FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@paariusa.org
Orlando, FL – October 21, 2026 – The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Leadership Awards.
Since its founding ten years ago, PAARI has grown into a nationally recognized nonprofit specializing in deflection, partnering with over 800 public safety agencies across the country. The 10th annual Leadership Awards, held at the Topgolf in Orlando Florida, will honor individuals whose support of PAARI programs has been instrumental to the organization’s success.
“Dedicated leaders like these are the reason deflection programs succeed,” said Zoe Grover, Executive Director at PAARI. “Through these awards, we honor their hard work and express our gratitude for the vital impact they have on their communities every day.”
Leaders in Public Safety:
- Chief Edward Conley (Ret.) – Gloucester Police Department, MA
- Chief Richard B. Nighelli – Marion Police Department, MA
- Sheriff Alan S Ronneberg – Sweetgrass County Sheriff, MT
- Dr. Amy Barden – Seattle CARE, WA
Leaders in Community:
- Lauren Pristo – McCall Behavioral Health in support of CLEAR, CT
- Travis Teets – Police and Peers WV
- Cameron Breen – Liberations, Co-chair of the PAARI Lived Experience Council
- J.R. Westberg – Opioid Response Coordinator, Hennepin County MN
- Roland Hughes (in Memoriam) – Waterville ME
Leaders in Government:
- Bradley Kelly – Wisconsin Department of Justice
- Todd Hixson – Opioid Response Strategy
- DJ Gering – Opioid Response Strategy
Outstanding Teams:
- The Schenectady Cares Program
- Richland County Sheriff’s Department LEAD Initiative
- Co-Responder Unit (CRU) – Cape Girardeau Police Department
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ABOUT PAARI: Celebrating its eleventh anniversary this year, the Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create deflection programs (I.e.non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery). Founded alongside the groundbreaking Gloucester, Mass., Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, PAARI has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, strategic guidance, connection to training resources, and other capacity-building resources to more than 800 police departments in 47 states.
PAARI and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where non-arrest diversion and deflection programs become a standard policing practice across the country, thereby reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities. Our programs and partners have saved tens of thousands of lives, changed police culture, and reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic since its founding in June 2015. Learn more at paariusa.org.
