The organization’s work with Pew Charitable Trusts, for example, established a national standard of quality care for addiction treatment that is being adopted by healthcare practitioners and payers. In a few short years, Shatterproof has broken through barriers that have impeded addiction treatment in the United States. Shatterproof’s work is guided by three pillars: revolutionizing the treatment system, breaking down addiction-related stigma and supporting and empowering communities. The 2011 loss of his son Brian, right, motivated Gary Mendell to found Shatterproof. And that’s been Mendell’s full-time focus since. To make sense of his son’s death, Mendell, founder and former CEO of HEI Hotels and Resorts, decided to bring the full force of his business experience to this mission. Rather, he took his own life, says Mendell, because of the shame he felt due to the stigma of his past substance use problems. Brian didn’t die of an overdose he was on the other side of recovery. We’re talking about Shatterproof, a national nonprofit daring us to reimagine and reverse how we talk and think about substance use disorder in the United States.Īt the helm of the Norwalk, Conn.-based advocacy group is founder and CEO Gary Mendell, who lost his son Brian to addiction in 2011. And now it has its sights set on changing public opinion. Shatterproof founder and CEO Gary Mendell takes stock of the past seven years and boldly moves ahead in 2021 on a new mission: combating stigmaįor the past seven years, a bold voice and unifying force has been emerging in the battle against addiction.

Shatterproof by Dani Alexander