Howard Josepher

Howard Josepher "is co-founder and executive director of Exponents, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals affected by drug addiction, incarceration and chronic illness. With 30 years of experience in both the substance abuse and public health fields, Mr. Josepher's work with peer models represents the empowerment of overcoming difficult circumstances and helping others with similar challenges. His programs continue to positively impact those in need in New York City.

"In 1988, when the world was just beginning to understand the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic, Mr. Josepher co-founded Exponents and its cornerstone program ARRIVE. ARRIVE was the first federally funded program in the United States to address HIV infection among drug users. Since that time, Exponents' programs have expanded to include a whole continuum of services for chronically ill substance abusers and their family members. ARRIVE remains Exponent's largest program with more than 7,000 graduates since its inception. Participation in ARRIVE is completely voluntary.

"Prior to establishing Exponents, Mr. Josepher ran workshops and offered staff trainings and consulting for both profit and non-profit organizations. As a New York State licensed clinical social worker, trained in family systems and psychotherapy, he has maintained a private practice for many years. After traveling to India and learning meditation and other valuable Eastern practices, he began incorporating many of these practices into his work with chronically ill substance abusers. Mr. Josepher has appeared on numerous radio and television shows, offering his views on drug and health related issues. He was one of the early participants at Phoenix and Odyssey House, overcoming his own seven-year heroin addiction, and played a pioneering role in establishing therapeutic community drug treatment services in New York.

"Mr. Josepher oversees all operations at Exponents and sets the high-energy, family-like tone that resonates throughout the organization. Under his guidance, Exponents has launched a unique continuum of programs that address the wide variety of issues faced by people affected by substance abuse.

"Mr. Josepher continues to play a leadership role in advocating for more peer programs and more enlightened laws and policies around substance use. He has been invited and has served on city, state, and federal commissions and task forces and was a member of both New York City's HIV Planning Council and Prevention Group and was Chairman of the Substance User Work Group. Mr. Josepher overcame years of addiction in 1967."