Recovery Happens Here
In Honor of Our Founder and Friend
Susan O. Binns
Here we honor the memory of our esteemed founder, board chairman, and dear friend, "SOB." Susan's visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to the people we serve not only shaped recovery housing in Tennessee but will continue to impact the national recovery landscape in perpetuity.
ABOUT TN-ARR
TN-ARR provides the only nationally supported recovery housing certification in Tennessee.
We provide a network of experienced, reliable, and accountable places of hope and responsibility for those who seek long-term recovery.
We serve as an educational resource and conduit to Tennessee’s high-quality recovery housing options where experience, safety, recovery and accountability are primary.
A safe Recovery Home environment is essential to long-term recovery. Living among others, whose healthy goals and habits are shared.
Our Supporters
At the heart of our mission is the unwavering support of our dedicated supporters. The Tennessee Alliance of Recovery Residences stands proud as the sole organization in Tennessee that is nationally recognized for upholding recovery home standards and championing best practices. Our supporters play a pivotal role in our quest to ensure quality, consistency, and integrity in the realm of recovery residences throughout the state.
MEET OUR TEAM
Beth Fisher Sanders, LCSW, LCAS, MAC, CCS
Board Member
Beth Fisher Sanders is a proven leader in recovery services with more than 30 years of
experience across clinical, counseling, and peersupport roles. She holds licensure in
social work and certifications in addictions counseling and supervision, and has
devoted her career to building sustainable, evidenceinformed recovery housing and
peerbased support systems. In 1996 she founded HOPE Recovery Resources / Hope
Homes, which operates recovery residences for men and women across multiple
Southeastern states. As founding president of the National Alliance for Recovery
Residences (NARR) in 2011 and current chair of NARR’s Standards Committee, Beth has
played a central role in professionalizing recovery housing through standards, training,
and best practices. A published author and contributor to key field resources—including
the ASAM 4th Edition Recovery Support Services chapter—she designs curricula and
trains peers and professionals. Beth’s work strengthens longterm recovery by
integrating peer support, quality residential care, and continuingcare systems, enabling
funders to achieve more effective, scalable, and measurable community impact.
Robert Kendall Duffy, Jr. AIA (Gus)
Board Member
Gus and his wife Jana relocated to Nashville in 2016 from Southern California. Gus is a practicing architect, with projects in Tennessee and California. He is an Emeritus member of the American Institute of Architects, and served on the SFVAIA Chapter Board, and as Chapter President. He served on the Board of Habitat for Humanity SFV for over six years. Gus has been active in recovery for 39 years. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame; BA 1966, BArch 1968.
Vaile Strauss, LADAC
Board Member
Vaile Strauss serves as a Family Counselor in the Young Men’s Program at Cumberland Heights. She joined the organization in 2018, first working as a manager in the sober living program before transitioning to the family therapy team.
Vaile earned a Bachelor of Science with minors in Human Sciences and Marketing. Her own recovery journey began in 2010 through Cumberland Heights and YANA sober living, an experience that inspired her to pursue her LADAC license and dedicate her career to supporting individuals and families affected by substance use disorder.
In her work, Vaile is passionate about helping families rebuild connection, develop healthy boundaries, and find hope in the recovery process. She is honored to serve on the TN-ARR leadership board, where she supports the organization’s mission to promote quality recovery housing and strengthen recovery communities across Tennessee.
Outside of work, Vaile is married and the proud mother of two daughters.
Board of Directors
Jeri Thomas
Board Member
Jeri H. Thomas is the CEO of Judge Seth Norman Recovery Foundation, a community based 501c3 non-profit organization established in 1996 to help the substance abuse problem in the criminal justice system. She received her Master of Criminal Justice degree in 2000 and Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 1996 from Middle Tennessee State University. She has been instrumental in the planning, establishment and expansion of statewide residential recovery courts using “a unique alternative sentencing model founded by the “Grandfather of Tennessee Drug/Recovery Courts”, the Late Judge Seth W. Norman. Her tireless passion for service helps to support countless individuals throughout their recovery journey.
Tom Bennet
Board Member
Tom Bennett currently manages Higher Education Treatment Resources, LLC. For more than 20 years he has supported colleges and universities nationally by working with senior administrators to help case manage students and their families through appropriate treatment and recovery plans based on the individual’s substance use treatment needs and any associated mental health treatment needs.
