Meet our staff

Sara Barkley is a veteran of the United States Air Force, having served four years of active duty as a Bioenvironmental Engineer. A woman in long-term recovery since November 5, 2013, she has dedicated her professional career to advancing recovery-oriented systems of care. Ms. Barkley began her recovery leadership journey in 2014 as a Recovery Residence Manager at the Women’s Fellowship Living Facilities and quickly advanced into executive roles. In 2015, she was instrumental in launching the Fellowship Recovery Community Organization (FRCO), one of Florida’s first Recovery Community Organizations, serving as Program Director and establishing foundational peer support and community recovery programming. Promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2017, she oversaw men’s and women’s recovery residences serving more than 200 participants, maintained FARR certification and NARR alignment, contributed to statewide Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) housing guidelines, and was instrumental in making FRCO a provider with the Managing Entity, Broward Behavioral Health Coalition (BBHC). In response to the opioid crisis, Ms. Barkley helped establish the Fellowship Recovery Community Respite in 2018, providing short-term safe housing for individuals experiencing a return to use; the program has served over 6,000 participants since inception. In 2019, she led the strategic merger of FRCO and Fellowship Living Facilities into an integrated recovery system. In 2025, she expanded FRCO’s impact by overseeing the SAMHSA Peer Jail Program in partnership with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, delivering peer-led recovery services, reentry support, and overdose prevention education. As Chief Executive Officer, she provides strategic and operational leadership for a staff of 45 and recovery residences serving more than 200 participants, while advancing system-level partnerships, program innovation, and sustainable growth across the recovery continuum. Ms. Barkley is actively engaged in community and systems-level leadership. She serves on the Broward Community Response Team, Broward Community Surveillance Team, Broward Overdose Fatality Review Committee, and the Board of Directors for Floridians for Recovery. She is a long-standing member of the Association of Recovery Community Organizations (ARCO) and served on its Membership Review Committee for five years. A Florida State Certified Recovery Peer Specialist, she volunteers in street outreach and participates in Hospitals & Institutions (H&I) service through Narcotics Anonymous. In recognition of her leadership and impact, she was named Broward County Recovery Champion of the Year in 2022 and FFR Recovery Champion of the Year in 2025.