Speakers Page

Brian is a hands-on, multifaceted business development strategist and Community Relations Specialist at Never Alone Recovery with over 10 years of experience in recovery and crisis intervention. Brian has dedicated his life and persevered throughout his harrowing journey to turn his story of survival into one of triumph and hope as a recovering addict himself.

Brian's mission is to break the stigma and support the community he once helped destroy. He holds a CAPRC I certification as a Peer Recovery Coach and was the director of various sober living homes in the Midwest. Brian's purpose and core focus are fueled by his unwavering dedication to the seamless integration of mental health, substance use disorder, and addiction-related services into HR programs for companies, non-profits, and government agencies of all sizes.

With a proven track record of over 1,000 successful interventions, Brian and his team at Never Alone Recovery have revolutionized how communities respond to substance abuse and mental health emergencies by prioritizing responsive, efficient, and compassionate programs that provide quality treatment with the end goal of fostering healing and sustained recovery.

Mrs. Allison Bilton received her bachelor's in sociology with a focus in education from the University of South Carolina in 1992. She has been with the Berkeley County Coroner's Office for 8 years and currently is the Community Outreach Coordinator. Prior to her current work, she worked for 10 years as a probate court-appointed guardian for incapacitated adults struggling with substance use disorder. She currently is the facilitator for Berkeley County's OFR.

Deputy Mark Andrews holds a master peace officer license and is a TCOLE certified instructor. He began
his career as a dispatcher for Boerne Police Department, graduated from the academy in 2001, and
became a Deputy in Comal County in 2002. In 2007, Deputy Andrews moved to the Hays County Sheriff’s
Office and is currently assigned to the Community Outreach Unit.
Over the course of his 23-year career, he has worked in several different capacities, including patrol,
environmental crimes, and crime prevention. Deputy Andrews obtained his Certified Crime Prevention
Specialist certificate in 2018 and enjoys working with the community in all aspects of his current
assignment.
Over the summer of 2022, Hays County experienced the loss of several high school-aged children due to
fentanyl poisonings. In response, the Sheriff’s Office formed a task force to include other area law
enforcement agencies and the DEA. Sheriff Cutler tasked Deputy Andrews to learn everything he could
possibly learn and present that information to as many people as possible. Deputy Andrews joined Janel
Rodriguez, the founder of the forever15project who lost her son to fentanyl in 2022, to bring a very
emotional and moving presentation to anyone and everyone. Together they have presented to more
than 25,000 students and adults in more than 350 presentations.

Drugs are the game, Bear is my name. 

As National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Probation Fellow, Mark Stodola brings over 30 years of experience working in the field of court management and adult probation in Arizona.  Mark worked at the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department for 18 years serving in a number of capacities including division director overseeing drug and alcohol treatment programs, problem solving courts and services for the mentally ill. Mark later became the Court Administrator of the Tempe Municipal Court where he served for eight years managing the day to day activities of the court. Most recently Mark served as Program Services Manager in the Adult Probation Services Division of the Arizona Supreme Court where he had oversight of treatment programs for Arizona’s Adult Probation Departments.  Mark has presented training on topics surrounding high risk drunk drivers at national, regional and state conferences throughout the country. Mark also is an adjunct instructor at Arizona State University.

Mark received his undergraduate degree in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Master’s Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University.   Mark became a Graduate Fellow through the National Council of State Courts Institute of Court Management.