BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Although he is now retired, professionally, George keeps busy with a variety of activities. He enjoys RV travel, golf, hiking and fishing.

After completing a master’s degree in social work and a Ph.D. in Social Work and Developmental Psychology, also at the University of Michigan, she became a professor at the University at Albany, State University New York, where she remained for 28 years. There she taught graduate social work students and conducted research on domestic violence, child abuse, sibling sexual abuse, the impact of incarceration on families, and related topics. Toward the end of her tenure there, her focus shifted to studying factors affecting relapse in women trying to recover from drug and alcohol abuse.

After falling in love with the desert in Scottsdale and Phoenix, AZ, she took a faculty position at Arizona State University, where she stayed until she retired.

After retiring, she pivoted to writing fiction. Her short fiction has been published in literary magazines such as The Normal School, Broadkill Review, Foliate Oak, Down in the Dirt, Across the Margin, and Blue Lake Review. Now she lives with her husband, dog and too many cats in Scottsdale, AZ and writes fiction and hikes to her heart’s content in the beautiful Sonoran Desert.

Having worked in the accounting side of the automotive sales industry for 40+ years, she also has experience in event planning and business management. Establishing her own business, Michelle’s Craft Room, has given Michelle the ability to use her varied artistic talents to further her philanthropy.

Having been married for 32 years, she and her husband Lou have lived in Arizona since 2006 and have been serving the recovery community for over 27 years.

Michelle is an enthusiastic supporter of all creatures great and small. When asked about her contribution to AWRC, Michelle responded “I am here to be of service in whatever capacity is needed.”

Mr. Mattaino serves his community on both local and state levels.  He has served as NCADD (AZ Women Recovery Center) Board Member since May 2018.  He currently has the honor of serving as Board Secretary. 

Regardless of where he serves, he demonstrates leadership, professionalism and dedication.  Often, due to his passion for service and actively jumping in to provide a helping hand, Mr. Mattaino has been elevated to positions of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson for local recovery programs.  He also serves as a Mentor for others who are struggling with addiction, grief or incarceration. 

Personally, he remains committed to self-improvement and understands the importance of self-care.  His favorite hobbies include Golf and NASCAR.  Professionally, Mr. Mattaino has extensive experience in Construction and Property Management.  He continues to explore career opportunities in both residential and commercial.

She is grateful for being on the Board of Arizona Womens Recovery Center, and for the opportunity to be of any assistance to an organization doing excellent work for their community.

Ms. Brown has served her community in various ways for more than 2 decades. Including working in Title I schools as an elementary school teacher. After law school, she became a “Legal advocate” at Community Legal Services. There she helped clients who were victims of domestic abuse leave their abusive situations by way of divorce and/or resolving child custody disputes through the Arizona Court system. Today, she is a Traditional Instructor at Grand Canyon University teaching in both the Government and Justice Studies departments.

She is also a licensed foster parent through the state of Arizona. She and her family regularly participate in volunteer service opportunities in the foster care community.

During nursing school, she was involved with the National Association of Hispanic Nurses MI chapter. She met a family nurse practitioner (FNP) and had the opportunity to shadow “a day in the life of an FNP” in a school-based clinic and she knew that she wanted more than hospital nursing. She furthered her education in completing her BSN at University of MI and ultimately her MSN with an emphasis in Parent-Child Nursing and completed her Pediatric Nurse Practitioner degree in 2008.

In that same year after graduation, her family moved to the west valley of AZ where she started a primary care practice profession in a private pediatric clinic. She has also worked for Grand Canyon University in the College of Nursing as the pediatric professor for a few years before returning to full time practice where she currently works for a Federally Qualified Health Clinic (FQHC) in a multi-disciplinary setting. She has the privilege of working with a team of medical and behavioral specialists. It affords the patients that she sees more than just primary care, medical services. If she finds that they need any behavioral services, she can refer in-house to her colleagues for support, not only for her pediatric clients, but also for the parents and guardians if she assesses a need.

Marilyn joined the Arizona Women’s Recovery Center as a board member in 2022 believing in the vision and the mission and is excited to help bridge relationships with the board, the staff, the community, and the city of Phoenix and surrounding areas. She is motivated to work with a team in helping to create tools and resources to help eradicate the cycle of substance abuse.

When Covid changed the corporate landscape in 2021, Amy retired and began looking for ways in which she could give back to the world around her. Amy has over 11 years of recovery and is passionate about helping others in their personal road to recovery.

Having been a close personal friend of Terri Magee, for whom Terri’s place was named, Amy saw it as a sign and sought to become a member of the board of AWRC. She consistently brings her passion for recovery and helping others to the role.

Mike brings his skills to AWRC with an active role on the Fundraising Subcommittee. As an avid golfer he combines his love of the game with his passion for helping the recovery community.

His involvement in several golf tournament fundraising events throughout the years led him to his current position as an AWRC Board Member.

Dr. Khadijia is the CEO of Decree Consulting LLC and the Envision, Design, and Develop Leadership program, which helps individuals and business leaders transform and implement transformation and sustainable growth.

Additionally, Dr. Khadijia is a Regional Outreach Coordinator and Facilitator for Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL), a non-profit organization in Arizona that provides faith-based support and educational resources for families with loved ones dealing with issues of substance use disorders.

“New Beginnings, Mighty Faith, and Purpose Living” is the mantra behind Dr. Khadijia’s devotion to helping women rediscover themselves. Her future goals are to provide faith-based sober living and educational opportunities for women’s continued recovery and rehabilitation, emphasizing relapse prevention. She has a heart for serving others and is honored to be on the board of the Arizona Women’s Recovery Center, and she continues to remain committed to organizations making a difference in the lives of others.