2023 Keynote Speakers
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Christina Dent
Executive Director End it For Good 
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Reframed: An Unexpected Path to Healing
Tough on crime, tough on drugs, and tough on people involved in those things. That's the culture Christina Dent grew up in during the 1980s and '90s, and a perspective she supported as an adult. She didn't question it until she became a foster mom and a baby boy arrived on her doorstep one December afternoon. His mother used drugs while she was pregnant, so he was removed from her custody after his birth and put in foster care. When Christina met his mom, everything she thought she knew about drugs and addiction began to unravel. The policies she supported now had a face and a story. The experience sparked curiosity in her. Has our culture radically misunderstood the root causes of addiction? Are there better solutions that would produce far better outcomes than the ones we're getting today? The learning journey to answer those questions took her into the deep end of drug policy. She became convinced that the root causes of many drug-related harms such as crime, overdose, and destabilized families have been misunderstood. It's no wonder most of the interventions haven't worked. Christina will share the research and experiences that reshaped her understanding of the solutions that reduce harm across the board, and the role the Church and individual Christians can play so that more children, families, and communities can thrive.
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Christina is the Founder & President of End It For Good, a nonprofit based in Mississippi that invites people to support approaches to drugs that prioritize life and the opportunity to thrive. She's a conservative Christian who supported a criminal justice approach to drugs and addiction until her experiences as a foster parent sparked curiosity about a better path forward. Christina presented the findings from her learning journey in a TEDx Talk and went on to found End It For Good in 2019. She has written 10 opinion pieces for local and national publications, given over 75 interviews, and been a guest speaker at conferences across the country. She was born and raised in Mississippi where she also earned a bachelor's degree in biblical studies and led several church ministries. She continues to make her home there with her husband and three sons. Her passion for health-centered approaches to drugs and addiction stems from the same passion that led her to foster care. She desires to see people made in the image of God, protected, cared for, and thriving.
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Faith Based Communities and Addiction
Monty Burks serves as the Director of Faith-Based Initiatives for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, where his role is engaging and connecting Tennessee’s faith communities to the behavioral health care system, with the goal of expanding addiction and mental health support services across his state. He also oversees the Tennessee Lifeline Peer Project, a state program aimed at reducing the stigma associated with people who suffer from addiction and the Tennessee Faith Based Community Coordinators, who seek to help congregations build their capacity to combat addiction and mental health issues in their respective community. Burks earned his master’s degree in criminal justice from Middle Tennessee State University, his Doctorate in theology from Heritage, and he wears the honorable badge of Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. Burks has more than 22 years’ experience working with the criminal justice system in various roles, including adjunct criminal justice professor at Motlow State Community College, Criminal Justice Student Research Analyst at Middle Tennessee State University, and Criminal Justice Program coordinator and adjunct professor at Tennessee State University.
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Monty Burks, Ph. D
Deputy Director Governor's Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives 
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Keaton Douglas
Executive Director, Author iTHIRST Initiative 
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Mutually Wounded, Mutually Healed: The Role of Compassion and the Commonality of Brokenness in Serving those Suffering from Addictions
Through the prism of our mutual woundedness we can begin to better understand how to serve those suffering with addictions and their families by offering appropriate, Scripture-based, pastoral care. This pastoral care affords us an opportunity to 'dispel the myth of the other' and embrace those who exist in the 'tangled portion of the vineyard.'
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Keaton is the the Executive Director of the iTHIRST Initiative, a Mission of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. She is a consultant, educator, counselor, and frequent guest speaker in the field of addiction and recovery, particularly as it pertains to the interface of spirituality and recovery. She is the creator of the iTHIRST Initiative - a comprehensive program which focuses on spirituality in the prevention, treatment, and aftercare of those suffering from substance use disorders and their families. She is the creator of the iTHIRST Spiritual Companionship (ITSC) Training, faith -based formation which instructs lay leaders and clergy on the spiritual dimension of addiction/recovery. The iTHIRST curriculum is academically certified through Seton Hall University and is taught there on a continual basis through their Continuing Education and Professional Studies Department, attracting students from all over the Unites States and abroad. Today, certified iTHIRST Spiritual Companions number more than two hundred, and are bringing spiritual consolation and recovery resource information to individuals in Ireland, in 23 States, and as far as Pago Pago, American Samoa. iTHIRST Spiritual Companions serve the needs of those on six Native American Reservations. iTHIRST Spiritual Companions are working in faith communities, schools and hospitals, treatment facilities, correctional facilities, and re-entry programs from coast to coast and beyond!
