Jordan Hussey
Executive Director
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Jordan Hussey is a person in long-term recovery and makes it her life’s mission to help others who facing similar struggles. During her early recovery from Substance Use Disorder, she found many people didn’t talk about recovery, wellness or the resources that are available. Today, Jordan speaks about that struggle and uses her experience to advocate and empower others and to connect them with the resources they may need.
Before joining J’s Place, she worked with the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse as a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Peer Recovery Coach at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Prior to this she was a Substance Abuse Tech at Twin Lakes Recovery Center.
She is Certified as a Peer Specialist in Addictive Diseases, Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist, in Medication Assisted Treatment and Trauma Informed Care as well as Whole Health Action Management.
Katie Dunagan, Recovery Coach
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Katie Dunagan is a woman in long term recovery who’s finally living her dream. After graduating from Hall County Drug Court in 2013, she discovered her passion for helping others. She is a peer recovery coach and a native of Gainesville, Georgia. She loves this community and is enthusiastic about helping those who struggle with substance use disorder. She has achieved many of her lifetime goals in recovery and wants to show that if you want it, it’s possible. She graduated from University of North Georgia in 2020 with a B.S. in psychology and sociology. She is a Certified Peer Support Specialist in Addictive Disease and Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist with training in QPR and Trauma Informed Care.
Her focus is to empower other people in recovery with the tools they need to survive and thrive, especially single parents. Addiction affects every community, and Katie knows how debilitating addiction-related stigma can be for peers. She uses her life as an example that people with SUD are worthy of grace, love, and respect and wants to show that recovery is a journey, not a task.
Kara Rebello, Recovery Coach
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Kara Rebello is a woman in long term recovery. She is passionate about helping others. Kara is a strong believer that each step in recovery is important, and everyone’s path is different. She was born and raised in New York where she was a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate for The Addiction Center of Broome County. It didn’t take her long to realize that this is what she was meant to do. Kara relocated to Georgia in 2018 and continued sharing her experiences and personal journey in hopes that others will see that recovery is possible. Before joining J’s Place, she worked at an adolescent, inpatient facility for almost 2 years.
Kara stated, “I believe one of the most important things we can do for our community is to educate residents about addiction and recovery.”
Lauren Thompson, Outreach Coordinator
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Lauren Thompson is a woman in long term recovery whose perseverance through substance abuse and mental health challenges has allowed her to help others who still suffer. After graduating Hall County’s H.E.L.P. Court in 2020, Lauren found herself wanting to give back the hope, encouragement, healing, and support that was given to her. Lauren says, “a lot of people struggle with recovery because of the absence of a genuine support system and meaningful peer connections. I want to be a person who changes that for them.” Through J’s Place and other recovery pathways, she has made progress with this goal. Lauren has been able to reach many of the men and women who still battle with addiction and other co-occurring disorders, helping them along on their recovery journey.
In addition to serving as Outreach Coordinator and a Peer Recovery Coach, Lauren is a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist (CARES) and a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist in Addictive Diseases (CPS-AD) and hopes to specialize in mental health, Trauma Informed Care, and Medication Assisted Treatment in the future.
Meet our Board Members
