June 10, 2025 | 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Letter From the CEO

Patty MCCarthy

Greetings friends and colleagues,

Welcome to the 2025 America Honors Recovery Gala Dinner! This is a time to remember the trailblazers who came before us who have been inspirational leaders in the recovery advocacy movement. Advocates like Lisa Mojer-Torres and Joel Hernandez made history by standing up for the dignity and rights of people with substance use disorders and challenging discriminatory policies that keep people from getting well. Tonight, we recognize leaders who are carrying the torch, inspiring us to stand up for recovery, and lighting the way for our future.

The work we do at Faces & Voices of Recovery is only possible through the generous support of our sponsors, donors and members tonight and throughout the year. Advocating and sharing our stories is the cornerstone of our mission to change the way addiction and recovery are understood and embraced through advocacy, education and leadership. As we gather here for our annual fundraiser, it’s a time to unify around the values embodied by our awardees and those who came before them.

Thank you for being here tonight as we honor our incredible awardees.

Yours in recovery,

Patty McCarthy

Chief Executive Officer

Letter From the Board Chairperson

Lawrence Medina

Dear Esteemed Guests and Honorees,

On behalf of the Board of Directors, it is my heartfelt honor to welcome you to the 2025 America Honors Recovery Gala Dinner. We are gathered here tonight not only to celebrate outstanding individuals and organizations, but to recognize the strength, courage, and unwavering determination of a movement that continues to transform lives across the nation.

Over the past 29 years, I have had the privilege of walking alongside countless individuals and communities on the journey of recovery. I’ve seen how resilience is forged in moments of vulnerability, and how healing is made possible through compassion, connection, and purpose. Tonight, we come together to reflect on these stories of triumph—and to spotlight those who have gone above and beyond to advance recovery as a human right.

This evening is a celebration, but it is also a call to action. Our shared mission to dismantle stigma, expand access, and affirm every person’s right to recover with dignity is more urgent than ever. Whether you are a policymaker, peer advocate, healthcare provider, family member, or person in recovery—your voice and your work matter. Your presence tonight speaks volumes about the strength of our collective resolve.

As we honor this year’s distinguished awardees, let us also recommit ourselves to a future where recovery is not only possible, but fully supported—without shame, without barriers, and without exception. Together, we are building a world where healing is honored, stories are heard, and communities are empowered.

Thank you for joining us on this meaningful evening. Your commitment inspires hope, drives progress, and reminds us all that we are never alone in this journey.

With deep gratitude and warm regards,

Lawrence Medina

Board Chairperson

Meet Our Master of Ceremonies

Sean Hemeon

Sean Hemeon is an actor, artist, and writer based in Los Angeles. He’s best known for his recurring role on ABC’s 9-1-1 and for starring in CW’s Husbands, with additional credits including True Blood, Criminal Minds, and Rake. As a painter, his abstract expressionist work has been exhibited all over Los Angeles and internationally, exploring themes of identity, memory, and transformation. He’ll soon be releasing his debut memoir, The Good Little Drug Lord, an ode to redemption, recovery, and the mother/son bond—an ultimately UpLit memoir about a gay Mormon drug-dealing narc for the federal government. And most recently, Sean has celebrated twenty years of continuous sobriety.

Visit Sean's Site

Meet our

Special Guests

Dr. Karen Sosnoski

Karen Sosnoski, Ph.D. is an ever evolving writer, mother, and advocate for families impacted by the opioid crisis (including her own). Her writing on themes of resilience and recovery appears in diverse venues including The New York Times, This American Life, Romper, The Sunlight Press and Eat, Darling, Eat. A former instructor at George Washington University, more recently she has worked as a regular contributor to Healthline, Psych Central, and Road to College and as a writer for Ted Talks' master classes' curriculum. Karen's memoir, Above Us Only Sky: Beyond My Addiction to My Daughter's Addiction is almost ready to be sent out to agents. For updates and to read excerpts from her work in progress, look for her on substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/sosk

Fred Zeytoonjian

Fred wears many hats, including senior counsel at Apple, president of the board of the State Government Affairs Council, and dad to an incredible young woman in recovery.

