The senior leadership team is comprised of a multi-disciplinary group of professionals, each of which lends industry expertise and experience to achieve the ultimate goal of helping people triumph over mental illness, alocholism, drugs and other addictions. They are responsible for oversight and implementation of the Agency’s strategic initiatives.
Seona Goerndt joined Recovery Resources as President & CEO in 2021 as the agency’s 5th president. Prior to Recovery Resources, Seona has had an extensive career in hospital and healthcare administration including leadership roles with MetroHealth, HealthSpan Ohio and Kaiser Permanente. She holds a bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management from Notre Dame College and a Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University. She is a Recovery Resources Board of Directors alumni, a Three Arches Foundation board member, and board member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Northern Ohio Chapter.
To contact Seona, email her at sgoerndt@recres.org.
Sandra Sims is a senior leader in mental & behavioral health administration at MetroHealth who serves in the role of Director of Clinical Operations at Recovery Resources. She is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Baldwin-Wallace University and her Master of Arts in Community Counseling from the University of Akron. Sandra provides leadership and oversight of the organization’s clinical operations. Sandra is a versatile professional with comprehensive experience spanning over 25 years. Her administrative leadership roles have included both operational and strategic dimensions in non-profit organizations, engaging in advocacy and having responsibility for developing, designing, and improving the systems that deliver the best clinical treatment.
To contact sandra, please email her at both ssims@recres.org and ssims4@metrohealth.org.
Creola Rice is Recovery Resources' Associate Director of Quality and Accreditation. Creola holds a Master of Adult Education and Master of Curriculum and Instruction from Cleveland State University. Additionally, she holds the Certification in Nonprofit Management from the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs at CSU. She received her undergraduate degree in Telecommunication from Kent State University. Creola has years of experience driving quality improvement initiatives and assuring organizational alignment to the Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitating Facilities (CARF) and Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAHMS) Board standards and requirements. She is on track to become a CARF Surveyor. Creola is driven by her passion to ensure Recover Resources remains a high-quality organization serving all who seeks our services.
To contact Creola, email her at crice@recres.org.
Mary Sax is the Human Resource Business Partner at Recovery Resources. She has worked in the Human Resources field for more than 25 years, working primarily in the for-profit space, supporting a global organization in the architectural, engineering and planning space. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Business & Organizational Communication from The University of Akron. She currently holds the SHRM-SCP certification and has a broad-range of human resource-related experience. She is excited to venture in and support the nonprofit space, leveraging her business acumen to bring more success to the organization.
To contact Mary, email her at msax@recres.org.
Nabil Pervaiz is the Manager of Prevention Services at Recovery Resources in Cleveland, Ohio. He holds both a Bachelor and Master of Science degree in Health Promotion and Education from the University of Cincinnati and is an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist (OCPS). He manages the alcohol and other drug prevention programming at Recovery Resources where he works with staff to meet the communities needs through social emotional learning and substance abuse prevention in Cuyahoga County. He oversees gambling prevention services which include coordinating with gambling clinicians for training, working with staff to present information and resources to the community, and co-chairing the only gambling-specific coalition in the state of Ohio. Nabil sits on the Board for Problem Gambling Network of Ohio as the Treasurer and Advisory Boards for both Statewide Prevention Coalition Association (SPCA) and Ohio College Initiative (OCI). Additionally, he is a member of the Problem Gambling Advisory Board for the State of Ohio and co-chairs the workforce development committee.
To contact Nabil, email him at npervaiz@recres.org.
Joellen Woodring is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and The Training Institute Manager at Recovery Resources. She has worked in the social services field for over 20 years for various community based mental health organizations in Northeast Ohio. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Baldwin-Wallace University and her Master of Science in Community Counseling from the University of Akron. She is currently licensed as a supervising professional clinical counselor and has worked in residential, outpatient, and private practice settings during the course of her career. She has specialized in working with traumatized individuals across the lifespan and conducting educational trainings throughout the Northeast Ohio area.
To contact Joellen, email her at jwoodring@recres.org.
