheeler

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Leah Singer

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Keith Murphy

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Richard Baum

Collegiate Recovery Cornerstone Award for Student Support: The Ammon Foundation

Collegiate Recovery Champion Award: Sandy and Mary Winnefeld

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: Angie Rogers

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: Daniel Conroy

Collegiate Recovery Philanthropists of the Year: The Beauchamp Family

The Recovery School Award for Outstanding Contributionsto Recovery Research in an Educational Setting: Danielle Dick, Virginia Commonwealth University

The Visionary Award for Outstanding Contributions to Youth Recovery Research through the Use of Applied Sciences: Patrick Bordnick, Tulane University

The Spectrum Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Recovery: Vivek H. Murthy, Former U.S. Surgeon General

The Recovery Researcher of the Year Award: Tom McLellan, Treatment Research Institute (TRI) and University of Pennsylvania

2017 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Matt Statman

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award: Andrew Kiezulas

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Jarmichael Harris

Collegiate Recovery Staff of the Year Award: Anne Thompson Heller

Collegiate Recovery Advocate of the Year Award: Life of Purpose

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: Eileene McRae

2016 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Amy Boyd Austin

Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award: Tim Rabolt

Collegiate Recovery Community Member of the Year Award: Tom Edwards

2015 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Lisa Laitman

Outstanding Research Contribution Award: Alexandre B. Laudet

Outstanding Community Service Award: Trent Boozer

Outstanding Graduate Student Academic and Leadership Award: Austin Brown

Outstanding Student Academic and Leadership Award: Jordan Fugate

2014 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Teresa Johnston

Outstanding Graduate Student Academic and Leadership Award: Nick Hayes

Outstanding Student Academic and Leadership Award: Richard Birkett

Outstanding Community Service: Audrey Pusey

2013 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Patrice Salmeri

2012 Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award: Kitty Harris

The ARHE website is under construction as we launch a new membership portal. Please inform [email protected] if you experience technical difficulties or need support.

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