A brief history

“When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help with addiction, help should be there. I joined Groups to bring that help to those who need it most.”

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Cooper has spent nearly a decade leading Groups, serving in key roles including President and Chief Strategy Officer before becoming CEO. He knows the organization from the ground up and has been instrumental in its growth and national expansion. Cooper brings a rare combination of deep operational experience, strategic vision, and a personal commitment to Groups’ mission.

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Before joining Groups, Cooper was an investor at RRE Ventures in New York, where he focused on behavioral health and healthcare services. He holds a BA in English and History from Williams College, graduating magna cum laude. His passion for improving access to compassionate, high-quality care is what drew him to Groups and continues to drive his work today.

“I joined groups to be a part of advancing a model that already has exceptional outcomes with an incredibly dedicated and mission-driven team. It’s a privilege to be a part of improving members’ lives through trusted relationships, community, and effective team-based care.”

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Ari is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who leads the Care Design and Innovation team at Groups. In her role, she’s focused on building and improving the care model while ensuring clinical excellence. Before Groups, Ari led behavioral health and social care strategy at Cityblock Health, where she was part of the founding team. Both roles have been opportunities for her to help build truly integrated, team-based care models for a population she cares about deeply. Previously, she directed the Mount Sinai Health Home, comprising of contracted community-based agencies that provide comprehensive care management services to New York State Medicaid recipients with chronic illness and social care needs. Prior to this position, she worked at Mount Sinai Hospital as a Renal Transplant Social Worker, evaluating patients for transplant from a psychosocial perspective and supporting them through the process. Ari has a B.A. from Brandeis University, received her M.S.W. from Columbia, and was faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She lives in Brooklyn with her family, loves to travel, eat, and has yet to meet a beach she didn’t like.

“Groups Recover Together’s focus is on its members. I am excited to help Groups navigate various federal and state requirements so that it can continue to provide high-quality services to those who need it most.”

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Earl is an experienced healthcare attorney and compliance officer and has spent much of his career focused on Medicaid and behavioral health. He started his career at a national law firm representing pharmaceutical companies in numerous lawsuits and government investigations. He then served as the Director of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs for a national Medicaid MCO. After that, he was the Compliance Director, Privacy Officer, and General Counsel for a regional Medicaid MCO. He comes to Groups after serving as an Associate General Counsel at a national hospital management system. Earl received his J.D. from Drexel University.

“The Groups members I’ve met are incredible people who have often lost everything to opioids. Yet they find the strength to recover. You can’t help but be inspired and want to fight for them.”

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April is an experienced finance executive who has focused much of her career on healthcare, specifically on outcome-based models. April has held leadership positions at Iora Health (now One Medical), Fresenius, Care.com, and Amazon. She began her career in public accounting at KPMG. She holds an MSA and B.S. from Babson College and is a CPA licensed in Massachusetts.

“I came to Groups Recover Together because I loved the mission and the model of care delivery. The treatment model is high quality, cost effective, and reaches individuals who have historically been shut out of the medical system. At its core, our mission is one of social justice, and that really speaks to me. This is a rapidly evolving field of medicine and I love that Groups is at the forefront of innovation.”

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Dr. Crothers completed medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine and residency training at Tufts University Family Residency at Cambridge Health Alliance. While there he designed and implemented a resident-led group visit model for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). The program continues to serve as a national model for integrating addiction medicine education into residency training. Following residency, he pursued his Addiction Medicine board certification at the APT Foundation in New Haven Connecticut, a Yale-affiliated organization where many of the original studies of Suboxone were completed. While continuing to practice part-time addiction medicine, Dr. Crothers served as Medical Director of Grand Rounds, where he scaled their clinical products to over 5 million covered lives in his 5 years of tenure.

"I joined Groups because I believed everyone deserves access to compassionate, evidence-based addiction treatment. What motivates me most is knowing that our work changes lives. Every day, I am inspired by our members' recovery journeys and by the dedicated teams who help make the transformation possible."

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‍Ashley has been with Groups since 2016, joining during the organization's early startup years after beginning her career as a clinician in a methadone treatment program. She has held a wide range of clinical and operational leadership roles, including serving as the first clinician and operational leader in Indiana, where she helped establish and grow the organization's presence. Throughout her tenure, Ashley has played a key role in expanding Groups' care model while maintaining an unwavering focus on high-quality care and operational excellence.

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As Chief Operating Officer, Ashley leads the teams and operations that support members across the organization. She is passionate about building strong leaders, empowering high-performing teams, and ensuring every member receives the compassionate, evidence-based care they deserve. Her firsthand experience caring for people with substance use disorders continues to shape her leadership and commitment to Groups' mission.

"I came to Groups because I believe in the power of aligning incentives between payers, providers, and members. That alignment drives accountability for the whole picture, from preventing crises to keeping members engaged and on a path toward lasting recovery."

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Rachel leads value-based contracting, contract implementation, and payer relationships at Groups. She also oversees Groups' partnerships with local leaders and regulators in our operating states to advocate for policy changes that support access to care.

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Rachel previously worked at Aetna in performance management evaluating the success of various clinical and consumer products. Before that, she worked at the Advisory Board leading payer and provider research teams to surface best practices. She holds a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and currently lives in Washington, DC.