In addition to the above, River City Recovery is supported by a team of licensed professionals who guide the clinical and medical direction of the program. These leaders ensure that all care is rooted in evidence-based practice, aligned with current best standards, and delivered in a way that’s both effective and human.
Guides incoming clients through the intake process and ensures smooth transitions through each phase of care.
Each member of our leadership team shares a common belief: that the work we do is personal. It’s sacred. And it requires both compassion and competence.
We are not here to impress. We’re here to serve. The leaders at River City Recovery believe in rolling up their sleeves, staying close to the work, and never losing sight of the mission: to help people get well, and stay well, in the context of a program that honors both the science and the soul of recovery.
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Wesley Culpepper knows firsthand what it means to hit rock bottom—and what it takes to rise again. A proud native of Columbus, Georgia, Wesley spent much of his twenties caught in the grip of addiction, cycling through treatment and relapse. In 2017, at the age of thirty, he reached a turning point. Through desperation came clarity—and with the help of a few mentors who believed in him, Wesley found long-term recovery and purpose.
That purpose quickly became clear: helping others find the same freedom he had fought so hard to achieve. Wesley began working in the behavioral health field in 2018 and has since held key roles in operations, admissions, and most recently, business development for a nationally respected treatment program in Asheville, North Carolina.
But his heart never left Columbus.
For years, Wesley has dreamed of bringing a high-quality, compassionate treatment center to his hometown – a place where people struggling with addiction can find real hope and healing. Today, that vision is a reality.
Wesley believes that effective treatment must be honest, personal, and deeply compassionate. He is hands-on in every aspect of the facility’s daily operations—from program development and staffing to mentoring both clients and team members. His leadership style is relational, grounded, and transparent. Wesley meets people where they are and walks alongside them—not above them—because he knows that lasting change happens through connection, not control.
Outside of his work at River City Recovery Wesley is an avid marathon runner, music enthusiast, college football fan, loving husband, and a proud father of two boys.
Co-Founder, Director of Operations
Philip Land isn’t just a co-founder of River City Recovery—he’s the operational heartbeat behind its mission.
Like his partner Wesley, Philip’s journey through addiction and into recovery was hard-won. He knows firsthand the darkness of active addiction and the hard-fought peace that comes with long-term sobriety. Philip began experimenting with substances as a young adult, which eventually led him through multiple treatment centers across Georgia. In 2014, everything changed—he found lasting sobriety and began a personal transformation that would shape the rest of his life.
Through his own recovery, Philip discovered a passion for helping others navigate the same path. That calling led him to pursue a career in the behavioral health field, where he’s held a range of roles across several respected treatment centers. His work is grounded in empathy, shaped by personal experience, and driven by a desire to make a real difference in people’s lives.
Since the early days of his recovery, Philip has carried a vision close to his heart: to create a treatment center in his hometown of Columbus, Georgia—a place where individuals battling addiction could find real healing, lasting support, and genuine connection. River City Recovery is the realization of that dream.
Philip’s true strength lies in building the systems that support people. He oversees the facility’s infrastructure, logistics, and operations—ensuring that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes so the clinical team can focus on care. His attention to detail, calm presence, and steady leadership bring structure, reliability, and heart to the organization.
But Philip is far more than just an operator. He’s a leader who leads by example. Known for his quiet consistency and hands-on approach, Philip is just as likely to be solving a facilities issue as he is sitting down with a client in need. Staff and clients alike recognize him as a grounding force—someone who shows up, listens deeply, and always puts in the work.
Clinical Director
At River City Recovery, Clinical Director Christi Gregory, LCSW, embodies the belief that recovery is not just possible — it’s transformative. A proud graduate of Troy University, Christi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 2019 and her Master’s degree in 2020, channeling her life experience into a career dedicated to helping others rebuild theirs.
Before entering long-term recovery, Christi struggled with drug addiction for 15 years — a journey marked by loss, broken relationships, and long periods of incarceration. She lost nearly everything that once gave her life meaning: her family connections, her two little boys, and her sense of self-worth. But through grace, perseverance, and the unwavering support of her family and others in recovery, Christi began the slow, steady process of rebuilding her life from the ground up.
Through long-term recovery, she was able to regain her self-respect and reunify with her family and children after many years apart — a powerful testament to the healing that becomes possible when hope is restored.
Since entering the field, Christi has served in multiple roles across the Columbus area — including counselor, intake coordinator, and clinical coordinator — gaining experience in agencies that serve people from every walk of life. She has worked with individuals experiencing homelessness, those reentering society after incarceration, students, veterans, women, men, and families. Christi believes wholeheartedly that addiction does not discriminate — it affects everyone, and so must compassion, understanding, and access to care.
Today, Christi is still recovering. She is a daughter, a sister to four brothers, a devoted mom and stepmom, and a loving wife. Because of recovery, she has learned how to be reliable, loyal, and accountable — and, perhaps most importantly, how to be a friend not only to others but also to herself.
In her role at River City Recovery, Christi brings compassion, authenticity, and evidence-based care together to create a program culture rooted in dignity, accountability, and hope. Her message to every person walking the path of recovery is simple but powerful: “If I can do it, so can you.”
Medical Director
Dr. Brady Schroer is an experienced psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist who brings more than two decades of clinical leadership to River City Recovery. He earned his Bachelor of Science in biopsychology with an emphasis in chemistry before attending Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences for medical school. He completed his general psychiatry residency at an internationally recognized psychiatric clinic.
Dr. Schroer’s early career included five years as a psychiatric hospitalist in a large hospital system, where he treated geriatric patients, managed psychiatric conditions on medical and ICU floors, provided detoxification from alcohol and benzodiazepines, delivered ECT treatments for depression, and served as both Medical Director and Chief of Psychiatry.
In 2007, he moved to Western North Carolina to become the Medical Director of the inpatient psychiatric and detoxification units at one of the region’s leading hospitals, a role he held for seven years. In recent years, Dr. Schroer has worked with adolescents and adults ages 15 and older across sober living environments, residential treatment centers, and outpatient programs.
Dr. Schroer is double board certified in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. His clinical approach is grounded in compassion, patient education, and an understanding of addiction’s impact on both individuals and families. He believes that helping clients understand the emotional roots of their illness is key to long-term recovery and healthier coping skills.
Outside of clinical work, Dr. Schroer enjoys car racing, golf, photography, family time, and spending time outdoors.
