Our Home

At A Reprieve for Men, we’re committed to being genuine, honest and invested even when the path for our resident is hard.

About A Reprieve for Men

We believe so strongly in the processes we teach our residents – of developing Spirituality, Community, and Self – that we practice them as a staff as well.

A Reprieve for Men opened in 2009 in a 120 year old historic home in Opelika, Alabama. Today, A Reprieve continues as a unique place in the recovering and spiritual community as the center for a solution to alcoholism and drug addiction. Our staff, alumni and volunteers, who are the epicenter of this community based program, witness on a day to day basis the very spirit in which the fellowship of service to others thrives. The 12 Steps live and breathe in each of our residents, staff and volunteers as they strive to do the work that they have been called upon to perform.

A Reprieve for Men is a year-long program founded in three distinct but interwoven phases. Phases one and two are each 90 days in length and the final phase is 180 days. From beginning, to the programs conclusion, the goal is to assist adult males with obtaining the skills and tools needed to live in recovery as productive members of a community where service to others is the focal point.

The most important thing to us at the end of the day is that we are a constant reflection of what we teach to our residents. With a staff, largely in recovery themselves, we share more life experiences with our residents than most programs.

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The Staff at A Reprieve for Men

Click names or photos to learn more about our staff.

Brett Young

Executive Director

Britten Elliot

Office Coordinator

Seth Sherwin

Administrator

Jared Murray

Community Representative

Mike Denmark

Community Living Coordinator

Ross Pape

Life Skills Coordinator

Bo Mullins

Community Representative

Hans Shellhamer

Recreation Activities Specialist

Will Mummert

Recreation Activities Specialist

Brian Patterson

Food Service Manager

Michael Azar

RA Manager

Patrick Owens

Program Specialist

Zach Lott

Program Specialist

Brett Young

Executive Director

Brett Young is a native of Alexander City, AL. He attended college at The University of West Alabama on a football scholarship. After college, he began working at a television station in Birmingham, AL. He left that career and bounced from sales, management, and finance before addiction took over his life. Brett went to long term treatment and a sober living community in order to get his life back. Shortly after getting sober, Brett began his career working in treatment. In 2011, he first learned about The Reprieve. His personal experience with the 12-steps and treatment caused him to immediately gravitate towards The Reprieve model. Brett worked in several positions within The Reprieve, including National Referral Liaison before being promoted to the Executive Director in 2014.

Britten Elliot

Office Coordinator

Britten is a native of Hoover, Al. After graduating high school she moved to Auburn, AL. In 2004 she graduated from Auburn University and began working for Bradford Health Services. She has been working for The Reprieve since the day it opened in 2009. She loves helping people and is dedicated to this field. Britten brings a much-needed sense of balance and truly adds great value to all the staff, residents, and the program.

Seth Sherwin

Administrator

Seth is a native of Laurel, MS.  Seth attended college at The University of Mississippi.  While he was a student, Seth began a career as a musician.  For 9 years Seth toured the country playing with his band.  Seth’s growing addiction, paired with a toxic environment, led to the implosion of his career.  Shortly there after, Seth reached out to a previous band mate in Nashville, TN and asked for help. Once in Nashville, Seth began his journey of recovery and became involved in 12-step fellowship and mindfulness meditation. Now in long term sobriety, Seth has brought his extensive knowledge of 12-step programming, meditation and life experience to The Reprieve. 