His primary career for 27 years was in manufacturing and distribution of single-use disposable medical devices to surgical suites and interventional radiology labs throughout the country. He held the position of regional vice-president of sales and national sales trainer.
Tom has served on the boards of the Tennessee Alliance of Recovery Residences (TNARR); St. Edmund’s Retreat/Enders Island (recovery program); Texas Tech University’s Center for Students in Addiction Recovery (CSAR); Southeastern Louisiana University’s Lion Up recovery program; Music City Recovery Resources; The Association of Halfway Houses in Alcohol Programs of North America (AHHAP); Friends of Saint Thomas Hospital; and Progress, Inc.
He has been closely involved with the Association of Recovery Schools (High Schools); the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE); the American College Health Association (ACHA); The Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD); Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education (NASPA); the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA); The Stetson College of Law’s National Conference on Law in Higher Education; theHigher Education Case Managers Association (HECMA). Tom has made numerous presentations at their conferences.
Tom has been instrumental in helping start more than twenty collegiate recovery programs across the Southeast, allowing students to return to classes and in most instances complete their degrees and begin to realize their dreams.
Since graduation from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a BS in Education, Tom has resided in Nashville, TN with his wife, where they raised their daughter who is now a 7th grade science teacher in the Brookline, MA school district.
Chandelle Binns
Board Member
Bio under construction
Garrison Nuckols
Director of Operations
After achieving long-term recovery in a TN-ARR certified home, Garrison Nuckols developed a deep passion for supporting others in their own recovery journeys. After years of operating TN-ARR certified organizations, this passion culminated with the opening of Mountain Pass Recovery, a NARR Level 3 certified recovery residence in Nashville that is deeply rooted in the Social Experiential Model of Recovery. In addition to providing individual recovery support, Garrison also serves as the Director of Operations for the Tennessee Alliance of Recovery Residences. During his tenure, TN-ARR's footprint has doubled in size and continues to grow. His service on the NARR Standards, Ethics, and Advocacy committees has also positioned him a national influence in guiding policy change. Through these many roles, Garrison has gained notoriety as a state and national expert in the field of recovery housing as well as one of the leading voices for the Social Experiential Model of Recovery.
Nathan Pool
Office Administrator
Nathan Pool brings his proficiency to TN-ARR as primary support for it's operations. Beyond his pivotal role, Nathan is also the Housing Director for Mountain Pass Recovery, a men's recovery community in Nashville, Tennessee. His dual expertise in oversight of TN-ARR functions and operating a recovery residence underscores his commitment to fostering reliable and accountable recovery environments. With a passion for implementing best practices, Nathan's leadership amplifies TN-ARR's mission of ensuring high-quality recovery housing throughout Tennessee. His dedication resonates through his roles, making a tangible impact on the recovery landscape.
Paid Staff
Volunteer Staff
Reed Welch
Director of On-site Assessment
Reed Welch, Director of On-Site Assessments at TN-ARR, is the Facilities Manager for Integrative Life Center in Nashville, TN. Reed infuses boundless passion and energy into ensuring that TN-ARR certified homes are set up for success and growth. His own journey in recovery is a key driving force behind his unwavering commitment to fostering positive recovery environments.
Kyle Duvall
Advocacy Chairman
Kyle Duvall, the dedicated Advocacy Chair for TN-ARR, brings a wealth of expertise to our team. As Deputy Executive Director of Welcome Home Ministries in Nashville, TN, he demonstrates a deep commitment to recovery support. His involvement in the National Alliance of Recovery Residences Advocacy Committee underscores his passion for advocating on a broader scale. With over 25 years as an Organizational Development Consultant (ODC), Kyle's proficiency in development, grant writing, and fundraising campaigns amplifies our efforts to advance recovery housing standards and resources across Tennessee.
Marlana Smartt-Byrge
Advocacy Co-Chairman
Marlana Smartt serves TN-ARR as both the Advocacy Co-Chairman and as an Affiliate Guide Team Coordinator. She is also the Co-founder, Owner, and Program Director of Irongate Recovery, a recovery community in Knoxville that provides homes to men and women seeking recovery in Knoxville, TN. Since founding Irongate in 2019, Marlana has worked to expend her capacity to serve the community from 12 resident placements to 49. Through the sustainable growth of her own recovery community, tireless advocacy for the recovery housing movement in Tennessee and work to help other organizations obtain certification for support of national standards, ethics, and best practices, Marlana is helping remove the stigma of addiction and provide safe, supportive environments to Tennesseans in need.