Her book, The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction, published by Our Sunday Visitor, is available wherever you purchase your books.
Keaton is the mother of one adult son, Michael. She and her husband, Tom, live on a horse farm in rural northern New Jersey.
Her book, The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction, published by Our Sunday Visitor, is available wherever you purchase your books.
Keaton is the mother of one adult son, Michael. She and her husband, Tom, live on a horse farm in rural northern New Jersey.
George A. Wood
Author | Speaker | Pastor at Sober Truth Project
Author | Speaker | Pastor at Sober Truth Project
George A. Wood is a published author, an ordained minister, pastoral care counselor,
recovery ministry founder, and recovery activist.
A former addict and suicide survivor, George has dedicated his life to radically grace-laced,
Christ-centered recovery for people struggling with addiction, mental health problems, and
suicidal thoughts.
He works tirelessly to bridge the gap between the spiritual and scientific communities to
help people see recovery differently and build a new baseline for trauma-informed care. A highly charismatic and sought-after teacher and preacher, George has become a non-traditional recovery authority by founding radically divergent ministries, including the Timothy Initiative and the Sober Truth Project.
The Timothy Initiative is a faith-based ministry and open-ended program that works with
men in addiction by providing safe housing and work opportunities. The Sober Truth Project
aims to reshape how the world views addiction, mental health, people with suicidal thoughts, and the roles that faith, science, and trauma play in recovery to develop a more empathetic and loving society.
George studied business management at Binghamton and Morresville State universities in New York and mental health and Christian life coaching with the American Association of Christian Counselors. A certified addiction specialist, trauma informed coach, and he is a pastor and pastoral care counselor ordained by Cornerstone Mission Family Church.
George currently works directly with the Sober Truth Project, speaking, consulting, and coaching in order to engage, educate, equip, and empower faith communities, churches, and leaders of all people groups. He also has a successful podcast The Sober Truth, which highlights the meeting of faith and recovery, bringing light and understanding to all of the topics of The Uncovery. “There is a world that is hurting, lives that are being lost, and future generations that are wandering with no one to lead them home,” George says. “Addiction, mental health, trauma, and suicide are terrifying topics; we all feel ill-equipped for the challenges that surround those who are suffering. We cannot continue to sidestep the challenges, and we cannot hold on to the same old procedures that have never worked just because they feel safe. We all must do better.”
George lives in the inner city in Tampa, Florida, with his wife Julie and a community of brothers and sisters living out the gospel in a radical way. He has seen how the power of community can heal the trauma that causes addiction, mental health problems, and suicidal thoughts, so he is focused on mobilizing a generation of believers to go deeper into the uncovery space.
To connect with George, visit:
www.georgeawood.com
www.youtube.com/@GeorgeWoodSoberTruth
recovery ministry founder, and recovery activist.
A former addict and suicide survivor, George has dedicated his life to radically grace-laced,
Christ-centered recovery for people struggling with addiction, mental health problems, and
suicidal thoughts.
He works tirelessly to bridge the gap between the spiritual and scientific communities to
help people see recovery differently and build a new baseline for trauma-informed care. A highly charismatic and sought-after teacher and preacher, George has become a non-traditional recovery authority by founding radically divergent ministries, including the Timothy Initiative and the Sober Truth Project.