Jared Murray

Community Representative

Jared Murray is a native of Huntsville, AL. Jared attended Huntsville High School and began to spiral downwards in his addiction throughout his early high school years. Jared graduated from Huntsville High School in 2009 and then attended The University of Alabama for college. After multiple attempts to get clean and sober on his own, Jared’s addiction continued to progress until he was arrested on campus and asked to leave the University of Alabama in 2011. After having to be pulled out of college, Jared entered treatment at Bradford Health Services on January 29, 2011 when he was 20 years old. After entering treatment, Jared was able to come to a place of acceptance and surrender. After sustaining over a year clean and sober and with the appropriate foundation in his recovery, Jared was accepted back to The University of Alabama and assisted in helping start the Collegiate Recovery Community at The University of Alabama in 2012 and is a graduate of that program. After receiving his bachelors at The University of Alabama in 2014, he then devoted his life and career to help others find the same hope that he has found through his own personal journey in recovery. As a result of working the twelve steps and living them out in his daily life, Jared has been able to sustain long term sobriety in his life.

Mike Denmark

Program Specialist

Mike is a native of Birmingham. He started experimenting with drugs and alcohol as an early teenager. Mike’s life quickly began to spiral out of control. After a couple failed attempts through 30-day impatient treatments centers, Mike enlisted into the U.S. Army. At the time, Mike thought a more disciplined life style and change of location would fix his problem. Upon enlisting into the Army, Mike’s addiction only manifested from drug use to more Alcohol use. After his service, Mike found himself deep in the grips of the Heroin Epidemic. He began a long run of emotional turmoil and chaos, that had his life and the lives of his family in a complete state of hopelessness. After years of Faith based homeless shelters, treatment centers, and jails, Mike finally ended up at The Reprieve. There he was introduced to the 12 Steps of Recovery and a new way of life. After graduating and staying connected with the Reprieve, he came back to work as a Program Specialist in the 12 Step Immersion portion of the program.

Will Howle

Program Specialist

Will is a native of Huntsville, Al. Will started experimenting with drugs and alcohol when he was 12, and his use progressed through high school. After high school, he enrolled in community college in 2007, then transferred to Auburn University. Due to drug abuse, he was put on academic suspension and forced to move home. Will quickly found himself in the middle of an opiate us disorder.   After a failed attempt in treatment and trying to do it on his own in the rooms of AA, he finally found a solution through the 12 steps at The Reprieve. After completing a year at The Reprieve he went to work at a sober living in South Carolina, before returning to The Reprieve to work as a program specialist.

Ross Pape

Life Skills Coordinator

Ross is a native of Huntsville, Alabama. Ross attended Auburn University where he studied Information System Management. During his final semester he could no longer keep his addiction at bay. Over the next two years he bounced around different treatment centers and sober living facilities. Ross finally relinquished control of his life and surrendered to a long term recovery facility in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2015 Ross was hired to open a sober living facility in Greeneville, South Carolina. During his tenure in South Carolina, Ross became a nationally certified recovery coach, trauma informed level 1, and began taking classes in psychology at The University of South Carolina Upstate. It was through another Program Specialist that Ross became interested in the 12 step immersion process being done at The Reprieve. Ross brings his extensive knowledge of recovery into the Life Skills portion of our program.

Bo Mullins

Community Living Coordinator

Bo is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. Bo’s addiction took hold of him before he graduated high school and he had trouble continuing his education. Bo failed out of college and struggled to maintain long-term employment. Bo first entered recovery in 2012 after attending a detox facility. He started a cycle of sober living houses and periods of abstinence for stretches of time, followed by relapses. This cycle lasted until 2015 when he arrived at The Reprieve as a resident. Since that time, Bo has graduated college and started a family with his wife and dogs. Bo brings his past experiences of what to do wrong and right in recovery into the community-living portion of our program.

Hans Shellhamer

Recreation Activities Specialist

Hans is a native of Auburn, AL. He started college at Auburn University in 98’. While he was a student Hans’s growing addiction interfered with academic studies causing him to drop out of school and enter the workforce.  After a few years of continued addiction Hans found himself having lost another job, and facing losing his family. Realizing something had to change Hans reached out for help and checked into Bradford Warrior. There Hans began his journey of recovery and became involved in 12-step fellowship and an active lifestyle. In 09’ Hans got back into school at Auburn and began an internship at the newly founded Reprieve as the “Activities Guy” which quickly turned into a career. He finished up his degree from Auburn in 14’ and became the Recreation Specialist for The Reprieve.

