David is an master addiction counselor (MAC) specializing in the application of complementary therapies to enhance the addiction treatment and recovery process. He is dedicated to minimizing the stigma of addiction and is a proponent of using innovative treatment methods backed by evidence-based research. David has worked in hospital, residential and outpatient settings to provide direct care and develop programs for adolescents and adults. Known for his ability to create and nurture strong yet compassionate multidisciplinary clinical teams, David is the 2021 recipient of the Visionary Leadership Award given by the Virginia Summer Institute for Addiction Studies and the 2020 recipient of the International Association for Addiction Professionals’ (NAADAC) William F. “Bill” Callahan Award.
Before joining New Life, David was the director of membership and affiliates at NAADAC in Alexandria, Virginia. Prior to working at NAADAC, David served as clinical director at The Freedom Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland; clinical director at Serenity Acres Treatment Center in Crownsville, Maryland; director of program development at Bridging the Gaps Treatment Center in Winchester, Virginia; assistant director at the Recovery Center of Northern Virginia in Herndon, Virginia; and lead chemical dependency counselor at Riverside Hospital in Washington, DC.
David is president of the Virginia Association of Addiction Professionals (VAAP) and served as chair of the Virginia Summer Institute for Addiction Studies (VSIAS). He sits on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Addiction Professionals (VAAP), the Virginia Summer Institute of Addiction Studies (VSIAS) and NAADAC.
David has presented training sessions and workshops for a variety of organizations including United Airlines, West Virginia Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, Virginia Counselors Association, George Washington Center for Integrative Medicine, Chesapeake Health Education Program, George Mason University and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He has a master’s in human services with an emphasis in addiction treatment and has studied under neurofeedback pioneers Sue and Siegfried Othmer of EEG Info, Dr. Richard Soutar of the New Mind Center and Bill Scott of BrainPaint.