As the CEO of Addiction Treatment Services, Chris addresses addiction and the impact on lives and the community. Christopher Hindbaugh has worked in the behavioral health field for over 20 years. A native of Michigan, he obtained both his undergraduate and master’s degree in social work from Western Michigan University. He spent the early part of his career working in a variety of hospital-based programs around the Chicago area before returning to Michigan to run a youth crisis and counseling center. He subsequently spent three years as an Officer for a community foundation. In 2009, Hindbaugh moved to Traverse City where he is currently the CEO of Addiction Treatment Services (ATS), bringing with him a wealth of administrative, program development, and business skills to the organization.

Since taking over ATS, the organization has more than doubled in size and is now the region’s largest treatment provider, earning Hindbaugh a spot on the 2010 “40 under 40” list (an honor he sadly no longer qualifies for). In 2012, Hindbaugh was honored with an award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for his organization’s efforts to promote recovery principles in the region. Additionally, the Recovery Month event Hindbaugh organized that year was featured in the award-winning documentary “The Anonymous People.” Thus, Hindbaugh now serves as a National Recovery Month planning partner facilitated by SAMHSA in Washington D.C. In January of 2015, Hindbaugh was invited along with other “leading experts in the field” to be the first-ever Office of National Drug Control Policy Forum: Access, Recovery, and the Affordable Care Act held at the White House. In March of 2016, Hindbaugh accepted another national award on behalf of ATS from the National Council of Behavior Health who bestowed their “Change Maker” award on the organization. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx