Andi is a Volunteer Recovery/Life Coach and Recovery Coach Professional with Greater Recovery and Community Empowerment (GRaCE)-Blue Ridge Resource Center (BRRC). Andi completed her BA in Psychology at Quincy College in IL in 1982, and her MA and doctoral coursework in Psychology at the University of Nevada-Reno in 1987.
During graduate school, Andi served as a Volunteer, Trainer and Speaker Bureau member for a Crisis Call Center and its Sexual Assault Response Team; she also worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, Summer Instructor and Mental Health Tech. Andi then began a 27-year career working with a private contractor for the USDOL Job Corps program, starting in Counseling and Student Services at Job Corps Centers in NV, WV and MD. In 1994 Andi moved on to Corporate responsibilities for what became 15 Job Corps Centers operated by her employer for the USDOL. Responsibilities included: developing responses to requests for contract proposals and programming to meet new initiatives; overseeing contract and programming implementation and maintenance; and assuring integrity in student records and contract performance data.
In 2014 left her 27-year Job Corps career to return to WV, live with her mom and see what was next. She soon found outlets for continuing to learn, grow and serve with Buckhannon’s Celebrate Recovery, where she continues to serve. In 2018 Andi added the WV Leadership Academy (WVLA), AmeriCorps VISTA, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)-Adult and the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy to her learning and growing experiences, while serving at Opportunity House Inc. In 2019, Andi moved on to the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) as a Peer Specialist for the Drop-In Center in Buckhannon and as a Peer Group Facilitator. In 2019 Andi also completed the Buckhannon ‘Citizen Police Academy’ and basic Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training for Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS), and she continues to serve with the Buckhannon Police Department. In 2020, Andi completed the WVLA’s Facilitator Training (“TTT”). In 2021, Andi completed the Buckhannon Leadership Academy, as well as the Recovery/Life Coach and Recovery Coach Professional trainings with Greater Recovery and Community Empowerment (GRaCE)/Blue Ridge Resource Center (BRRC), where she now serves as a volunteer Advocate, Community Recovery/Life Coach and a Recovery Coach Professional for Drug Court participants. Andi identifies as a person in long-term recovery from multiple addictions and mental health challenges, including acute and complex PTSD.