staff

Justin Volpe, CRPSS

Board President 

He/His/Him

Justin is an international consultant, advocate, and peer specialist based out of Miami, FL. He has presented and trained mental health facilities and other organizations on trauma informed practices and used his life experiences to discuss treatment and how to avoid seclusion and restraints over the last decade. Most recently Justin worked as a Jail Diversion Peer Liaison for the 11th Judicial Criminal Mental Health Project. He has worked as a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist in Florida since 2008 and has local and national experience. Justin has extensive work experience in the community, and has supervised and coordinated thousands of engagements with participants with serious mental health and co-occurring issues in the criminal justice system. He has assisted in training over 2,500 Miami Dade Law Enforcement Officers in Crisis Intervention Team Training. His passion for this work is based on bringing systems together locally and nationally while reducing stigma and advocating for the persons served. He is recently the recipient of the 2021 Fred Frese Award from CIT International and has many other awards and achievements; including multiple articles and film (Definition of Insanity, PBS 2020) with his experience with the Jail Diversion Program. 

Sherri Ahern, MA

 Treasurer, founding member 

She/Her/Hers 

Sherri is a Higher Education doctoral student who is studying substance use and recovery. She received her Master's degree in English Literature from Florida International University in 2019. She is a member of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education and has presented with them nationally on topics surrounding substance use. Sherri is the recipient of several university awards and continues to do service and advocacy work for the Miami-Dade community. She serves as the current president of Panthers for Recovery at Florida International University. Sherri is a person in long-term recovery from substance use. 

Samantha Dietz, Ph.D., LCSW, MCAP, ICADC 

Board Member

 She/Her/Hers   

For over two decades, Samantha has worked at the University of Miami, conducting research activities about a variety of topics including co-occurring disorders in children and adolescents, adult well-being, a Culture of Mattering, and a Culture of Belonging, among others.  Sam also has community-based experience in the role of clinician with underserved children and families, and individuals managing their recovery from substance use disorders and mental illness. From 2015-2017, she was a volunteer counselor at Banyan Health Systems/Spectrum Program-Adult Residential Dade Chase Center. Since childhood, Sam has been actively involved in community service in her Miami hometown. Since 2017, she has been on the Board of Directors of the YES Institute whose mission is to prevent suicide and ensure the healthy development of all youth through powerful communication and education on gender and orientation.  Sam is a mother, daughter, sister, friend, and employee. In her personal life, with loved ones, and professionally, Sam has experience with what it means to live in long term recovery from substance use disorders and mental illness. She knows recovery is possible.

Julie Cristello, MS

Founding Member 

She/Her/Hers 

  Julie Cristello is a doctoral student in the Clinical Science Program in Child and Adolescent Psychology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Elisa Trucco, she is working to develop a better understanding of the role that environmental contexts and social networks (both online and face-to-face) have on adolescent substance use. Her program of research will focus on how normative youth behavior (e.g. social media, pop culture, extracurricular activities) influences alcohol and drug use as well as other risky behaviors.  She has numerous publications and presentations on substance use and recovery. She has previously worked with John Kelly, PhD at the Recovery Research Institute, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Julie is an ally of recovery and has the long-term goal to inform community-based prevention programs that will improve substance use outcomes and promote positive youth development.

Anthony Barreto

 Secretary, Founding Member 

He/Him/His

Anthony is a Juris Doctorate candidate at Florida International University. He is passionate about criminal justice reform and resolving substance use disorder in civil society through community based recovery. He is a former Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic (SAFE) Project scholarship recipient. He is a current member of Panthers for Recovery at Florida International University.  He is currently serves the role of outreach coordinator for the Marijuana Law Education Society and and Vice- President for the Environmental Law Society at FIU. 

 . Anthony is a person in long term recovery from substance use.