We’re excited to welcome new team members to Social Model Recovery Systems. Each person brings their own story, experience, and a genuine passion for helping others along their recovery journey.
Primary Counselor
Mid Valley Outpatient
Karla was born and raised in the Westlake area of Los Angeles. She has demonstrated strong resilience by overcoming personal challenges and continues to grow both personally and professionally. Her lived experience has shaped a deep passion for helping others who have faced similar struggles.
Karla believes that people can turn their lives around when they are met with empathy, hope, and access to the right resources. She is committed to supporting individuals with compassion and understanding as they work toward positive change.
As a daughter, sister, and most importantly, a mother, Karla draws strength from her life experiences. Having faced significant hardships and loss, she remains determined to move forward and help others do the same. She is excited to be part of the team.
Resource Advocate
Skid Row Care Campus
Fernando is a Los Angeles native whose appreciation for his community’s cultural diversity, along with an awareness of its challenges, has shaped his path into the helping field. His passion for service began while volunteering at his local church’s food distribution program, where he developed a desire to support others in a tangible and meaningful way.
Throughout his professional experiences, Fernando has consistently led with kindness, respect, and responsibility. As he navigated his own life challenges, he leaned on the support of family, friends, and counseling. These experiences ultimately guided him back to a familiar calling in helping others. During this time, he discovered the role of a Peer Support Specialist, completed his training, and earned his certification.
Shortly after, Fernando was introduced to work in the Skid Row community, where he continues to build on his passion for service. He is committed to meeting individuals where they are and offering compassion, understanding, and encouragement as they work toward stability and growth.
Primary Aide
River Community
Dion Ally is a professional with profound lived experience in mental health and recovery, which has deeply informed his commitment to service. Transitioning from a background at UCLA Health, Dion recognized that his true passion lay in providing direct, compassionate support to those navigating their own healing journeys. This pivot from traditional healthcare to the recovery field was driven by a personal understanding of the resilience required to overcome life’s hardest challenges and a desire to make a more personal, lasting impact.
Dion was drawn to Social Model Recovery Systems because their mission of community-based healing aligns with his belief in treating every individual with dignity and respect. In his role as an Overnight Clinical Assistant, he is dedicated to being a steady, reliable presence for residents during their most vulnerable hours. He is committed to utilizing his clinical background and personal insight to create real opportunities for change, ensuring that every person he serves feels seen, safe, and supported.
Outside of his professional role, Dion is a deeply creative individual and an avid gamer, finding both strategy and relaxation in the digital worlds he explores. He is also a lover of the outdoors, often stepping away from the screen to reconnect with nature and find balance. Whether he is navigating a complex game or exploring a new trail, Dion enjoys the process of constant growth and looks forward to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Kitchen Supervisor
Royal Palms
Salvador was born and raised in Mexico and came to the United States in the late 1970s, where he began building his career in the culinary field. His introduction to cooking started at a French restaurant, where he worked alongside several chefs who helped shape his skills and perspective. Early in his career, one chef offered him simple but lasting advice that continues to guide him today: concentrate. That principle became the foundation of his approach in the kitchen, along with his belief in the importance of focusing and executing with care.
During his time in restaurants, Salvador remembers how chefs would go above and beyond when preparing meals for VIP guests, ensuring every detail was perfect. That experience helped shape his personal philosophy that everyone deserves to be treated like a VIP, a value he carries into his work each day.
Salvador has been in recovery for 14 years and brings that lived experience into his role with passion and purpose. He believes the kitchen is a place to move with rhythm and intention, often saying that if you know how to move, you know how to cook. For him, the kitchen is not just a workplace but a space where he feels at home.
Motivated by the participants he serves, Salvador values teamwork and believes that everything is a collective effort. He takes pride in what he does and is excited to continue sharing his skills, experience, and dedication with the recovery community.
Primary Aide
Royal Palms
Born and raised in the Santa Clarita Valley, Mikey Schlumpberger is new to the field of substance use treatment, bringing a strong sense of purpose shaped by his lived experience. His journey into this work was inspired by the support he once received, motivating him to help others facing similar challenges and to give back in a meaningful way. Mikey is deeply committed to paying forward the encouragement, guidance, and compassion that played a vital role in his recovery.
He was introduced to Social Model Recovery Systems through the Center for Living and Learning, where he was supported in becoming a registered Alcohol and Drug Technician. During this time, he also received training in trauma-informed care and Mental Health First Aid, strengthening his ability to support individuals with empathy and understanding.
Mikey is passionate about creating safe, supportive environments where people feel seen, heard, and valued. He believes connection and trust are essential to the recovery process and strives to bring those elements into his work every day. In his free time, Mikey enjoys hiking, going to the gym, playing video games, thrift shopping, designing clothing, and spending quality time with his family.
We’re grateful to have them join our team and excited to see the difference they’ll make across our programs and communities. Welcome to the SMRS family.
