John Knowles, MA, CADC has been with Brookdale Recovery Center since its inception and serves as the Senior Business Development Director.  John provides services in the Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey markets as well as parts of West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and New England. In addition, John provides intervention and mobile assessment services.  A person in long term recovery since November 29, 1984, John is active in numerous recovery community causes.  

A seasoned clinician and administrator in the addiction and mental health field for over 35 years, John has been involved in leading start up and management of three highly successful inpatient treatment programs in Pennsylvania, New York and New Hampshire. In addition, John has been a member of Senior Leadership at two large, highly respected non-profits. John is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) in Pennsylvania. He is also trained in the Johnson Institute Model for interventions. He received his B.S. in Business, Marketing and Economics with a specialization in Addiction Treatment Administration and M.A. in Social Policy from SUNY Empire State College, Saratoga, New York. John has completed both the Rutgers University School of Addiction Studies and also the Rutgers University Advanced School of Addiction Studies. He has had additional education and training in organizational management and leadership through the Levinson Institute and additional clinical training and study has occurred at institutions including Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, Villanova, Georgetown, and Syracuse Universities. 

John began his career as an adolescent therapist at Marworth – Shawnee in 1987 before moving to Tully Hill in Tully, NY in 1990, where he advanced to Director of Clinical Services, a position he held for over 10 years. It was during this time that he expanded his specialty to include corrections, lawyers and impaired healthcare professionals. Later, John oversaw an organization providing housing and dual diagnosis treatment in two Upstate New York counties and served as an administrator at a Community Action Agency providing programs such as Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Head Start, Early Head Start, and Family Resource Centers through 45 programs in 19 sites. In 2007 he and his wife moved to New Hampshire and opened a program that converted the historic Daniel Webster Estate into Webster Place Recovery Center, on whose campus housed a social detox, recovery center and drop in center with respite housing for recovering persons. During this time he expanded his clinical expertise to include horticulture therapy and integration of Eastern and Native American spiritual practices into daily programming. In 2010 John accepted a position as Chief Administrator at Clearbrook Treatment Centers in Wilkes-Barre, PA – a provider of detox and residential addiction services since 1972. He began his current position in 2019. 

In addition to his clinical and management duties, John served for six years on the Executive Steering Committee for the New York State Education Department’s, Professional Assistance Program (PAP). This position involved developing and implementing policies effecting over 600,000 licensed professionals (dentists, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, etc.) in New York State who are licensed by the State Education Department. In this role he also regularly presided at hearings for those individuals seeking to re-enter their professions. John also served in various capacities on the regional and state board of an organization representing addiction counselors in New York State (NYFAC, later AAPNY). John also was a founding board member of the New Hampshire Providers Association, an organization representing alcohol and other substance abuse service providers as well a founding member of Friends of Recovery – New Hampshire (FOR-NH), a grassroots campaign to bring awareness to addiction related issues in the state. John also has extensive public speaking experience, having presented well over 500 presentations to diverse groups ranging in size from under 20 to over 500, from elementary age children to physicians. In addition, John has provided professional testimony to government bodies at the local, state and national level. John also has extensive experience with lobbying for funding and programs on a state and local level as well as private insurance contracting. Programs under his direction have received JCAHO Accreditation with Commendation and numerous deficit free state reviews. 

John is a recognized expert on clinical topics such as Adolescent Substance Abuse, Dual Diagnosis, Homelessness, Grief and Loss, Adolescent Behavior, Impaired Professionals and Family Issues as well as management topics that include Clinical Supervision, Medical Records, Utilization Review and Quality Assurance. He has served as a faculty member of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS OASAS), Academy of Addiction Sciences. Throughout his career, John has served as a supervisor and on advisory boards to institutions such as the Syracuse University School of Social Work, Cornell University School of Human Ecology, SUNY Oswego Psychology Department, and the SUNY Cortland Recreation Therapy Program. Most recently, John was asked to be a member of the inaugural advisory group for the Bloomsburg University Bachelor of Social Work program. 

John is married since 1981 to Stacy Knowles, CADC, Case Manager in the Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Treatment Court and is the father of three sons – Iraq War Veteran and United States Army Major Kyle Knowles, MBA, his wife Christy Knowles, LCSW; Colorado Sabertooth lacrosse player, 2014 Colorado HS Assistant Lacrosse Coach of the Year and 2004 NCAA Division II Lacrosse Champion at Lemoyne College – Collin Knowles, his wife Jenny Busby; and Iraq War Veteran,  United States Marine Corporal and Marywood University Strength and Conditioning and Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach – Jonathan Knowles. John is also grandfather to Kaylee and Abigail. An avid runner and hiker, John is completing his Adirondack Winter “46” challenge and regularly participates in triathlons, participating in the “Clydesdale Division”.