Greg Berry
Linkage to Care Coordinator
gberry@nchrc.org
As both a person in long-term recovery and someone with prior justice involvement, Greg is no stranger to the consequences of the war on drugs. Growing up in Fayetteville, Greg spent more than 20 years going in and of the juvenile justice system, the State adult criminal justice system, and eventually the federal prison system. However, during Greg’s last incarceration he decided to take a new path. Now Greg is a North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist and SMART Recovery Facilitator, who is currently pursuing his degree in social work. As our Cumberland County Linkage to Care Coordinator, Greg is a member of the Fayetteville Cumberland Opioid Response Team, the Post Overdose Response Team, the Fayetteville Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, and a critical link in connecting syringe service program participants to care. You can also reach out to Greg for community partner collaboration, overdose recognition and reversal training, harm reduction education, and training on harm reduction principles and cultural competence.
Shannon Bullock
Grants Manager
sbullock@nchrc.org
Shannon comes to the NC Harm Reduction Coalition with her passion for reducing injuries in communities and supporting the team to ensure they have the resources they need to do impactful work. Prior to joining, started her career in marketing and communication for the State of NC and national highway safety programs but quickly realizing her passion for grants and how funding can help get more programs out into communities. She lead grant and financial management sections for State highway safety office and before ending her career, she lead NC Safe Kids and Injury Prevention Section for the NC Department of Insurance where she managed 47 county coalitions and was able to increase programs to reduce risk in all ages.
Rene Pate
Outreach Worker
rene@nchrc.org
Charlton Roberson, CADC, QMHP
Eastern Regional Coordinator
charlton@nchrc.org
(919) 703-5503
Voni Simpson
Linkage to Care Program Manager
Voni@nchrc.org
Voni Goodson-Simpson is a Wilmington native. For more than twenty years, through her work, she has been a committed advocate for those battling mental health issues, chronic disease, substance use disorder and survivors of domestic violence. Her current position with Norh Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition allows for her community service to continue.
Michelle Franklin Blackmon
Linkage to Care Specialist
mblackmon@nchrc.org
(919)703-3997
Michelle is a life-long resident of Haywood County. Her commitment to helping others through harm reduction is informed by her lived experiences with homelessness and struggles with mental health and substance use disorder, as well as having lost several loved ones to overdose. Michelle and her partner Mark are passionate about helping out unsheltered neighbors in Haywood, Michelle is a mother of three as well as having two grand-babies
Alicia Brunelli
Technical Assistance Coordinator
alicia@nchrc.org
336-209-5770
Alicia Brunelli serves as NCHRC’s Technical Assistance Coordinator, bringing a unique perspective to the work. As an Outreach Worker, Alicia gained experience in improving and providing harm reduction strategies while bridging gaps to current drug users, justice-involved individuals, structurally marginalized populations, and those who engage in sex work. Influenced by experiences as a former drug user and former federally incarcerated individual, she aspires to make an impact in raising the quality of life for those individuals while lessening the harms of drug use and judicial trauma.
Reid Getty
Outreach Worker / Phlebotomist
reid@nchrc.org
(252) 241-6022
Reid is a non-binary harm reduction advocate who hails from Carteret County, North Carolina. They are a former drug user who currently lives and works in Durham. Reid started as a volunteer at NCHRC after completing an Associate’s in Substance Abuse Counseling and realizing that the traditional forms of treatment taught were not reacting to the diverse populations and experiences that exist. Reid offers overdose reversal training, distributes naloxone and information at local events, and works on the Durham mobile exchange as well as operates the Friday fixed site in Durham. They are excited to begin phlebotomy training and be able to provide HIV/HepC testing for participants. Reid is a proud believer in harm reduction, prison abolition, and securing rights for sex workers and drug users.
Tayla Williams
Linkage to Care Specialist, Wilmington, NC
Talya Williams is a Native of Wilmington, NC for over 40yrs. She is certified in HIV, HEP C Testing, Counseling, Monkeypox, and Mental Health in Ethnic Minorities through N. Florida AIDS Education and Training Center, The State of Children’s Health through NIHCM Foundation, and The Intersection of Faith and HIV from Southeast AIDS Education and Training Center. Talya is currently The Linkage to Care Specialist located in the Wilmington, NC SSP where she advocates for those living with HIV, Domestic Violence, and Equality to Marginalized Populations and People of Color.
Her favorite quote” What is done in Love is done well”.
Loftin Wilson
Loftin Wilson is a Harm Reduction Programs Manager at NCHRC. Loftin grew up in Alamance County and now lives in Durham. His journey with NCHRC began as a volunteer in 2010. Loftin worked part-time as an outreach worker for five years, before starting as full-time staff in the fall of 2015. Loftin now divides his time between providing direct services and doing program management and development for NCHRC’s harm reduction programs. His areas of focus include making harm reduction accessible for people who are: transgender, living in rural communities, and incarcerated.
Zeph Long
Outreach Worker, Wilmington NC
Zeph grew up in Mississippi, moved to North Carolina in 2020, and is currently an outreach worker and syringe service worker for North Carolina Harm Reduction in Wilmington. Before being hired by North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, he did over four years of service with AmeriCorps VISTA, doing capacity-building work to get low-income and underserved k-12 students connected to educational programs. In his free time, he did and does volunteer with multiple LGBTQ organizations, both locally and on a more national scale. His interest in more direct service and deepening his connection to his local community led to him applying for a job with North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition in the summer of 2020. Since then, he has been tirelessly working to learn and grow as to best continue serving the many marginalized and vulnerable populations that North Carolina Harm Reduction reaches.
zlong@nchrc.org
Veronika
Harm Reduction Outreach Worker – Haywood
A formerly-incarcerated, former drug user and sex worker, Veronika (they/them) is driven to support people of similar backgrounds in the mountains they have come to call home. Coming out as trans and becoming radicalized in the South motivated them to pursue a degree in Social Work, which they hope to follow with a Master’s in Public Health and apply to a career in Harm Reduction. Veronika is a street medic and spends much of their off-time doing wound care and other forms of mutual aid for unhoused and low-income people in Western NC. They are looking forward to building more relationships in Haywood County and improving participants’ knowledge of and access to wound care/first aid.
Carisa Collins-Caddle
carisa@nchrc.org
Carisa is a harm reductionist, outreach worker, phlebotomist, HIV counselor, rape crisis victim’s advocate, NC Certified Peer Support Specialist, & social justice activist. Her journey with NCHRC began as a volunteer in 2020 before becoming full-time in 2021. Carisa has lived experienced in homelessness, substance use disorder, and self-medicating, she is in recovery from chaotic drug use. She’s a lifelong resident of Robeson County. Carisa serves on the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Consortium (RCORP) and as a recovery ambassador with Stop The Pain. She is justice-involved and currently studying Criminal Justice, her main priorities in life are to save lives, lessen harm, change the “tough love” mentality to a “love tougher” mentality, abolish the drug war, advocate for criminal justice reform, and to create inclusion, equality, equity, and protections where needed. Carisa also enjoys creating partnerships with other organizations and is available for harm reduction, overdose prevention, overdose reversals & rescue breathing training. She truly believes we are better together.