Staff
SITE STAFF
CHRISTOPHER ARCHIOPOLI
Director
Christopher Archiopoli has lived in the Seattle area since 2006 after being born in Connecticut and raised in Phoenix, AZ. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Arizona State University and a Certificate in Project Management from the University of Washington.
Christopher began an expansive career in the beauty industry in 2002. Over the course of twenty years, he held roles encompassing nearly every area of the business. As a service provider, educator, manager, and project manager, Christopher learned the power of a customer-driven business. More importantly, he considers himself a Daymaker: A person who performs acts of kindness with the intention of making the world a better place.
Christopher began receiving services as a member at Dunshee House in 2008. He continued at Seattle Area Support Groups, becoming a group facilitator of SOS in 2017 and a Peer Coach in 2018. Transitioning from the beauty industry, he hopes to bring the concept of daymaking to Peer Seattle making a direct impact in and on the community.
JUSTIN HARMON
Program Manager
Justin was born in Juneau, Alaska, and moved to Ellensburg, Washington, at a young age. He came out to family and friends at the age of 15. Living in a small rural area, he faced challenges finding acceptance and community. Justin turned to substance use to cope with his surroundings. After getting a DUI, he relocated to Spokane to pursue recovery, moving into an Oxford House.
After experiencing a devastating relapse, Justin built a new foundation in recovery with the help of treatment and local 12-step programs. He has a passion for working with others in recovery, one-on-one and through service. This led him to Peer Spokane, becoming a peer coach and group facilitator. Within a few months, he was hired as a Program Manager for housing and employment services. In March of 2022, Justin transferred to Peer Seattle with the hope of increased opportunities for personal and professional growth. Peer support has been an integral part of Justin’s recovery, and he firmly believes in the power of shared experience.
JESSE ALALAWI
Program Manager
A lifelong Washington resident, Jesse graduated from the University of Washington in 2012 with an art degree focusing on fiber and textile design with a minor in sociology. Having found the help she needed from substance use, she hopes to help others through her work as a Peer Services Specialist. For multiple years she led support groups for Trans Families and is now helping to design and facilitate the Trans Fem Society group for the same organization. As a trans woman and recovering addict, she is dedicated to educating and advocating for her communities. Jesse is also a photographer, fiber artist, and designer. Most recently, Jesse has become newlywed and is excited to start a family within her community.
MARC SHELFFO
Program Manager
Marc was born and raised on a small hobby farm in Burnsville, Minnesota. Feeling estranged from family, friends, and the greater community because of his sexual orientation, Marc headed west in 1988. Patterns of avoidance led to mental health problems and substance use disorder. His journey of recovery from severe depression and methamphetamine abuse began in 2007. Despite many setbacks, Marc chose to learn from those mistakes and never surrender.
Marc's addiction to crystal meth ended on April 23rd, 2013. Entering Peer Seattle's doors with his trusty dog Bruno signaled the beginning of a more substantial recovery. Marc supported alternative MAT (Medical Assisted Therapies) and was assisted in his recovery through Ibogaine. He has since been on the Strength Over Speed leadership team and helped develop the "Shame and Guilt" workshop, among many others. Marc has been a Peer Recovery Coach, Coach Mentor, and CCAR Certified Coach Trainer for the past six years and helped develop workshops and plans for 2017-2019 Discovery retreats. He recently received his Certified Peer Counselor Certificate from Washington State, further cementing his excellent service to the LGBTQIA+ recovery community. Now Marc is excited to bring his skills, energy, experience, and enthusiasm to Peer Seattle.
You can find Marc bowling on the Thursday Gay league, mushroom hunting, or camping with his partner Bill and faithful companion Bruno in his spare time.
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AARY GARISS
Peer Services Specialist
Aary is a Seattle transplant by way of Chicago and Wisconsin. Shockingly, the small town of Oconomowoc, WI, was not the most accepting or supportive space for a young queer struggling with severe mental health issues and addiction. So, like any good coming-of-age protagonist, at eighteen, Aary moved to Chicago in search of a better life. While attending The Theatre School at DePaul University, they found their first communities within the Queer and Arts scenes - but the party culture of both contributed to their addictions. After a near-death experience in 2017, Aary began their road to recovery. Today, they are proudly non-binary and have over two years of complete sobriety. While working for Free Street Theater (which was more like a family than a theater company), they discovered the importance of community empowerment, peer support, and value-based living. Inspired by these role models - and after a severe existential crisis - they decided to leave the theater industry altogether to pursue a career closer to their values. They moved to Seattle in 2020 to get a fresh start and are thrilled to join the PEER Seattle team as the Volunteer Coordinator as the next step on their journey.
JACK HARLAN
Peer Services Specialist
Jack has always been a nomad and latchkey kid, moving roughly twenty times before putting down roots in Small Town northern Minnesota in the third grade. Underwhelmed by the rural offerings and eager to put behind difficulties at home, he moved to Minneapolis, where he studied communications, comparative literature, and classical & near eastern cultures and religions. He struggled with mental health and substance abuse, never finding the correct diagnosis, balance, or lifestyle. The social and political unrest in Minneapolis, combined with the incredible uncertainty of the early days of Covid, realigned his values and priorities; he needed a drastic change. He moved west, flirting with LA, Portland, and a cabin deep in the Olympic forest, before settling on Seattle. Jack likes writing, biking, live music, and film. He lives in Ballard with his partner Allie and pug, Stella.