Our Awards

Presentations

The Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award

The Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, in honor of William L. White, renowned recovery historian and author, recognizes significant contributions made to the recovery movement through outstanding advocacy, research, or policy reform. William L. White's sustained contributions to the field since 1969 have inspired countless individuals to learn from our history while mobilizing advocates and advancing the New Recovery Advocacy Movement (NRAM) with integrity, authenticity, and servant leadership.

The Congressional Champion Award

The Congressional Champion Award recognizes lawmakers who have had a significant role in advancing legislation that has a positive impact on families experiencing substance use and mental health challenges.

The Federal Champion Award

Many agencies across the Federal government have an incredibly important role in leading public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation and to improve the lives of individuals living with mental and substance use disorders, and their families. Addiction crosses to many agencies to mention. The Federal Champion Award recognizes individuals within the Federal government who have demonstrated outstanding, transformational leadership.

The Innovations in Recovery Award

The Innovations in Recovery Award honors achievements in the recovery community that promote excellence through extraordinary innovation. Contributions can take many forms and may include a significant role in the implementation and effective delivery of a highly innovative idea, program, or product. The extraordinary innovation must directly or indirectly impact the advancement of the recovery community and/or recovery support services.

Criteria:

Leadership: Did this individual's accomplishment demonstrate innovative leadership? Did this individual's leadership set the stage for further innovative work?
Out-of-the-box-thinking: Does this innovation represent out-of-the-box or cutting-edge thinking?
Enthusiasm: Has this innovation led to a new product, service or approach to amplify the benefits of recovery?
Impact: Will the innovation bring fundamental change and/or move the recovery community forward in fighting stigma?

The Excellence in Recovery Journalism Award

The Excellence in Recovery Journalism Award aligns closely with the mission of Faces & Voices of Recovery to illuminate the journey from addiction and substance use, once hidden in the shadows of anonymity. By recognizing journalists whose work makes a positive impact on communities at local, national, or global levels, this award promotes advocacy efforts to reduce stigma surrounding recovery. Through factual and educational reporting, the awardee's published work(s) directly contribute to changing public perceptions of recovery, encouraging open dialogue and understanding. By amplifying recovery stories, this award aims to accelerate support initiatives and policy reforms, addressing critical issues like the opioid epidemic and overdose deaths. As Dr. Melissa Anderson aptly put it, "When we recover loudly, we keep others from dying quietly," underscoring the transformative power of journalism in advancing recovery narratives and societal change.

Advocate of the Year Award

The Advocate of the Year award recognizes outstanding advocacy leadership and is presented in honor of the legacies of Lisa Mojer-Torres and Joel Hernandez, who stood up for the dignity and rights of all people impacted by substance use disorders.

Lisa Mojer-Torres was instrumental in the founding of Faces & Voices of Recovery as the first board chair. Her inquiring and challenging mind offered new insights, and, by example, she encouraged us to stand up and speak out on behalf of all pathways to recovery, including the use of medications. Her leadership contributed to a significant shift in understanding addiction recovery and the need to end discriminatory policies and practices.

Joel Hernandez was a champion whose protest in the face of discrimination in the Hernandez v Raytheon legal case inspired us all. This historic case has had a profound impact on employment laws for people with substance use disorder histories.

The Recovery Organization of the Year Award

The Recovery Organization of the Year Award recognizes the exemplary achievements of one local, state, regional, or national nonprofit grassroots recovery organization for its advocacy and mobilizing of the recovery community to increase the prevalence and quality of long-term recovery from substance use disorder.

Congratulate the

2025 Awardees

Paolo del Vecchio, M.S.W.

2025 Federal Champion Award

By marcuswilkes | April 29, 2025

Paolo del Vecchio, M.S.W., a person in long-term recovery from mental health and addictions, has been a leader in the peer recovery movement for 40 years. …

Tara Moreno-Wallen

2025 Advocate of the Year Award

By marcuswilkes | April 29, 2025

Tara Moreno-Wallen, M.A., ADS, is a woman in long-term recovery. She is also the founding director of the Serenity House Communities, owner of Green Tara…