THE FORRESTER CENTER - Key Persons
Jamison is a Certified Addictions Counselor II with a BA in psychology and nearly 17 years of experience focusing on substance use and/or mental health. In his time at TFC he has worked in drug court, as assessment and adolescent coordinators, and has been part of the development of Spartanburg's first Juvenile Drug Court. He received the Jim Readling Memorial Counselor of the Year award in 2017 from the Region 1 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Agencies.
Job Titles:
- Dir. Prevention & Community Programs
Joe is responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of all prevention activities, fostering community partnerships and promoting all services of The Forrester Center. Joe has a Master of Public Health Degree from The University of South Carolina, is a Certified Senior Prevention Specialist, and a Master Certified Health Education Specialist.
Joe is a graduate of Leadership Spartanburg (2016), and The Riley Institute's Diversity Leaders Initiative (2018). He lives in Spartanburg with his wife and three children.
Mardy began her career at The Forrester Center in 1990 as an Administrative Secretary. Mardy has received several promotions throughout her 25-year tenure at the agency. She is responsible for oversight of the agency's budgets, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and also oversees the Administrative staff in the main reception area.
Mr. David Forrester's career spanned over 40 years in the field of behavioral health, specializing in the care of individuals suffering from substance use disorders. For more than 35 years, Mr. Forrester served as Executive Director of then Spartanburg Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (SADAC).
In 2016, Spartanburg County Council proclaimed April 22 to be "David L. Forrester Day" and approved the renaming of SADAC to The Forrester Center for Behavioral Health. In its proclamation, the Spartanburg County Council stated, in part, that Mr. Forrester "…was a dedicated advocate and his commitment helped to move countless residents of Spartanburg County from addiction to recovery…" and that Mr. Forrester "…was a long-term planner who helped to identify, develop and make available appropriate programs to residents, including specialized prevention, education, intervention, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and programs in criminal justice…"
Sue O'Brien has 30 years of experience in the behavioral health field both as a clinician and a leader. Sue started her career in Charleston, SC before moving back to her hometown of Rochester, New York where she worked as a clinician. While working at a large teaching hospital, Sue was part of the team that was instrumental in bringing the first Co-occurring services to the area. Later she developed the first adolescent co-occurring program and led her organization in adolescent and adult treatment services. Sue holds a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Medaille College and specializes in program development and change management. She lives in Spartanburg with her husband Doug, and is the proud mother of 2 children, 3 step-children, 4 granddaughters, and 2 grandsons. Sue's email address is sobrien@tfcbh.org.