Co-Director of Covington Training Institute

Eileen M. Russo, MA, LADC, is a licensed addiction counselor, certified clinical supervisor, and advanced certified addiction/co-occurring disorders (AADC) professional with thirty-seven years of experience in addiction and mental health. She serves as professor and program coordinator for the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Counselor program at Gateway Community College in New Haven, CT. 

For the past seventeen years, she has worked as a trainer and consultant with the CT Women’s Consortium for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ Trauma Initiative. Ms. Russo has co-authored articles on integrating trauma-specific services into substance abuse treatment and is a co-author of the curriculum Healing Trauma+: A Brief Intervention for Women and Gender-Diverse People by Dr. Stephanie Covington. Full bio.

Senior Trainer

Carol Ackley is the retired executive director of River Ridge Treatment Center. She developed and implemented gender-responsive, trauma-informed, and co-occurring treatment services. With over 25 years of experience as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor in Minnesota, she created and supervised outpatient and residential substance use treatment for adults, as well as educational services for adolescents and adults. 

Ms. Ackley has also developed training programs on women’s issues, addiction, co-occurring disorders, trauma-informed care, family systems, and adolescent vulnerability to substance use. Her lecture, Brain Chemistry of Addiction, is widely used to educate professionals in behavioral health, social services, corrections, and the judiciary. Full bio.

Vanessa Carlisle, PhD, MFA (they/them) is an educator, author, and consultant at the intersections of gender and sexuality, recovery from addiction and trauma, and organizational safety. Dr. Carlisle partners with grassroots organizations, nonprofits, colleges/universities, and values-driven companies to facilitate creative, liberatory community practices that support wellbeing and service delivery. 

Author of two novels and many essays and articles, Dr. Carlisle co-authored Awaken Your Sexuality and the Awaken Your Sexuality Workbook with Dr. Covington.

Rick Dauer has over 40 years of experience in substance use treatment, including residential, outpatient, and jail-based settings. He recently retired as Clinical Director of River Ridge Treatment Centers and now works as an independent behavioral health consultant and trainer. He has received peer recognition for his leadership and impact in the field of addictions. Rick is co-author, with Dr. Stephanie Covington and Dan Griffin, of Helping Men Recover, the first trauma-informed treatment curriculum for men. Now in its second edition, this curriculum is widely used across North America. Full bio.

Patricia Esparza brings over 20 years of experience in mental health education and public health. She has contributed to community health services and research at the University of Southern California and UCLA. Dr. Esparza has published on mental health and substance use outcomes in low-income populations, as well as disparities in media portrayals of underrepresented groups. Full bio.

Gina Fedock is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. Her research and clinical work center on developing and evaluating trauma-informed, gender-responsive interventions to improve women’s mental health in both community and correctional settings. 

Dr. Fedock focuses on the needs of women in the criminal justice system, with current research emphasizing prevention-oriented programming and reducing racial disparities. She is dedicated to advancing effective, evidence-based practices at the intersection of criminal justice, trauma, and women’s mental health. Full bio.

Amy Joy Myers is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Haven, Connecticut, with over 25 years of experience in behavioral health and social services. She specializes in supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, parents with substance use disorders, and women in carceral settings. 

Ms. Myers is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work at the Yale Child Study Center and serves as a senior consultant for the Family-Based Recovery (FBR) Model. FBR combines attachment-based parent–child therapy, contingency management for substance use, trauma-informed psychotherapy, and comprehensive case management.   Full bio.

Candice Norcott is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in trauma-informed reproductive and mental health care for adolescent girls and young women. Dr. Norcott is an international speaker on trauma, gender, and race, and has served as an expert on Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk. As a certified training associate for Dr. Stephanie Covington’s gender-responsive, trauma-informed curricula, she trains professionals in behavioral health and criminal justice settings in the United States and internationally. Full bio.

Shane Pugh is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor based in Minneapolis and a national trainer. He leads trainings for clinicians, corrections officers, and community members on substance use, trauma, and identity. Shane has extensive experience working with diverse populations, including men, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, multicultural communities, people experiencing homelessness, and those with complex mental health needs. He also supports organizations in developing clinical teams. 

Shane is co-author of Exploring Trauma+: A Brief Intervention for Men and Gender Diverse People and has consulted on the current edition of Helping Men Recover. Full bio.

Tammy Rothschild is a private consultant specializing in gender-responsive, trauma-informed programming for women and girls. She has over 15 years of experience in research, program development, assessment, training, and curriculum design.

Ms. Rothschild co-developed the TIER (Trauma-Informed Effective Reinforcement) Model, a trauma-informed behavior motivation system. TIER helps women and adolescents build cognitive, emotional, and behavioral awareness while encouraging positive, safe, and prosocial behaviors. Full bio.

Christina M. Villatoro, MS, is a leader in youth residential services and currently serves as a Youth Residential Area Director with Community Solutions Inc., overseeing residential programs serving youth across Connecticut and Rhode Island. She earned her BA from the University of Saint Joseph and her MS from the University of New Haven, where she also served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology.

For more than ten years, Ms. Villatoro has supported youth and families experiencing crises and mental health challenges in residential and community-based settings, applying a strength-based, relational, and gender-responsive approach. Full bio.