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    Phil Rutherford

    Strategy Lead for Substance Use
    National Council for Mental Wellbeing
    Rochester, Minnesota

    Prior to joining the National Council, Rutherford served as the Chief Operating Officer at Faces & Voices of Recovery, where he led the development and management of the groundbreaking Recovery Data Platform. The first-of-its-kind, cloud-based platform, along with the development of Recovery Vital Signs, revolutionized longitudinal data collection for peer-based services and greatly impacted how to quantify and qualify recovery.

    Rutherford is also the Founder of Black Faces Black Voices, a collaborative of professionals that are focused on increasing accessibility and promoting recovery and wellness in Black communities across the nation.

    Throughout his career, Rutherford has served on numerous boards of directors, advisory boards, committees and task forces — both on grassroots and national levels. He previously held the position of Director of Operations at Recovery Is Happening and Program Services Coordinator at Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota in the nonprofit sector.

    His longstanding commitment to the recovery community includes roles on several national committees with federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, he serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including Serve Minnesota and the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers
    Prior to the nonprofit world, Rutherford worked in corporate sales, marketing and management at Microsoft, Micron Electronics and companies within the Taylor Corporation.

    Rutherford earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a specialization in substance use disorders from Argosy University-Twin Cities.

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