Baton Rouge Recovery Advocate Takes Grassroots Work to D.C.

Samuel Webber remembers the years of escalating drug use that almost cost him everything, and the Baton Rouge recovery centers that eventually gave him a foothold. He credits local advocate Tonja Myles with helping him turn his life around.

“They gave me a lot of hope,” Weber said. “They respected me just like I was somebody who never used drugs.”

From Baton Rouge Grassroots to Washington D.C. Policy

After 20 years of grassroots work in Louisiana, Myles has taken that grassroots experience to the federal level. Today, she holds the position of director of the Office of Recovery at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, based in Washington, D.C.

This nationwide appointment arrives alongside data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighting a persistent decrease in American overdose fatalities, which fell from 106,881 in 2023 down to 70,646 in 2025, before hitting 65,351 by May.

While overdose numbers continue to drop across the country, Myles argues that the progress is only a starting point for further action.

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“I want to put recovery on the forefront to let people know that recovery is real,” Myles said. “The data shows that when we started doing that work, the numbers are now down. And we’re still not satisfied.”

A Personal Stake in the 70805 and 70802 ZIP Codes

Her mission is deeply rooted in her own life, having spent 39 years in recovery after overcoming her own battles with mental health issues and substance addiction, growing up across the 70805 and 70802 ZIP codes of Baton Rouge.

That personal background drives her current federal outreach.

“The fact that I’m doing this work is to let anybody know: if I can do it, you can do it,” Myles said.