As an early supporter and champion of YPR, Charlie Mayr is remembered by YPR as a memorial board member in perpetuity so his spirit, love of life and passion for our cause will always be with us. Mayr was appointed Chief Communications Officer of Actavis on April 27, 2012. Charlie joined Watson as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs in September 2009. Prior to joining Watson, Charlie operated an advertising and public relations consulting company from 1998 to 2009, serving such clients as Watson, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), Barr Pharmaceuticals and a variety of professional associations and consumer products and service companies. Prior to starting his consultancy business, he served as Director of Corporate Communications for Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 1994 to 1998. Prior to joining Barr, he served as Director of Global Communications from 1990 to 1994 for Sterling Drug Inc., the global brand and consumer health products pharmaceutical subsidiary of Kodak. Charlie began his career as a broadcast and print journalist and received a B.A. in journalism from New York University.
Meet The Board
ALEXA EGGLESTON
Board Chairwoman
Alexa Eggleston is Founder of Audacia Consulting LLC, a consulting practice she launched to support strategic advances in improving the lives of young people and those impacted by substance use and addiction. Prior to starting her business, Ms. Eggleston led implementation of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s youth substance use prevention and early intervention initiative. With more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, including more than 10 years in leadership and management positions leading national initiatives, developing and implementing strategic plans to affect policy and practice change, and increasing research translation and implementation, Ms. Eggleston is committed to creating and expanding prevention, treatment, and recovery approaches that are rooted in equity and non-punitive health-based responses. Her expertise and knowledge has a focus on youth development, health and well-being, and substance use and mental health, and spans a wide range of federal and state legal and policy issues in criminal justice, healthcare, education, and child welfare that impact youth and families affected by substance use. Ms. Eggleston also has experience launching new programmatic initiatives in the non-profit and philanthropic sector.
Ms. Eggleston has served as Substance Abuse Program Director with the Council of State Governments Justice Center in Bethesda, Maryland where she was responsible for advising governmental and non-governmental agencies on developing and implementing substance use treatment and other rehabilitative services for individuals involved the criminal justice system, including youth in the juvenile justice system. Eggleston worked as Director of Public Policy for the National Council for Behavioral Health where she conducted public policy activities to increase access to substance use prevention, treatment and recovery services through federal legislation and enact criminal justice and healthcare reform. She also spent several years as the Director of National Policy for the Legal Action Center where she directed policy and government relations activities to improve laws and policies that affect people with histories of addiction, HIV/AIDS, or criminal records. She received
TED COLLINS
Mr. Collins had a career as a successful entrepreneur, executive and investor in the global mobile telecoms industry for almost 20 years before substance use disorder made his life unmanageable. Since beginning his journey in recovery in 2013, Ted co-founded MOBER, Inc. (a technology company that develops mobile apps for the recovery community), launched YPR’s Los Angeles Chapter and served as California State Captain for the Unite to Face Addiction Rally. Ted holds a B.A. in Government cum laude from Harvard College (Cambridge, MA) and an MBA from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France).
HILARY HALL
Hilary Hall is a Vice President at Leavitt Equity Partners, a healthcare private equity firm founded by a former U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services. Hilary leads diligence on investment activity, portfolio company management, fund reporting, and team management. While Hilary’s work spans the healthcare landscape, most recently, she has worked closely with management teams in behavioral health, post-acute care, primary care, and women’s health. Hilary is a board observer or participant for five portfolio companies.
Prior to Leavitt Equity, Hilary was an Associate at private equity firm Sorenson Capital Partners and an Associate Consultant at global management consulting firm L.E.K. Consulting. In both of these roles she focused on healthcare services and technology. Hilary holds a B.A. in business strategy with a minor in economics from the Marriot School of Management at Brigham Young University.
Hilary is an addiction recovery ally who first looks to listen and second seeks to increase awareness, peer support, accessibility to treatment, and funding for programs like YPR. Hilary is based in Salt Lake City, UT.
ERIK HANSEN
Treasurer
Erik Hansen is a partner within the Risk and Regulatory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. An executive with over 25 years of providing accounting, auditing and consulting services to large, multinational companies, SEC registrants, private companies and governmental entities. He is lead partner on several global engagements, with focus on helping clients optimize their risk and control ecosystems. In his role, Erik regularly works with CFO’s, controllers, Internal Audit leaders and Audit Committees to optimize internal controls through leveraging technology, enabling swifter and deeper insights. Erik’s experience includes working with a number of clients to help them address strategic, financial and operational challenges, including growth initiatives, cyber readiness & incident response, cloud based systems infrastructure, strategic cost management, deal execution and workforce preparedness. He has demonstrated the ability to lead teams and develop professionals to become the next generation of leaders.