The Timothy Initiative is a faith-based ministry and open-ended program that works with
men in addiction by providing safe housing and work opportunities. The Sober Truth Project
aims to reshape how the world views addiction, mental health, people with suicidal thoughts, and the roles that faith, science, and trauma play in recovery to develop a more empathetic and loving society.
George studied business management at Binghamton and Morresville State universities in New York and mental health and Christian life coaching with the American Association of Christian Counselors. A certified addiction specialist, trauma informed coach, and he is a pastor and pastoral care counselor ordained by Cornerstone Mission Family Church.
George currently works directly with the Sober Truth Project, speaking, consulting, and coaching in order to engage, educate, equip, and empower faith communities, churches, and leaders of all people groups. He also has a successful podcast The Sober Truth, which highlights the meeting of faith and recovery, bringing light and understanding to all of the topics of The Uncovery. “There is a world that is hurting, lives that are being lost, and future generations that are wandering with no one to lead them home,” George says. “Addiction, mental health, trauma, and suicide are terrifying topics; we all feel ill-equipped for the challenges that surround those who are suffering. We cannot continue to sidestep the challenges, and we cannot hold on to the same old procedures that have never worked just because they feel safe. We all must do better.”
George lives in the inner city in Tampa, Florida, with his wife Julie and a community of brothers and sisters living out the gospel in a radical way. He has seen how the power of community can heal the trauma that causes addiction, mental health problems, and suicidal thoughts, so he is focused on mobilizing a generation of believers to go deeper into the uncovery space.
To connect with George, visit:
www.georgeawood.com
www.youtube.com/@GeorgeWoodSoberTruth
The Jewish Jail Lady and the Holy Thief
Rabbi Mark Borovitz &
Harriet Rossetto
Authors, Founders of Beit T'Shuvah,
Harriet Rossetto
Authors, Founders of Beit T'Shuvah,
Rabbi Mark & Harriet present a love story of religious proportions. Both will present a heartwarming documentary about the history of Beit T'Shuvah, a Jewish Recovery community in Los Angeles, California. Its founders, Rabbi Mark Borovitz and Harriet Rossetto, tell the story of Mark and Harriet's lives and the birth of their spiritual mission to help Jewish addicts and criminals find recovery.
It was hardly love at first sight for foul-mouthed, nail polish-wearing, alcoholic Rabbi Mark Borovitz and self-proclaimed misfit, Harriet Rossetto. She was a social worker helping Jewish inmates; he was a Jewish inmate serving time for forgeries and check fraud.
When Rossetto met Borovitz, she thought he was a know-it-all and he thought she was arrogant. But when Rossetto challenged Borovitz to come help her with a foundation she was building when he was released, to her surprise, he showed up. Borovitz got sober and proved he had changed. Eventually, they fell in love.
Borovitz and Rossetto founded Beit T’Shuvah, an addiction treatment center that combines a 12-Step program with psychotherapy and the teachings of Judaism. While they said some professionals in the mental health world told them that combining religion with therapy would never work, their program was a success. Rossetto took on a leading role in helping their clients and building their programs.
It was hardly love at first sight for foul-mouthed, nail polish-wearing, alcoholic Rabbi Mark Borovitz and self-proclaimed misfit, Harriet Rossetto. She was a social worker helping Jewish inmates; he was a Jewish inmate serving time for forgeries and check fraud.
When Rossetto met Borovitz, she thought he was a know-it-all and he thought she was arrogant. But when Rossetto challenged Borovitz to come help her with a foundation she was building when he was released, to her surprise, he showed up. Borovitz got sober and proved he had changed. Eventually, they fell in love.
Borovitz and Rossetto founded Beit T’Shuvah, an addiction treatment center that combines a 12-Step program with psychotherapy and the teachings of Judaism. While they said some professionals in the mental health world told them that combining religion with therapy would never work, their program was a success. Rossetto took on a leading role in helping their clients and building their programs.
"The misuse of opioids, both legally prescribed and illicitly obtained, has become a public health epidemic nationally and in Minnesota. The United States uses 80% of the world’s painkillers, despite having less than 5% of the world's population."
