Staff and Board

Staff

Heather Venegas, Director

Heather Venegas is a servant leader in long-term recovery, and has lived experience with both substance use and mental health. She is passionate about the transformative power of recovery and loves to help others experience the gifts that recovery has given her. Heather joined the King County Recovery Coalition as the first Director in 2018.

Heather is active in global service travel as well as being of service locally. She brings joy, creativity and compassion to all she does. Heather is a woman of many talents: she’s a skilled speaker, teacher, coach, and even an ordained minister! She has a Master’s Degree in Consciousness Studies from Holmes Institute. She is passionate about and deeply committed to our vision of making recovery a reality for everyone.

Advisory Board

Cody West, President

Cody is the Chief Program Officer at Peer Washington and brings a wide set of experiences from the private sector ranging from Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Training & Development, Employee Relations and Management. He has been active in the Seattle recovery community for many years, providing services as a volunteer, peer group facilitator, peer recovery coach, trainer and tree lot assistant manager. He enjoys empowering individuals to create and sustain a healthy living approach to their lives.

David Coffey, Vice President & Secretary

David is the Executive Director of Recovery Café. He has guided Recovery Cafe’s programming with the Founders Killian Noe and Ruby Takushi for over 12 years. David also serves as the Co-Chair of the Seattle Human Service Provider/Seattle Police Department West Precinct Forum, on the Mirabella Foundation Board, on the Fundraising committee of the Food Bank at St. Mary’s, and is the Secretary of the Board of the Washington Recovery Alliance. David is passionate about finding better solutions than incarcerating people for behavioral health disorders.

Brad Finegood, WRA Representative

Brad Finegood, MA, LMHC, is a Strategic Advisor at Public Health Seattle-King County. He received his bachelor degree from Michigan State University and his masters in community agency counseling with a specialty in alcohol and drug abuse from Western Michigan University. Finegood has worked in the behavioral health field for 20 years in both substance use disorder and mental health administration. In November 2017, Finegood was named one of the thirty most innovative influential people in Seattle by Seattle Magazine. Most importantly, he is the sibling and survivor of a younger sibling that passed away of an overdose.

Cynthia Clayton Butler, board member

Cynthia Clayton Butler is from the South King County area and a veteran of recovery. She has worked for Evergreen Treatment Service as a SUDP for 2 years. Cindy is open minded, with high energy and will advocate for what she believes in. She started the first newsletter for patients at Evergreen and bring strength to people in recovery. Cindy has been married for over 30 years and enjoys spending time in Mexico with girlfriends.

Sharayah Lane, board member

Sharayah has an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Washington, and is a current student at the Evans School studying public financial management. She is an enrolled member of the Lummi Nation and grew up on the reservation. Her work experience has focused on equity and inclusion at a societal and policy level, and she hopes to learn more about the intersection of race, equity, and finance/economy. She has lived in Seattle for 10 years and loves to bring people together and create community. Sharayah believes that the only way for policy to be effective is for people who have been the most marginalized to be involved in creating solutions.

Ricky Mogel, board member

Ricky is a founding member of the Washington Recovery Alliance and a seasoned Outreach Services Representative for Oxford House. Ricky is in long-term recovery, and in his free time, he loves to fish and spend time with his family.

Marcos Sauri, board member

Marcos Sauri, SUDP, CDS III, NCAC I, has worked at Consejo Counseling and Referral Service for the past 15 years. He serves individuals (Youth and Adults) as well as their families facing challenges with addiction, community violence, gangs, and mental health, as a Counselor, Supervisor, Coach and a Leader.

Seth Welch, board member

Seth is a Recovery School Counselor at Interagency Queen Anne, working with teens to support their recovery. He has a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Washington and his CDP from Seattle Central Community College. He has past experience at Navos, Therapeutic Health Services, WAPI Community Services, and was a former Photojournalist Sergeant in the United States Army.