Prior to joining PwC, Erik was a partner with KPMG LLP and also served as a Director of Internal Audit with the Walt Disney Company.
Erik lives in Houston, Texas and has two children, Alexander and Taylor. He graduated with distinction from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce. He is a licensed CPA in the state of Texas as well as a licensed Chartered professional Accountant in Canada. Erik also holds a Certified Internal Auditor designation.
China Isler
China Isler is the Founder/CEO of Integrative Spiritual Counseling and has over a combined forty years of experience with multiple and diverse recovery communities, from both a personal and professional standpoint. She has worked at many inpatient treatment centers and sober living facilities. She has extensive experience leading workshops, groups and providing one on one advising on the intersection of substance use disorder, recovery and spirituality, where she educates people about how to live a solution based, life giving and thriving existence in recovery. Her work is grounded in meeting folks where they are, and partnering with them in conversation and reflection on meaning, value and purpose as related to spirituality and sobriety. She utilizes practical, spiritual tools and life skills to raise and expand consciousness, especially where self-limiting spiritual beliefs and behaviors are concerned.
She has lived experience as a young person in recovery, having first gotten sober at fifteen
years old, and retaining her sobriety for five years. After struggling mightily with substance use
disorder for a few years in her early twenties, she once again committed to her recovery at
twenty-six years old. She is currently twenty-four years sober. She has consistently mentored
throughout her time in recovery, and her greatest passion is working with young people.
She completed her studies in theology at Loyola Marymount University. She is currently
completing her M.Div. (Masters of Divinity) degree at Starr King School for the Ministry. She
holds a certificate in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) from UCLA Santa Monica Hospital, where
she trained as a chaplain. She has worked as a commissioned pastor. She has substantial
experience with contemplative, progressive Christianity, Hatha Yoga, Theravada Buddhism and
Vipassana (Insight) meditation, in both theory and practice.
Andrew Kiezulas
Andrew Kiezulas brings with him a wide array of leadership, management and life experience to the YPR Board of Directors. A person in long-term recovery from substance use disorder and a recovery ally himself, Andrew has been involved with YPR since 2013. While completing his Bachelor’s in Chemistry (University of Southern Maine, 2017) and Master’s in Policy, Planning and Management (Muskie School of Public Service, 2018), Andrew founded YPR-Portland, ME (2014), co-founded USM’s Recovery Oriented Campus Center (The ROCC, 2016), and received numerous accolades for his diverse enterprises, including: Inaugural Scholar (USM, 2016), Outstanding Junior Award (USM College of Science, Technology and Health, 2016), Student of the Year (USM, 2017), Collegiate Recovery Student of the Year Award (ARHE, 2017), and Convocation Scholar (USM 2017).
Andrew’s leadership mark extended well beyond the confines of the classroom, lab and campus. A co-author of two U.S. Senate Resolutions, Andrew has collaborated on local, state and federal SUD policy with the F.D.A., White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress. Humbled by these opportunities, empowering recovery allies and people in and seeking recovery still inspires him. He has given hundreds of presentations, talks and workshops in the community.
Andrew is the CEO of Coatings2Go, LLC, a small medical device coating company that specializes in water-based, super-lubricious, hydrophilic coatings for the single-use medical device industry. Since joining the team in 2019, Andrew has made major contributions to all levels of the business. While managing general production, he streamlined production processes, supported technical sales and contract negotiations; expanded C2G’s targeted marketing strategy, SEO footprint and long-term business plan; and identified OFI’s in the overall business and quality systems.
KEN MAXIK
Mr. Maxik is the Vice President Support Services for CompleteRx Ltd. He brings over 20 years of hospital operations, management consulting, and healthcare executive experience to the firm. He is a Certified Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, Senior Member of the American Society for Quality, and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
He has managed a broad spectrum of engagements throughout the US in the areas of general operations improvement, pharmacy compliance, patient safety initiatives, and hospital benchmarking.
Prior to joining CompleteRx, Mr. Maxik was a Regional Vice President for a pharmacy management firm. Mr. Maxik’s professional experience also includes consulting work for a fortune 50 firm, and experience in hospital administration.
He is a member of the Executive Committee for the Kentucky Association for Healthcare Quality.
