Harm Reduction is Prevention - March 7, 2025

John Burns, MBA, CRSW, is a person with lived experience in recovery, a family member of a loved one in recovery and a guardian caregiver for one of his grandsons. He is the director of SOS Recovery Community Organization. John has been engaged in training delivery and development over the last 5 years at SOS. He supervises a staff of over 20 at SOS Recovery Community Organization and assists in training and supervision of three Recovery Community Centers. SOS operates syringe service programs and harm reduction supplies at all of their recovery community centers as well as a comprehensive outreach program with those experiencing homelessness and a statewide “peer-strength” program for individuals involved in the criminal justice system. John and his team at SOS worked with local and national recovery leaders and subject matter experts to develop the Art & Science of Peer-Assisted Recovery® 30-hour peer-assisted recovery training curriculum, as well as trainings on ethics, HIV prevention, and suicide prevention for peer-assisted recovery supports. John is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and completed the MINT training of new trainers in 2021. He has been trained extensively in motivational interviewing techniques through a series of trainings and train the trainers sessions and is trained in Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) Coding and is trained and authorized to complete Motivational Interviewing Competency Assessments (MICA) for coding practitioners of MI. John serves as Vice Chair on the board of the NH Harm Reduction Coalition and on the executive committee of the Strafford County Public Health Advisory Committee. He is an appointee of NH Governor Sununu on the Overdose Fatality Review Commission and is a member of the budget taskforce for the NH Governor’s Commission for Alcohol and other drugs.

Shannon Swett, MSW serves as the Chief Impact Officer for Granite United Way, providing high level strategic oversight to the following areas of focus: Housing Initiatives, Financial Empowerment, Early Childhood, and Substance Use/Public Health Networks. A NH native, Shannon received her Bachelor’s degree from Keene State College in 2002, with a major in Psychology. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of NH in 2004, with a concentration in Community and Administrative Practice.

Shannon has worked in the field of public health, prevention, and behavioral health systems in NH since 2004. She has been with Granite United Way since 2007, overseeing the financial, administrative, strategic, and programmatic aspects of multiple initiatives addressing the Granite State's most complex challenges. This includes oversight of three of the 13 regional public health networks in NH, focusing on key priorities that address the impact of social determinants on overall community health indicators. 

Other initiatives that Shannon has developed and led include the Governor’s Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative, which grew from 25 participating workplaces in 2018 to nearly 400 businesses representing over 95,000 employees in 2024. This initiative has served as an innovative model and has been designated as a "promising practice" with nearly 30 states replicating the program nationwide. Shannon also provides oversight to 211 and its role as the primary access point for the Doorway system through the State Opioid Response grant. Additionally, Shannon leads an Impact team that oversees a portfolio of other initiatives on behalf of Granite United Way, including the Affordable Housing Incentive Program (AHIP), Mission Zero Landlord Incentive Program, four regional Early Childhood Networks, a statewide Childcare Business & Employer Partnership Project, and a statewide Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Shannon generates over $5 million dollars in revenue annually for Granite United Way, resulting in significant impact on key public health priority areas across NH.