J. Carlos Rivera is the Executive Director at White Bison, Inc. located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. An enrolled tribal member with the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, and also of Mexican descent, he resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. J. Carlos received his Human Services and Chemical Dependency Studies certifications at the American River College and served as a substance abuse treatment provider for over 10 years at the Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc. providing services to adult men and women on parole, juvenile offenders, and other referrals from the Department of Corrections. In his role at White Bison, he oversaw daily operations at the Wellbriety Training Institute. He is also passionate about developing new curricula to better meet the needs of tribal and urban Native American communities. J. Carlos has also been an active committee member for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency State Committee for California, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. Through the process of treatment and recovery he has found a greater purpose in life that inspired and motivated him to establish a healthy foundation for his family’s future.
Talk delivered at Recovery Reinvented 2017 in Bismarck, ND.