Jon Dower gives back to the community as executive director of West Virginia Sober Living.
This May, Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re acknowledging several 2025 WV Living magazine and Moodr Health Mental Health Care Heroes who are based in Morgantown.
As someone who received support from friends, family, and mentors during his own struggle with substance use disorder, Jon Dower knows the importance of second chances. He now aspires to improve the lives of others experiencing addiction in many ways: through his work as the executive director for West Virginia Sober Living, as a board member of West Virginia First Foundation, as a nationally certified counselor, and as a college educator.
Working in the restaurant industry was challenging for Dower—the “work hard, play hard” environment was not conducive to his sobriety. But an opportunity from a friend in November 2013 set him on a path toward helping not only himself, but countless others.
Doug Leech, the founder of Ascension Recovery Services, offered him a part-time position with the potential for growth. As the recovery services grew, so did Dower’s role: “I went through the ranks through loyalty, determination, and being around amazing people who gave me opportunities that I probably didn’t deserve—but they gave me a chance anyway.”
On a whim, Dower enrolled in a newly launched addiction studies course at West Virginia University and began his educational efforts once again. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree, he then received his master’s degree in clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling. He now works as an adjunct faculty member.
“I want to be able to help everyone, which is not realistic or attainable,” Dower says. “But if I’m in a classroom teaching 30 human beings, I can have a ripple effect by sharing the skills and the underlying fabric of how to treat this condition.”
He sees his role as an administrator as a way to give back, too, by eliminating barriers and making connections to needed resources. “If you give someone a chance, they have the potential to do amazing things if you give them the opportunity to do so,” Dower says. “Empathy is important, but so is education.”
Read about the other WV Living and Moodr Health 2025 Mental Health Care Heroes.
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