Maryland Addiction Recovery Center is proud to announce the addition of Ryan Burton to our business development and outreach staff as a new Community Relations Specialist. Ryan will work in tandem with current Community Relations Specialist Mallorie Schwartzman, focusing primarily on the Baltimore County and surrounding areas north, while Mallorie will continue her role focusing on Howard County, Maryland and south, through DC and Virginia.
Born in Towson, Maryland and raised in Hunt Valley, Maryland, Ryan is certainly a local product of the Baltimore area, attending Carver Arts & Technology school and focusing on the culinary arts. After high school, Ryan began working in the culinary field. During his time, two major things occurred in Ryan’s life: finding cooking didn’t provide enough human interaction and seemed to only offer long hours and an inability to find time for relationships and starting a family, and the progression of his own substance use disorder. After dealing with addiction and alcoholism for several years, Ryan faced and overcome his struggles, finding personal recovery and freedom from addiction in 2006. Shortly afterward, Ryan switched his educational goals and his career, moving into the Information Technology (I.T.) field, ultimately working for Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland, performing trainings and ongoing I.T. management and troubleshooting. His job functions also allowed Ryan to merge his personal recovery and passion for helping others into helping others professionally.
“I learned during my time in I.T. that more than the technical work, I really just like being able to be available to help people in need,” Ryan explained. “I had found a passion for helping others in my personal life and in recovery, but I never realized that I could bring that into my work. When I was working in I.T., I became the guy that people called when they had a problem, and I was either able to bring them a solution, or at the least, help understand what the problem was and I work with them to figure out the solution.”
Ryan’s passion for helping others will translate directly into his role as a Community Relations Specialist at Maryland Addiction Recovery Center. In the role of Community Relations Specialist, Ryan will work with the MARC team, local clinical colleagues, other addiction treatment professionals, and members of the local community to find those in the need appropriate help and resources.
“Ryan is a natural people person and a natural networker,” said Zach Snitzer, Co-Founder and Director of Business Development for MARC. “I’ve personally known Ryan for many years, and he’s just the guy in the local recovery community that people know to go to if they need help for something. Looking for employment? Call Ryan. Need someone for a small job at your house. Ryan knows someone. Mention a business or organization? Ryan knows someone that works there. He just naturally is excited to help people find help in any way he can, which will make him an incredible addition to the MARC team and as someone who is out in the community aiding families in need find help and treatment.”
“I’m extremely excited to be able to join such an amazing organization like Maryland Addiction Recovery Center,” Ryan continued. “Being able to help people in need find quality care, supporting local clinicians and therapists, and showing people suffering from addiction that recovery is possible really brings together everything I love in both my personal and professional life.”
Having left the culinary arts field due to its restrictions of personal and family life, and finding recovery, Ryan now enjoys days spent with his loving wife, beautiful son Maverick, and a new baby on the way. The dreams that seem so unattainable while in active addiction can certainly come true. In his free time, Ryan obsessively enjoys coffee, cooking for family and friends, and exploring his zest for learning new things and having new experiences.
To connect with Ryan, call (443) 391-2258 or email rburton@marylandaddictionrecovery.com.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorder issues, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment in the Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or your loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (410) 773-0500 or email our team at info@marylandaddictionrecovery.com. For more information on all of our drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring disorder services and recovery resources, please visit our web site at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.