Who We Are

We are a visionary and collaborative multi-disciplinary team with expertise in recovery programming, treatment, education, fundraising, financial sustainability, asset mapping, government agency and community-based partnerships, community relations, start-ups, and nonprofit management.

Stemming from the group that started the nation’s first statewide recovery high school network (in Oregon), our hope is to channel our lived experience and passion to support the creation of publicly-funded recovery high schools in every state.

Our Story

Recovery High School Initiative (RHSI) is a labor of love brought to life by board members of the Oregon Recovery High School Initiative (ORHSI). Building on the success of OHSRI, which helped to pass groundbreaking stateside legislation that now supports nine recovery high schools across the state, RHSI supports the creation of publicly-funded recovery high schools in every state. 

In the mid-2010s, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that Oregon was the third worst state in the country in terms of youth substance use disorders and one of the worst states in terms of the availability of substance use treatment for youth. These conditions drove Dr. Tony Mann to spearhead an effort that led to ORHSI founders opening Oregon’s first recovery high school, Harmony Academy, just outside of Portland, in 2019. 

Harmony began as a public charter school and was heavily reliant on grant dollars. As a result of passing statewide legislation, it is now one of nine publicly-funded recovery high schools that receive a majority of their funding from the State of Oregon. Public funding was legislated through House Bill 2767, which was passed in 2023 and resulted in the creation of the first statewide recovery high network in the nation.

Youth who attend a recovery high school after initial treatment are nearly two times as likely to be abstinent from drug and alcohol use than those who return to their neighborhood high school or some other form of education (Finch et al., 2018). Studies show recovery high schools students also have more regular school attendance and higher academic achievement. The best evidence of success comes directly from students; please read the quotes at the end of this document.

The initial successes of Oregon Recovery High Schools are now part of Oregon’s foundational system of care and inspired ORHI board members to work toward bringing recovery high schools to every state. 

RHSI is partnering to bring their replicable groundbreaking legislation to create a publicly funded model that enables every family in every state to get the help they need for their kids.

Our Vision

All youth experiencing drug and alcohol addiction have access to a recovery-centered education.

Our Mission

Support the creation of publicly-funded recovery high schools in every state.

Meet the Team


  • Ann, an Oregon attorney and business owner, is a co founder and chair of the Recovery High School Initiative and chair of the Oregon Recovery High School Initiative. She also serves on the board of trustees for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and as chair of their development committee. Ann serves on the board of Directors for the Alano Club of Portland and the board of Harmony Academy, Oregon first recovery high school.


  • For nearly three decades, Tony has served as a public-school leader, leading schools and communities ranging from rural America to the suburbs, from Oregon’s Wine Country to diverse urban settings. Tony believes a revolution is required to move K-12 schools forward for the wellbeing of our students and the health of our country. Across his career, Tony has led schools and school systems to excellence. In addition to his work as a K-12 Superintendent, Tony is co-founder of Oregon Recovery High School Initiative and Harmony Academy. He also serves on the Oregon Department of Education Recovery School Advisory Committee which is focused on implementing legislation to get nine recovery high schools established in Oregon. 


  • Michele Morales, MSW, PhD, began her career in addiction services, working in detox, outpatient, prevention, and research. She holds a Master in Social Work and PhD in American Culture from the University of Michigan and currently serves as the Clinical Partnership Liaison for the University of Oregon Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health. Michele has been involved with recovery schools since 2009 and helped to found the Collegiate Recovery Program (CORE) at Southern Oregon University. 


  • Paul Bryant, LCSW, CADC III, has worked with adolescents struggling with addiction and co-occurring mental health issues since 2004. He has extensive experience directing behavioral health services in outpatient, residential, and withdrawal management programs. He is currently the Executive Director of Madrona Recovery, a treatment agency that serves youth with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. He also serves on the Oregon Department of Education Recovery School Advisory Committee which is focused on implementing legislation to get nine recovery high schools established in Oregon. Paul is a father to a teen son who is a student at Harmony Academy, the first recovery high school in Oregon.


  • Brenda Martinek has worked in the education field for over 35 years, serving Oregon and Washington state as a special education teacher, K-8 principal, special education director, and executive director. She retired in 2022 as the Chief of Student Support Services from Oregon's largest school district, Portland Public Schools. In retirement Brenda works at the Oregon Department of Education, implementing the new House Bill 2767 which focuses on opening 9 recovery high schools throughout the state over the next 5 years. She is passionate about providing specialized services for students, especially in regard to substance use and mental health challenges. She is a proud mom of 4 adult children; one of which died in 2017 due to a Fentanyl overdose. Her education career and lived experiences have shaped her drive, determination and focus on ensuring recovery schools are available for any student living in Oregon who needs additional supports for graduation and lifelong recovery. Brenda has served on the ORHSI Board since 2019 and has also been a Board member for Lines for Life, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and Friends of Lane County Recovery Schools.