Shining a light on mental health, addiction, recovery and homelessness.
Dave is asking you to Human Up.
Being a good human starts with YOU.
Human Up is about caring about our neighbors. It’s about engaging in our community. It’s about voting and volunteering. It’s about working together to solve homelessness, treat addictive behaviors and provide accessible mental healthcare in our communities.
We all play a role in the system. We can all help. We can all get involved.
David Marlon, PsyD, MBA, LADC-S, CPC-I,
CEO, Recovery Advocate, Social Activist
Dave Marlon is an interventionist, social entrepreneur and addictionologist. He co-founded and serves as CEO of Vegas Stronger, a nonprofit that is working to end homelessness by addressing key issues such as substance abuse, mental illness, and health issues. Before that, he founded and built one of the most successful addiction recovery centers in the country in the heart of Southern Nevada. After successfully addressing his own struggles with substance abuse, Dave realized that he was uniquely suited to help others confront addiction.
Dave is a 30-year Las Vegas resident and has been consistently recognized by his peers as a leader in his field. He is the President of the Southern Nevada Association of Addiction Professionals (SNAAP) and received the 2018 National Advocacy Award from NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. Locally, he has been recognized as a graduate of the Leadership Las Vegas program, with the Mayor’s Commendation, and received the Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada’s Vanguard Award. He served on the Governor’s Substance Abuse Working Group, and his work in the recovery sector earned him the Inspired Excellence Award from Las Vegas HEALS.
Dave founded The CARE Coalition and The Solutions Foundation, both of which combat substance abuse in Southern Nevada and help raise awareness about addictive behavior and its consequences. Dave serves on the HELP of Southern Nevada and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission boards. He also helped establish Mission High School, the nation's first public recovery high school. Dave was featured in the most recent season of A&E’s Emmy award-winning show Intervention.
Dave has more than 30 years of healthcare experience. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the State University of New York and holds a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Counseling from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His proudest accomplishment is being a father to two sons and a husband to Carolina Marlon, a Marine Corps Veteran. Together they enjoy traveling, participating in competitive races, jogging, and spending time with their dogs.
Read more about Dave on Wikipedia.
Dave’s Beliefs:
Self care - To thine own self be true
Work - Being self supporting
Fitness - Just like brushing your teeth, train every day
Healthy eating - You get out what you put in.
Service to others - It’s why we are here
Avoid victim mentality - We all have abilities, shortcomings, and trauma that we can leverage into strengths
Alcohol and illicit drugs only hurt us - Consider abstinence and relish recovery
Meditation - Increase presence and peace of mind
Education - It’s our duty and our right
Imagine our streets without addiction. Vegas Stronger™ is a non-profit delivering compassionate behavioral healthcare to the most underserved community in the Las Vegas valley.
