Our Team
The People Powering the Mission
Behind every initiative, campaign, and success story is a passionate group of individuals dedicated to ending stigma and championing recovery. Get to know the advocates, advisors, and changemakers driving AARA forward.
Scott Cochran, President
Scott Cochran is an American football coach who most recently served as the special teams coordinator and strength and conditioning coach for the Georgia Bulldogs. He has won eight national championships throughout his coaching career. He also worked in the NBA as an assistant strength coach for the New Orleans Hornets.
Scott is incredibly supportive of the recovery community and wants to be a part of increasing the numbers of the 29 million Americans in recovery and decreasing the number of Americans in active addiction. Scott recognizes this disease, which is the number one killer of Americans 18-45, impacts not only the person in active addiction, but their family, friends, and co-workers.
Scott gives credit to his wife who helped win the family’s first UGA National Championship as an incredible swimmer in 2000. Scott reminds everyone this championship laid the groundwork for future national championships, which came after marriage, a couple of moves, and a few children. Scott and their children cheer his wife on as she continues to compete in swimming at the US
Masters level.
Just as Scott made the difference in the lives of the football players under his guidance, he wants to make a difference in the lives of everyone impacted by addiction and substance use disorder. Scott says there will be a lot less yelling for this issue than he uses on the field, but the passion will be stronger.
Jeff Breedlove, CEO
Jeff Breedlove serves as strategic policy advisor for the Georgia Council for Recovery and the Georgia Addiction Counselors Association.
Jeff serves on the Board of Directors for the Georgia School of Addiction Studies and the Regional Advisory Board for the Rx Summit.
Jeff was announced as a member of the 2023 Atlanta Business Chronicle Power 10: Health Care List as one of the 10 most powerful health care leaders in Georgia.
Jeff was awarded a personal proclamation from Governor Brain Kemp in September 2023 as an outstanding advocate for peer led recovery in Georgia.
Jeff was awarded The Erick Allen Recovery Advocate of the Year for Georgia and has received numerous Recovery Leadership Awards from organizations across Georgia.
In the past, Jeff has served as:
- Chief of Staff for DeKalb County Commissioner Nancy Jester
- Senior staff member to Congressman Bob Barr in the historic 104th Congress and again in the 105th Congress.
- Deputy Director for the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development for Governor Nathan Deal
- Policy analyst for the Georgia State Senate
Jeff was selected to serve as a volunteer for the G-8 Summit on Sea Island, Georgia. He has served as a staff vice-chair for The National Conference of State Legislatures on the Transportation Committee and as a member of The Council of State Governments Southern Legislative Conference Committee on Economic Development, Transportation and Cultural Affairs.
Jeff also served as the Georgia state director for The American Council of Young Political Leaders and was the former Georgia state director Sister Cities International and a member of the City of Atlanta Sister City Commission. Jeff Served as a Commissioner and Assistant Scout Master with the Boy Scouts. Jeff served as PTA President at Imagine International Academy and Vice President of the PTA at Maynard Jackson High School.
Jeff is married to Kathryn Ballou; they reside in the Grant Park neighborhood in Atlanta. They have a son, Lawrence Foster “Jack” Breedlove, who was born in Gansu, The People’s Republic of China. Jeff is a person in long-term recovery with a passion to share his story so others know Recovery is Real.
Scott is incredibly supportive of the recovery community and wants to be a part of increasing the numbers of the 29 million Americans in recovery and decreasing the number of Americans in active addiction. Scott recognizes this disease, which is the number one killer of Americans 18-45, impacts not only the person in active addiction, but their family, friends, and co-workers.
Scott gives credit to his wife who helped win the family’s first UGA National Championship as an incredible swimmer in 2000. Scott reminds everyone this championship laid the groundwork for future national championships, which came after marriage, a couple of moves, and a few children. Scott and their children cheer his wife on as she continues to compete in swimming at the US
Masters level.
Just as Scott made the difference in the lives of the football players under his guidance, he wants to make a difference in the lives of everyone impacted by addiction and substance use disorder. Scott says there will be a lot less yelling for this issue than he uses on the field, but the passion will be stronger.
Joan Carr is president of Joan K. Carr Consulting LLC and has more than three decades of political and policy experience in Georgia and Washington.
Joan worked for 20 years in the U.S. Senate, serving as chief of staff to three senators from Georgia: Democrat Zell Miller, and Republicans Johnny Isakson and Kelly Loeffler.
