For more than 30 years, Andy worked in law enforcement and probation, often seeing people at their lowest moments. Today, he serves as Housing Director at Cardinal Treatment Center in Portsmouth, Ohio, where he helps those same kinds of individuals rebuild their lives in recovery.
A Career Spent on the Front Lines
Andy started his career in West Virginia law enforcement before returning to Ohio to join the Scioto County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. In 2000, he moved into Scioto County Adult Probation, where he spent about 24 years supervising felony offenders and working closely with the courts.
In the early years, the job was primarily enforcement-focused: if someone failed a drug test, they were often sent straight back in front of a judge and likely to prison, sometimes for a single positive test. Over time, though, Andy watched the courts’ philosophy evolve, especially as treatment programs became more available and judges began to see the value of giving people a chance at recovery instead of only punishment.
Discovering a New Approach Through Treatment Courts
Later in his probation career, Andy joined an Intervention in Lieu program, a treatment-based track that allowed eligible people to avoid a conviction if they successfully completed treatment within a set period. In those cases, the arrest remained on record, but the conviction was removed, giving people a genuine second chance.
That role brought Andy into regular contact with Cardinal Treatment Center and other local facilities. He began to see firsthand which programs ran people through an “assembly line” and which built individualized plans that treated each person as a whole human being. That distinction stuck with him and ultimately influenced his decision about where to work after retirement.
From “Retired Old Man” to Energized Housing Director
When Andy reached the end of his probation career, he initially thought he was simply retiring and looking for something to keep him busy. Instead, he found a new mission at Cardinal Treatment Center, starting as a court liaison on the admissions team before quickly stepping into the Housing Director role.
He jokes that he retired from probation at noon and started at Cardinal at 1 p.m. the same day, but that quick transition reflects how strongly he believed in the work being done there. At first, he admits he was still a bit “jaded” from decades in law enforcement, but being inside a treatment center changed his perspective: he began to see passion in staff and clients, and the look in people’s eyes when “the light goes off and they get it.”
That transformation affected him personally as well. Andy describes arriving at Cardinal feeling like a “retired old man,” but now says he feels like a kid again and looks forward to coming to work because every day is different and meaningful.
Teamwork That Keeps Housing Running Smoothly
As Housing Director, Andy oversees housing supervisors Tyler and Tara, but he is quick to describe the housing department as a genuine team effort. Each person brings a different personality and style to the job, and together they “triage” problems as they come up, talk through options, and usually arrive at the same solution as a team.
Andy’s temperament and background help him stay calm when situations get tense, which balances out his supervisors’ more energetic, in-the-moment reactions. Over time, he has watched both Tyler and Tara grow into stronger leaders, learning to slow down, think through issues, and make decisions that support residents’ recovery and safety.
That mutual dependence—Andy leaning on their housing experience and them leaning on his guidance and perspective—built a strong sense of trust and collaboration. It also mirrors what Cardinal strives for with clients: people from very different backgrounds working together toward a common goal of lasting recovery.
What Makes Cardinal’s Housing Different
From Andy’s point of view, housing is more than just a place to sleep; it is an environment that supports real change. Cardinal offers a variety of housing options, including:
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A serene lakehouse where residents can enjoy quiet, peaceful surroundings.
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“Bardominiums” in multiple locations, designed and renovated specifically to meet program needs.
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Smaller and larger homes organized by gender, creating appropriate, structured living settings for men and women in treatment.
Cardinal also invests in quality food and on-site meals, including a chef who prepares meals that go far beyond “chicken nuggets and spaghetti.” For Andy, details like good food, thoughtful house layouts, and comfortable spaces are part of what makes residents feel human, respected, and supported as they do the hard work of recovery.
From Assembly Lines to Individualized Care
Drawing on his years in the courts, Andy is candid about the difference between programs that treat everyone the same and those that take a more individualized approach. He has seen “assembly line” models where people are processed through identical programming regardless of their history, needs, or strengths.
At Cardinal, he emphasizes, the focus is on individualized plans that are more complex to build but ultimately more effective for the people being served. That approach has not gone unnoticed; local courts now send letters strongly recommending Cardinal Treatment Center and praising the way its programs help people improve their lives.
Those endorsements matter to Andy because they show that judges and court staff—people who used to see treatment as a last resort—now recognize the value of Cardinal’s work.
Why Andy Chose Cardinal
With his experience and credentials, Andy could have simply retired or taken a less demanding role elsewhere. Instead, he chose Cardinal because of its vision, business plan, and commitment to doing things differently in addiction treatment.
He wanted to be part of a team that:
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Builds individualized treatment plans instead of using a one-size-fits-all model.
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Continuously improves programs and housing options rather than settling for “good enough.”
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Partners closely with courts and community stakeholders to create better outcomes for people in recovery.
For Andy, that mission turned what could have been a quiet retirement into a second career defined by purpose, passion, and hope.
A Place Where People and Staff Change
One of the most striking parts of Andy’s story is how many people he now sees on “the other side” of addiction. Some of the same individuals he once encountered as offenders in the justice system are now working in recovery or thriving as alumni.
Those transformations, along with the dedication of his colleagues, are what truly inspire him. The common thread he sees at Cardinal Treatment Center is how much people care—whether it is housing staff working late to solve a problem, clinical teams tailoring treatment plans, or clients committing to a new way of life.
Every day, Andy gets to witness people move from being defined by their worst moments to being defined by their growth, resilience, and potential. For someone who spent decades on the enforcement side of the system, that shift is powerful—and it is why he believes Cardinal Treatment Center is a place where both clients and staff can change their lives.