Phil Valentine is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Community Addiction Recovery (CCAR). He has been an integral component in this Recovery Community Organization since January 1999. An accomplished speaker and presenter, Phil has gained recognition as a strong leader in the recovery community. In 2006 the Johnson Institute recognized his efforts with an America Honors Recovery award. Under his leadership, in 2008, Faces and Voices of Recovery recognized CCAR with the first Joel Hernandez Voice of the Recovery Community Award as the outstanding recovery community organization in the country. In 2009, the Hartford Business Journal named Phil the Non-profit Executive of the Year. Currently, he is spearheading CCAR’s effort to build a statewide network of Recovery Community Centers that feature innovative peer recovery support services like Telephone Recovery Support, All-Recovery Groups and Recovery Works! Employment Services.
Mr. Valentine has been instrumental in the development of CCAR’s highly-acclaimed videos "Putting a Face on Recovery!", “The Healing Power of Recovery” and “Legacy of Hope: Recovery Elders Video Project.” He served as CCAR’s point man for the first seven annual “Recovery Walks!", held for those in support of recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. He has designed and facilitated several trainings including the "Recovery Perspective – Beyond the Treatment Episode" and "The Language of Recovery".
Phil has willingly shared his experience and expertise with other Recovery Community Organizations in Connecticut and across the country and throughout the world. In recovery since December 28, 1987, Phil, believes that by being public about his own recovery from alcohol and cocaine addiction, he can help ease the discrimination surrounding addiction and recovery and to "soften the community" to recovery. He is married and has five children; his favorite hobbies are surf fishing, playing golf and watching movies.