--US Dept. of Health and Human Services
Special Guest Storyteller |
Guest Preacher |
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Pastor Bohdan Vadis
Pastor Bohdan Vadis was born in Bemidji, Minnesota. Bohdan lives in San Diego, California where he has been the pastor at Tierrasanta Lutheran Church since 2008. Having grown up in Minnesota as the child of a Lutheran pastor, Bohdan enjoys playing hockey and fishing. He can regularly be found on the ice or the water in San Diego on his day off. He has also served as pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota, and at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Sacramento, California. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, and a Master of Divinity from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.
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Pastor Greg Delaney
Greg is a Senior Community Engagement Specialist for Statewide Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center, Woodhaven, while also serving as a member of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Recovery Ohio Advisory Council where he champions the efforts of the Faith/Recovery community in Ohio. Greg has also been blessed to serve as an advocate, educator, and facilitator for faith-based recovery efforts of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and continues to serve as a faith-based Recovery Educator for Ohio Non-Profit Reach for Tomorrow Ohio where he seeks to educate communities as to substance use disorder’s community impact and how to respond with evidence-based solutions.
He is a 1988 graduate of Wright State University with a B.S. in Marketing was ordained into ministry in 2009 and has been married to his wife Dr. Elizabeth Delaney for over 30 years and is father to Hillary, Samantha, and Ian. |
2023 Conference Leaders
Rev. Karen Knudson Treat
Conference Chaplain
MDiv, RN, Spiritual Director. Karen is active with the FRLC and a grateful member of Al-Anon. She serves as the pastor of Memorial Lutheran Church in Afton, Minnesota. Karen is also a spiritual director at Loyola Spirituality Center. She loves to spend time on her bike and being with her family.
Conference Chaplain
MDiv, RN, Spiritual Director. Karen is active with the FRLC and a grateful member of Al-Anon. She serves as the pastor of Memorial Lutheran Church in Afton, Minnesota. Karen is also a spiritual director at Loyola Spirituality Center. She loves to spend time on her bike and being with her family.
Rev Dr Ed Treat
Conference Organizer
Ed has been in long-term recovery from addiction for 37 years. He received his master of divinity and a doctorate in ministry from Luther Seminary. From 1995-2020, he was a parish pastor, serving congregations in rural Nebraska and around the Twin Cities.
Treat joined the newly-formed Fellowship of Recovering Lutheran Clergy (FRLC) in 1990. In 2001, Treat became the director of the FRLC and remains such today. In 2020, he founded The Center of Addiction & Faith, as a 501©3 nonprofit. He sits on the boards of the FRLC, the RMEC, the Center of Addiction & Faith, Minnesota Mental Health Connect, and serves on the PAC of Minnesota Recovery Connection.
He is author of The Pastor, a psychological novel about a small-town pastor who confronts a mystery surrounding the death of a member of his congregation. He loves to do woodworking, plan group trips and travel. He and his wife Karen, also a Lutheran minister, have four adult children, one granddaughter and one grandson.
Conference Organizer
Ed has been in long-term recovery from addiction for 37 years. He received his master of divinity and a doctorate in ministry from Luther Seminary. From 1995-2020, he was a parish pastor, serving congregations in rural Nebraska and around the Twin Cities.
Treat joined the newly-formed Fellowship of Recovering Lutheran Clergy (FRLC) in 1990. In 2001, Treat became the director of the FRLC and remains such today. In 2020, he founded The Center of Addiction & Faith, as a 501©3 nonprofit. He sits on the boards of the FRLC, the RMEC, the Center of Addiction & Faith, Minnesota Mental Health Connect, and serves on the PAC of Minnesota Recovery Connection.
He is author of The Pastor, a psychological novel about a small-town pastor who confronts a mystery surrounding the death of a member of his congregation. He loves to do woodworking, plan group trips and travel. He and his wife Karen, also a Lutheran minister, have four adult children, one granddaughter and one grandson.
