Chad Lentscher – Lead Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech)
Chad Lentscher is a recovered drug addict and alcoholic who has been a part of the recovery community in Dallas, TX for the past five years. He is dedicated to a life based on the principles of the 12 steps and passionate about sharing this way of life with others. Chad is currently a junior at the LeTourneau University where he is earning a degree in education. His steady personality and humorous approach to life bodes well with the community at Origins.
Ramon Rodriguez – Shift Lead Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech)
Ramon was born in the Rio Grande Valley of deep south Texas. Ramon has worked in various roles within the addiction treatment field and he is driven by his passion for 12 Step-based recovery. Ramon has enjoyed continuous sobriety since May 15, 1987. Since then, he has steadily grown into a spiritual way of life. Ramon enjoys being of service inside and outside of 12-step groups. His personal mission is to help alcoholics, drug addicts and their loved ones to a better way of life. Ramon enjoys reading, writing, painting and spending time with his loved ones and friends.
Brian Bartle – Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech) & Certified Personal Trainer
Brian Bartle, a grateful recovered cocaine-addicted alcoholic, has been blessed to share his experience, strength, and hope to those suffering from the disease of addiction. With characteristic high-energy and passion, he has spoken at jails, outpatient programs, rehabs, and 12 step groups. He has also been instrumental in establishing 12 step meetings in a host of treatment facilities. Brian loves spending time with his daughter, going to the gym and is pursuing his counseling credentials.
Christopher Karafa – Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech)
Chris is a recovered drug addict/alcoholic from Michigan. He has always had a passion for helping others, especially those suffering from addiction. In 2009 Christopher started MySoberScene.com, a social networking site for sober minded people. Since then the site has gained thousands of avid members and continues to grow, offering support to those in recovery. Christopher also has two years’ experience managing sober living homes in the Los Angeles area. Some of Christopher’s favorite past times are 12-step meetings, hanging out with his dog named shadow and browsing his website.
Jim Livingston – Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech)
Jim is a recovered alcoholic, has been sober since December 3, 1988. Jim has been very active in the 12-step community. He originally became involved with recovery, in Port Huron Mi. Jim very much likes to help newcomers and other forms of service work. Jim has helped start new 12 step groups and support them in various communities. In his spare time likes to work on his vehicles, and spend time with his beautiful wife and two border Collies.
Xavier Salinas – Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech)
Xavier has earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Texas Pan American. Currently he is residing in the Rio Grande Valley and he is also a recovered addict and alcoholic. His passion for recovery comes from attending 12-step meetings, working with other alcoholics and addicts, and carrying the message of hope to those afflicted who are presently incarcerated within in the criminal justice system in the valley. More than anything, he loves spending quality time with his wife and son.
Raul Cartagena – Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech)
Raul is a recovered addict/alcoholic from Brooklyn, New York. He moved to central Texas in 1991 where he made his home with his family. Sober since 2004, Raul joined the 12-Step community and has since made recovery the central focus of his life. Raul has five years’ experience within the field of addiction treatment and advocates strongly on behalf of those who suffer. In his spare time he enjoys being with his family, prayer and carrying ‘this message’ of hope.
Greg Armstrong – Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech)
Greg is a recovered alcoholic and addict who is originally from Dallas, though he has participated in 12-step communities in Los Angeles, Aspen and Pensacola where he has gathered intensive experience within the recovery lifestyle. Greg is passionate about working with the chronically relapsing addict, as he categorizes himself as such prior to obtaining long-term sobriety. It is his expressed intent to share his experience, strength and hope with others afflicted with drug addiction and alcoholism so that they can most hopefully learn from his mistakes and obtain permanent sobriety in their lives. Greg is educated as an IT professional and he has a degree in Computer Assisted Design, as well as various IT and computer-related certifications. Greg is an avid adventurist and he enjoys running, snow skiing, general fitness and time on the beach.
Ty Barnett – Recovery Advocate (Mental Health Tech)
Ty hails from Oklahoma and he was originally fortunate to find sobriety at Van’s House, a sober house in Enid, Oklahoma. Ty would eventually go on to be manager of Van’s House and subsequently went on to receive the Oklahoma Life Changer Award in 2010, which is given as recognition of those who have made substantial positive change in one’s life. Ty has been admitted as a student at LeTourneau University in pursuit of his bachelor of arts in psychology and thereafter he plans to obtain his Master of Counseling degree which he hopes to parlay into a long and rewarding career as a board registered interventionist. Ty’s passion is for helping others and while he actively and tirelessly participates in working with those in the recovery community, he feels that it is also incumbent upon those of us who are fortunate enough to have recovered from addiction to also be willing to be of service to those less fortunate who are not necessarily part of the recovery community. In other words, Ty believes this world to be brimming with opportunity to be of service to one’s fellow man. Ty believes that every day is a gift and in his off time he enjoys movies, the beach, shopping and OU football.
Jake McNulty – Transitions/Sober Living Coordinator
Jake comes to us from the Dallas/Richardson area. He was educated in International Business at the University of Arkansas and thereafter lived and worked in the Virgin Islands as both a PADI DiveMaster and USCG licensed boat captain. While Jake has a diverse array of interests, he is most dedicated to being of service to addicts, alcoholics and especially to the families of those afflicted. He enjoys family, his dog, sports and anything near, on under the water.
Rosa Dominguez, LFH – Director of Food Services
Rosa has been a professional chef for over 30 years. She is responsible for all facets of food services at Origins. Over the course of her career, she has served in virtually every aspect of restaurant and food services operations. She received her gourmet training and spent the majority of her career at the esteemed Yacht Club on Texas’ Gulf Coast – often frequented by celebrities and dignitaries. She is especially creative in the kitchen and takes great pleasure in satisfying diners. She has a soft-spot for the chemically-dependent and enjoys being around clients and teaching basic kitchen skills. Chef Rosa loves spending time with her beautiful children and traveling to the interior of Mexico.
Aziza Charlotte A. Barker-Stanton – Yoga Intstructor
Ms Barker is a Yoga Instructor, Meditation Guide and Healing Conductor and Nationally Licensed Massage Therapist with American Massage Therapy Association, and is a Massage Instructor and Continuing Education Provider. She has been keenly attuned to the study and teaching of the body-mind-spirit connection through hatha yoga, meditation and dance since 1970. She is a recent graduate of The Suluk Academy, SOI’s esoteric school. Aziza strives to create a learningenvironment with a respectful and distinctive approach to health and recovery emphasizing ones natural unfoldment through the cultivation of balance and integration. Her passion is to inspire her students & to develop a teacher-training manual for yoga & recovery. In her spare time Aziza enjoys dancing the Argentine Tango, traveling, Ayurvedic cooking and ceramics.