For 30+ years Julia Ojeda has been providing solution-based leadership training and consultation in the education, healthcare, and social services sectors, as an experienced facilitator, trainer, coach, networker, and change agent. Her work is rooted in an equitable, people-centered, integrated approach to progressive change, system-wide reform, strategic management, and organizational development. From 2013-2023, she managed Peer Recovery Support Services for the Massachusetts (MA) Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS). She was instrumental in the growth of Peer Recovery Support Centers in MA, which grew from 5 in 2023, to what is now 39 by 2024. She created the first statewide Peer Recovery Education Program with 12 curriculums and 19 facilitators in recovery, where over 7000 MA residents participated. She championed the first deaf/hard of hearing peer recovery coach team in the state, possibly the country and managed MOAR (MA Organization for Addiction Recovery) for ten years.
As a person in sustained, long-term recovery and an active member of the recovery community, including the national Habla Hispana recovery network, she is a champion for the peer recovery workforce movement and the development of Recovery Oriented Systems of Care promoting Prevention, Intervention and Treatment efforts locally and nationally.
2018-2019 Award Recognition
• September 2018 the MA Dept of Public Health awarded the Certificate of Recognition for “exceptional equity work with the deaf and hard of hearing community”
• May 2018 the MA Dept of Mental Health awarded the Inaugural the Peer Workforce Champion award
• 2019 Governor Charlie Baker awarded the Commonwealth Equity in Governance Award, in recognition of her work addressing disparities in substance addiction (recovery supports). was awarded
In 2022, Julia championed the creation of the first black owned and managed peer recovery support center in the state of MA, known as Torchlight Recovery Café, located in Grove Hall, Boston.
In 2023, Julia moved on from the MA Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services to start a consulting company called RIO, Recovery Inspired Opportunities. Presently she serves as Adjunct Faculty for national Faces & Voices of Recovery organization (Washington DC) and also works with recovery scientists’ researching the efficacy of Recovery Community Organizations and the peer support workforce, especially as it relates to the black and Latine communities. This work is supported by MA General Brigham and Harvard University.
Recent Conference Presentations
• April 2024 1st National Addiction Recovery Research Science Conference –
Roundtable Moderator/Presenter: Impact of Equity on Sustainability of Recovery in Communities of Color
• June 2024 National Recovery Leadership Summit (Denver, Colorado) –
Presenter: Recovery Oriented Systems of Care
• August 2024 APA American Psychology Association (Seattle, WA)
Panel Presenter: Achieving health equity in the continuum of care for POC (People of Color): the contributions of lived experience
Contributions to Science
Recovery Support Services
Recovery Community Centers RCC’s are emerging as important third components of ROSC recovery-oriented systems of care. These organizations are located within their communities and provide a wide range of peer-delivered recovery support services. Despite their rapid growth they are still vastly under studied and empirical data on outcomes of RCCs is extremely limited. To this end, I have consulted on a NIDA-funded project to advance the science on recovery community centers (R24DA051988). Through this project we conducted a nationwide survey of RCC directors and using the data, we have begun to explore if the racial and ethnic disparities seen in traditional addiction treatment exist within RCC’s.
• Hoeppner BB, Simpson HV, Weerts C, Riggs MJ, Williamson AC, Finley-Abboud DJ, Hoffman LA, Rutherford PX, McCarthy P, Ojeda J, Mericle AA, Rao V, Bergman BG, Dankwah AB, Kelly JF. (March 2024) A Nationwide Survey Study of Recovery Community Centers Supporting People in Recovery from Substance Use Disorder. JAM.
• Hoeppner BB, Finley-Abboud DJ, Futter AE, Williamson AC, Riggs MJ, Joseph J, Ojeda J, Rutherford PX, Mericle AA. (March 15, 2024) Comparing recovery community centers (RCCs) serving Black, Hispanic, and other communities: an exploratory secondary data analysis of a nationwide survey of RCC directors. Poster Presentation at the Together for Hope Conference, Boston, MA, USA.
Ongoing projects I would like to highlight
R24DA051988
Hoeppner (PI)
07/15/2020 – 04/30/2025
• Advancing the science on recovery community centers to support persons treated with medications for opioid use disorder
• This project engages multiple relevant stakeholders at all levels to create a national research infrastructure to facilitate the scientific investigation into the clinical and public health utility and cost-effectiveness of RCCs for individuals suffering from opioid use disorder.
Julia Ojeda Role: Consultant / Member of Steering Committee
Professional Affiliations
– R24 Steering Committee – Health through Flourishing Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
– NCCJ, National Conference for Community and Justice: LeadBoston Civic Leadership Fellow – Boston, MA
– NHLI, National Hispana Leadership Institute Alumnae – Washington D.C.
Volunteer Experience
– CAPRSS Council on Accreditation on Peer Recovery Support Services, Advisory Council
– Institute for Health & Recovery: Board member
– Dimock Community Health Center Advisory Board member
– Children’s Hospital Community Benefits Advisory Council Co-Chair
– MA Bay United Way Latino After School Initiative Advisory Board member
– Roxbury Community College Foundations: Board member
– Latino Professional Network (LPN) member
– Empowerment Zone Community Advisory Board member