Before going to Washington, Joan was a news reporter in Georgia, first at the Augusta Chronicle and then at the Associated Press in Atlanta.
Joan is married to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and they have two grown daughters.
Scott Cooper, Board of Director
Craig Dowdy is a Partner in the firm’s Corporate and Business
Department. He combines his knowledge of energy and
telecommunications matters with more than 40 years of experience with
public policy, legislative affairs and commercial litigation. Mr. Dowdy
provides high quality customer service by identifying his client’s problem
and working to find a solution that exceeds expectations.
Mr. Dowdy has experience on the executive team of a large publicly
traded energy company, and he understands all aspects of utility
operations and regulation on the state and federal levels. Mr. Dowdy
was the Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Corporate
Communications and Marketing for Spire Inc. in St. Louis, Missouri – the
fifth-largest publicly traded natural gas utility holding company in the
U.S. serving 1.7 million customers across Missouri, Alabama and
Mississippi. In that role, he was part of the company’s executive council
that provided strategic guidance, governance, and oversight to its
affiliated companies including its five natural gas utilities (Laclede Gas
Company, Alabama Gas Corporation, Mobile Gas Service Corporation,
and Willmut Gas and Oil Company), natural gas marketing company,
and an emerging technologies group.
Mr. Dowdy has a distinguished career in corporate litigation and public
policy experience. He became partner with an international law and
public policy firm where he focused on state and federal public utility
law, energy and telecommunications law, in addition to public policy,
legislative affairs and commercial litigation. He represented clients in
major rate case litigation, energy supply agreements, pipeline
replacement and strategic infrastructure programs as well as mergers
and acquisitions. Mr. Dowdy has practiced before state and federal
courts, including appellate courts, and has practiced before state Public
Service Commissions and FERC.
His career began as Manager of Business and Product Planning at
Westinghouse Power Systems. Mr. Dowdy directed strategic business
and product planning including research, development and marketing
communications.
Mr. Dowdy and his wife, Neeahtima, have three children and are
members of the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. Mr. Dowdy
has served as the Chairmen of the Endowment Board and as the Senior
Warden of the Vestry.
Gibson Howell, Board of Director
Sheila Mendleson, Board of Director
Britt Reid, Board of Director
As an experienced Missouri state representative and current Public Relations and Project
Development with Mission Missouri (A faith-based, non-profit, Recovery Support Services
Provider), Shelley Taylor is dedicated to advocating for individuals struggling with addiction.
Shelley is a board member of the Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers (MCRSP)
and also holds a leadership role in the Southeast Missouri Recovery Alliance (SEMRA), covering
26 counties of SE Missouri, that has further solidified her unwavering passion for this cause.
Serving with the American Addiction Recovery Association (AARA) provides Shelley with an
additional opportunity to contribute her extensive insight and expertise towards shaping
policies and programs aimed at saving lives, restoring families, and strengthening communities.
Throughout her tenure as a state representative, Shelley gained invaluable knowledge of
legislative processes and the intricate workings of government agencies. Her experience as
Majority Caucus Chair has honed her skills in consensus-building and strategic decision-making,
making her adept at navigating complex policy landscapes.
In her current role at Mission Missouri, Shelley witnesses firsthand the challenges faced by
individuals seeking treatment and navigating the recovery journey. She firmly believes in the
power of evidence- based and faith-based practices to provide individuals with the best chance
at successful recovery. Her personal recovery journey, coupled with her professional insights,
enables her to offer a unique perspective on addressing the diverse needs of community
members struggling with addiction.
Shelley’s work aligns perfectly with AARA’s mission. She is dedicated to advocating for policies
and initiatives that prioritize access to quality treatment, support services, and resources for
those in need. Shelley is committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure that
the behavioral health system is responsive, effective, and inclusive of all individuals seeking
recovery.
By joining AARA, Shelley is committed to its efforts to “end the whisper” surrounding addiction
and bring the conversation into the open. She is eager to contribute her perspectives and
expertise towards fostering positive change and improving outcomes for individuals and
families across the USA.
Gabe Winslow is a renowned entrepreneur with a passion for creating scalable solutions to complex problems. He has founded several successful companies in the Advertising and SaaS industries and currently serves as a partner and CRO at Theo, a top-tier Customer Acquisition Agency, and as Co-Founder at Axel Automotive.
