Meet The CAF Team
Shelly Young
Executive Director
Formerly a CAF Volunteer, Board member, Family Program Coordinator and Director of Programs, Shelly is Executive Director and mother of three young adults, one in recovery and all of whom are exploring creative arts and fashion careers. She is a passionate advocate for wellness, recovery, family support, a compassionate public health response to substance use and creating environments that support recovery.
Shelly is certified in Invitation To Change, The Anatomy of Transformation, ARISE Intervention and an RYT500 yoga teacher. She is also on the board of Unity Recovery in Philadelphia, facilitates the
STAR Family Program at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, serves on opioid task forces, consults for healthcare organizations, recovery organizations, workplaces & law enforcement to better serve individuals and families impacted by substance use.
When the Google Health Search team wanted to know how to better serve families in crisis, they asked Shelly what she thought they should do. When she is not studying the latest brain science, attachment theory, nervous system and recovery research, she's dancing, playing tennis, walking with her big black lab or enjoying movies, good food and music with her family preferably somewhere warm and sandy.
Ginny Atwood Lovitt
Director of Advocacy & Development
Ginny Atwood Lovitt is the co-founder of The Chris Atwood Foundation. She is certified by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health as a Master Revive trainer and has taught over two thousand individuals, families, and professionals how to save a life with narcan.
She has spearheaded the unanimous passage of three Virginia state laws that pioneered community based access to Narcan for all Virginia residents, and collaborated on a team that advocated for three more state laws increasing the health and safety of people impacted by substance use.
Ginny is an award-winning advocate for substance use disorder issues, and is particularly passionate about defeating the many stigmas surrounding this disease. She has shared her family’s story and her work with The Chris Atwood Foundation on outlets such as A&E, NBC, NPR, the Washington Post, in international news in over a dozen countries, and at the White House.
She loves nature, God, writing, and being a mom - to her son Caleb, her three geriatric pugs, and her ever growing collection of house plants.
Brittany Martin, iFPRS
Director of Programs
Brittany Roberts joined our CAF team as a Peer Support Specialist in August 2020. Since then she is always excited to share her personal experience in recovery since 2017 to help anyone seeking support with substance use disorder. She is an Alumni of Roseberry Oxford House in Manassas, VA and continues to work closely with the organization. When not working, Brittany enjoys going to the movies, spending time with family and trying to learn to cook.
While Brittany believes there are many pathways to recovery, she’s found AA/NA most useful in her own journey and is always willing to take someone
along to a meeting. She welcomes anyone to contact her to learn about her story since incarceration, Oxford houses, AA/NA meetings & The CAF services.
Daniel Adams
Community Program Manager
Daniel is a Certified Forensic Peer Recovery Specialist, a PRS Trainer, and the Community Outreach Manager. I have made improvements with my life since I was blessed with a Second Chance.
I was incarcerated since 1990, and finally made parole in April of 2020. While I was incarcerated, I participated in “Second Chance Quest “, which changed my life in prison and prepared me for returning to society. This group was designed to help a prisoner like me develop a way to think differently. I participated in college-level and other courses and obtained certificates and recognitions in many self-development courses while incarcerated.
Now, upon my release, since April 21, 2020, I am accomplishing things I never thought I would. Along with my certifications listed above, I’ve had my rights restored by the Governor of Virginia, and am a Registered Peer by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
I volunteer my time in Arlington with Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiation, Community Service Board, Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, and Offender Assistance Restoration. I invest my time speaking on behalf of other inmates who are parole-eligible with the Parole Board. I also invest my time and money with the kids who live in my apartment building.
I will always be invested in our program, “Second Chance Quest “I participated with this program and know how beneficial it is towards a prisoners’ growth and development. It has inspired me to become my best self and helped me to move forward with what matters most, people.
Dan Buckley, CPRS
Comprehensive Harm Reduction Program Manager
Dan joined the Chris Atwood Foundation as a Peer Recovery Specialist in the summer of 2021 and is now the Comprehensive Harm Reduction (CHR) Program Manager. Dan is a person in long term recovery that wants to share his experience, faith, and hope in order to help others find their success in their own recovery. Dan believes in multiple pathways of recovery and knows that everyone has a different journey.
Dan has experience with harm reduction services and enjoys interacting with those interested in making any positive change. When he's not helping others, he enjoys spending time with his daughter, catching up with family, making music, and attending concerts.
Jon Fairbanks, iFPRS
HOPE/Reentry Program Manager
Jon Fairbanks is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist working on the Hope team as the Re-Entry Program Manager. Jon has struggled with substance use from an early age and started his recovery journey in 2018. He is a proud alumni of the first group of individuals to go through the STAR program held inside the Fairfax Adult Detention Center.
Since Jon was young, he has always wanted to make his parents proud and struggled to do so because of his substance use. Through the help and support of the Chris Atwood Foundation, he can finally say his parents are proud of him. Jon really enjoys visiting with his
family who currently live in Richmond and also loves to go to the gym with his friends. His mission as a Peer is to share the hope that gave him the drive to make a change for the better.