Will Mummert

Recreation Activities Specialist

Will is a native of Huntsville, Alabama and a 2007 graduate of Huntsville High School. Growing up, Will loved sports, both as a participant and as an avid fan of college and professional football and basketball.  However, seven years of alcohol and drug abuse drained Will of all his physical and emotional resources. In 2014, Will found himself on the receiving end of an overdose and on a path that led him to a year-long stay at The Reprieve. After graduating from The Reprieve and working in Opelika, Will was drawn back by his desire to help others suffering from substance abuse disorders. Will currently resides in Auburn with a younger brother who attends Auburn University.

Brian Patterson

Food Service Manager

Brian is a native of Tullahoma, Tn. After a previous treatment attempt, Brian found himself back in treatment in 2011. At that time, Brian owned and operated a restaurant back in Tennessee but knew he needed to focus on his recovery. Brian made a decision to become a resident of The Reprieve. Within the first 60 days, Brian told the staff that when he got enough sober time he was going to come back and be the cook for the residents. In 2013, Brian became the Food Services Manager for The Reprieve.

Michael Azar

RA Manager

Michael is originally from Montgomery, Alabama. He graduated with a degree in Radio, Television and Film from Auburn University and went to work at a local TV station in Montgomery in 2011. In the fall of 2013, his addiction had taken over most of his life and he made the decision to enter treatment at The Warrior Lodge. With the help of family and friends, and the urging of a couple of key members of the staff at The Lodge, he ended up at The Reprieve in October of 2013. After getting his feet set for a couple of years in recovery, he asked for a job at The Reprieve. He has worked with The Reprieve since 2015 in a variety of roles.

Patrick Owens

Program Specialist

Patty is a native New Yorker. He enlisted in the USMC shortly after graduating HS. While a Marine his alcoholism greatly affected his performance and he was ultimately separated from the Corps. He returned to NY and went on hopelessly for another decade. In 2008 he moved to Nashville where he met Seth Sherwin (the current administrator of The Reprieve) and developed the relationship that they have now which ultimately led them both to Opelika. Since 2015 Patty has been an integral part of the Reprieve Team and its development. He has since used his experience in the Marine Corps and recovering from his terrifying drug addiction to help guide young men in the disciplines of the recovery process.

Zac Lott

Program Specialist

Zac was born and raised in Birmingham Alabama. He was raised by his mom, granddad, and grandmother. Zac started experimenting with drugs and alcohol around the age of 13. After he graduated high school, he decided to move to Tuscaloosa and go to school at Shelton state and study business. While living in Tuscaloosa, he became heavily addicted to opiates and xanax. His life started to spiral out of control. He started failing all of his classes and eventually had no option but to move back home with his mother in Birmingham. He tried to control his addiction, but it just kept getting more out of control. In 2011, his mom checked him in to Bradford Warrior for 28 days, and as soon as he got out he started using again. Over the next 5 years, he was in and out of multiple rehabs. In 2016, he finally decided to pursue long term help and admitted to A Reprieve for Men. For the first time ever, he truly worked the steps and applied the principles to his entire life. Zac has found his niche in helping others apply those same principles to everyday life situations, in the life skills portion of A Reprieve for Men.

Will Howle

Program Specialist

Will is a native of Huntsville, Al. Will started experimenting with drugs and alcohol when he was 12, and his use progressed through high school. After high school, he enrolled in community college in 2007, then transferred to Auburn University. Due to drug abuse, he was put on academic suspension and forced to move home. Will quickly found himself in the middle of an opiate us disorder. After a failed attempt in treatment and trying to do it on his own in the rooms of AA, he finally found a solution through the 12 steps at The Reprieve. After completing a year at The Reprieve he went to work at a sober living in South Carolina, before returning to The Reprieve to work as a program specialist.