Mr. Maxik has a Masters in Business Administration from Syracuse University and a Bachelors of Science in Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy.
DR. LISA JOHNSON PRATT
Vice-Chair
Dr. Lisa Johnson Pratt is a physician who has spent over 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry. She is currently the SVP, New Product Strategy at Akcea Therapeutics in Carlsbad, California. As she has progressed through her career, she has led teams in both the drug development/ clinical trials arena and in the commercial realm. Her career has allowed her to work globally, including in emerging markets, including China and Vietnam, on products that have contributed strongly to improving patient health. From preventing cervical cancer, to supporting cancer drugs through the development process, to preventing the sequelae of uncontrolled asthma and hypertension, Lisa has worked to improve the quality of life of people.
After her daughters experienced trauma, Lisa started Ananias Ventures. Ananias Ventures seeks to provide resources to individuals who are trying to magnify the voice of the voiceless. This has led to the creation of the Life After Abuse platform which seeks to inform and support victims of abuse. In Lisa’s case, the sequelae of abuse is not theoretical. While suffering from PTSD, her daughter developed an addiction. Being a physician allowed her to be able to successfully navigate and support her daughter during the recovery process, but during that process she began to recognize the challenges that exist throughout the process for patients entering and existing recovery. She remains committed to ensuring that patients in recovery have the support that they need to live their best life and fulfill their purpose.
Zina Rodriguez
Zina is the Founder of Z&D Consulting whose mission is to collaborate with organizations with creating inviting, intentional and inclusive healing spaces for individuals to achieve mental wellness while creating pathways for success for individuals from underrepresented communities. She is passionate about bringing awareness to the vast disparity in mental health and substance use treatment services for BIPOC and LBGTQ+ communities and the need to address how racial and identity trauma impacts individuals and communities.
Zina has over 25 years of experience in marketing and operations. She has held senior leadership positions for national and global behavioral health care companies where she has served as Executive Director and in Senior Marketing and Business Development roles.
Zina has worked internationally which has allowed her to develop a specialty in multi-cultural program development and marketing. She is a global speaker on topics related to culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion in behavioral health care.
Zina is a social worker, certified addiction professional and ARISE trained interventionist. She is also a Certified Diversity Executive. She has served as an adjunct professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work. She holds a MSW with a concentration in Administration from Fordham University and a BSW degree from Rutgers University.
Zina currently resides in Fort Lauderdale, FL and her favorite pastime is sitting on the beach with a good book.
KELSEY SCHMUHL
Kelsey Schmuhl is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. She enjoys teaching Introduction to Pharmacy to undergraduate students and teaching substance use disorder therapeutics to Doctor of Pharmacy students. She also provides pharmacy services to patients at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio in the Adolescent Medicine Clinic. Through her clinical work, Kelsey works with adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders to help them get the best outcomes from their medications. Kelsey is passionate about expanding access to naloxone through pharmacies and gave proponent testimony for Ohio House Bill 4, which allows pharmacists and pharmacy interns to dispense naloxone without a prescription in Ohio. In addition to teaching and clinical practice, Kelsey is a clinical content expert for Generation Rx, an educational initiative that teaches safe medication-taking practices across the lifespan.
Kelsey graduated from The Ohio State University with her Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees in 2012 and 2017 respectively. She also completed a Community Care Residency in 2018 and a Practice-Based Academic Fellowship with an emphasis on substance use disorders and behavioral health in 2019.
Kelsey currently resides in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, Dan; and daughter, Maia.
JENNA STAPLETON
Secretary
Jenna Stapleton is a dedicated and passionate philanthropist who serves as the Executive Director of the Denver-based Harmes C. Fishback Foundation, a charitable trust that provides financial support to non-profits in Colorado. Jenna also serves on the Board of Advisors of ACE Scholarships, whose mission is to provide children of low-income families with scholarships to private schools in grades K-12. She’s also a proud member of the Orrery Society at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries and recently joined the board of Young People in Recovery.
Jenna, her husband Walker, son Craig, and daughters Colette and Olivia live in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Jenna graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She also holds a graduate degree in social work from the University of Denver as well as a certificate in marriage and family therapy from Denver Family Institute. Jenna is currently working toward her license in clinical social work. Jenna’s passions include watching live music and professional sports, playing tennis, acquiring pets, meditating, reading and being a mom to her three amazing children.
CHARLIE MAYR
Emeritus Memoriam