Rachel Thaxton was appointed as the Assistant Director of the ODCP in April 2019. In her role, Rachel assists in the planning and direction of West Virginia’s efforts in combatting the substance use epidemic.Prior to joining the ODCP, Rachel served as Director of Development for Recovery Point West Virginia. She also led the development and initial operations of Recovery Point Charleston as Program Director. Recovery Point Charleston is a 100-bed residential recovery program for women, established in 2016 as the first of its kind in West Virginia. During her time as Program Director, she assisted in the creation of the Recovery Point Charleston Apartments, a 24-unit apartment building that provides safe and affordable housing for individuals with substance use disorder. Her past experience also includes serving as Support Team Leader at Harmony House, housing individuals who were chronically homeless while providing case management and wraparound care. Rachel holds a Bachelor and a Master of Arts degree from West Virginia University. Her educational background is in Elementary Education and allowed her to devote several years as a Kindergarten teacher in Kanawha County, WV.