On behalf of all of the staff and board members of our Alliance for Rights and Recovery, I am very pleased and excited to announce that Shannon Higbee joined our team this week as our new Chief Strategy Officer. As you’ll see below, Shannon has an extraordinary background and long time personal devotion to our mission, our community and our organization. She is best known for her very strong leadership as CEO of one of the state’s largest peer run agencies, Recovery Options in Western NY, and as a dedicated former Alliance board member.
I can think of no better way to start off this year than to welcome Shannon to our team. As you will soon see, she will be a tremendous asset to the growth, reach and impact of the Alliance’s commitment to advance our values and contributions in our movement, community and field. Harvey Rosenthal, CEO.
The Alliance for Rights and Recovery is pleased to announce that Shannon Higbee has joined the organization as the new Chief Strategy Officer. Shannon has been working in the non-profit field for over 20 years, having started her career at a private school in Western New York eventually both teaching secondary English and working as the Director of Development there. Shannon transitioned into working in the mental health field with Recovery Options Made Easy, formerly Housing Options Made Easy in 2016. She began working with Recovery Options in their Housing Department and grew with the organization in several roles including Chief Executive Officer. During her tenure as the Recovery Options CEO she more than doubled the size of the organization and launched a number of programs and initiatives including the innovate Kirsten Vincent Respite and Recovery Center, a multi-level mental health crisis center located in Buffalo, NY.
Shannon continues to have a passion for teaching as well and has trained, presented, and served as a panelist or keynote speaker on several peer services topics across New York State and nationally with organizations such as the New York State Academy of Peer Services and The National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Her areas of specialty include peer-run crisis services and peer integration in clinical models. Her belief in the efficacy and necessity of high quality and accessible peer services is the driving force behind her work. She looks forward to utilizing her passion for peer services, community building, and mental health advocacy to advance the strategic goals of the Alliance for Rights and Recovery.
Shannon shared with us the following comments: “I am thrilled to be embarking on this new phase of my career with The Alliance for Rights and Recovery. The ability to contribute to state and national conversations surrounding policy and advocacy as well as participate in developing the next generation of mental health and peer leadership makes this role an ideal opportunity for me that will utilize my professional skills in strategy and development and personal passion for training and education in new and exciting ways.”