PERCY WORRELL
Peer Services Specialist
Percy was born and raised on the east coast, hailing from Norfolk, Virginia. He began his downward spiral into the world of drugs and alcohol at age nine. This stemmed from family abuse and led to other ways to ease the hurt. It wasn't until finding his way across this beautiful country, landing in the great state of Washington, that he found a home for his wayward spirit and a place to grow in a positive light. Percy came to Peer Seattle seeking services in 2019. Since then, he has been a volunteer, a peer coach, and a group facilitator. Having given up his old habits for new ones, he is also writing about his journey through addiction to where he is now, viewing life through clearer eyes.
RUTH UTNAGE
Peer Services Specialist
Ruth is originally from Omaha, NE, and moved to Washington when she was 14 with her mother. Ruth comes from a life rooted in drugs, racist ideologies, and anti-LGBTQ+ everything. Ruth went to prison in her mid 20's, got clean, earned her education, and went on to receive over 90 awards, achievements, and recognitions in education, public speaking, and program development. She came out while in prison, has not looked back, and has spent a lot of time unlearning her childhood. For Ruth, prison was a womb in which she emerged as her authentic self, and with a chosen family she is proud of. Ruth published academically in a double-blind peer-reviewed journal in the field of criminology on the effects of prison culture on criminal desistance (when someone stops committing crime). Ruth enjoys studying culture, specifically organizational culture and the science behind it. She also enjoys hikes, mathematics, quilting, networking, and goal-setting. Ruth's long-term goals are to speak at the UN General Assembly in New York and help shift the culture inside prisons. She is unapologetically vulnerable and highly social; always down for a chat.
SEAN FRANZ
Peer Services Specialist
Sean was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI. He went to college in New Orleans, inspired by the city’s rich history and the intrigue of Anne Rice novels. It was there he began experimenting with drugs and the circuit party scene. After graduating, Sean moved to Los Angeles and worked in the entertainment industry, but drugs, depression, and the loneliness of the LA scene caught up with him after a few years, and he left.
In 2016, he decided to leave the conservative state of Arizona and move to a more queer-friendly city. After some research, he chose Seattle. When he went into recovery, he came to Peer Seattle, got a peer coach, and attended Strength Over Speed (SOS) meetings. Several years later, he returned as a volunteer and, after six months, was hired into the FCS housing department. In the past, he was told that being naturally compassionate and non-judgmental was weak and not “manly.” But these are strengths, especially in this peer-led organization, and Sean thrives today.
M FOLEY
Peer Services Specialist
M is originally from the Bay Area in California. They moved to Washington in 2018 to attend college at Bastyr University, earning their degree in nutrition and exercise science in 2020. For much of their young adult life, M struggled with an undiagnosed eating disorder, chronic illness, and mental health issues. After a manic episode, they sought out therapy and community to begin the road to recovery. They began working with teenagers and adults who also struggled with eating disorders and M grew in their own healing along the way.
They are a strong advocate for mental health, specifically in the LGBTQ+ community. They are proudly out as pansexual and living as their true self. M now lives in Seattle with their two cats and enjoys rock climbing, practicing yoga, and reading.
JAMES MORAN
Peer Services Specialist
James identifies as someone in long-term recovery from substance abuse and other related struggles. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and lived through 18 months of homelessness in Portland, Oregon. His life since moving to Seattle in 2017 has been centered around recovery and healing. James struggled to stay sober initially and was admitted to inpatient treatment several times before finally getting sober in the spring of 2019. The most important relationships in his life began while working in different recovery spaces over several years. He has spent a good percentage of his time since entering recovery working with people experiencing homelessness, drug addiction/ alcoholism, mental illness, and trauma. In 2021, He worked as a treatment technician at Hotel California By The Sea, where he helped people get sober and begin the work of getting their lives back. He recently became certified as a Wilderness/Urban first responder and can provide basic medical/trauma pre-hospital.
Outside of his recovery work, James enjoys connecting with friends, keeping physically active, listening to music, cooking, watching movies, and sharing moments of joy with friends and family. He is currently studying psychology with a minor in social work. While he is torn between the paths of nursing and being a licensed social worker, he trusts the right path will reveal itself as he continues to put in the footwork. James is grateful and excited to be a part of Peer's network of beautiful people.
SAM WOOD
Peer Services Specialist
Sam was born and raised in Maine, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History from Bates College in 2012. He then lived in Chicago before coming to Seattle in the fall of 2016 to pursue graduate studies in Architecture History at the University of Washington. Sam struggled with mental health during his studies and eventually developed a substance use disorder. In the fall of 2019, he lost his job and was diagnosed with HIV. Around this time, he began seeking supportive services, first at Lifelong and then at Peer Seattle. Through working with a peer coach and attending peer support groups, Sam navigated his challenges and found long-term recovery. His experience inspired him to become a peer coach himself, and in the fall of 2021, he became a CCAR-Certified Peer Recovery Coach to help others with similar backgrounds. Sam has a passion for giving back to his community, and he is excited to further his work in this field as Peer Services Specialist on an HIV Mobile Outreach team in partnership with Public Health—Seattle & King County.
When Sam is not engaged in peer work, he enjoys being outside on his bike, hiking, or running. He also loves architecture and urban history, so you may see him on a neighborhood walk with his camera. At home, he enjoys lounging with his cat Winnie and reading a good book.