Melissa H Owen, M Ed
Chief Executive Officer,
Davis Dire3ction Foundation, Inc.
Missy Owen is Co-Founder and CEO of the Davis Direction Foundation, Inc. a non-profit organization that was formed to “Fight Addiction & Fuel Recovery.” The foundation focuses on five priority areas: prevention, education, advocacy, harm reduction and recovery. She and her husband, Michael, established the foundation after the fatal overdose death of their first-born son, Davis Henry Owen, who died March 4, 2014. Missy graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Master of Education degree and later re-certified as a Professional School Counselor. She retired from the teaching profession in 2014 with 33 years of service – 7 years as a classroom teacher, and 26 years as a Counselor.
Missy tirelessly leads the Davis Direction Foundation, Inc. and quickly identified the severe gaps in accessible resources which led to the opening of THE ZONE, Cobb County’s first and only Recovery Support Organization that provides people in recovery from substance use disorder, the resources and support they need to remain strong in their recovery.
Missy is a former Board member of Cobb Community Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse and currently serves on their advisory council. She is also a current member of the Emory Drug Safety Task Force, the Georgia Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Initiative Coalition and the North Georgia Heroin Working Group. She has been recognized as a Positive American and received a Community Impact Award from the WellStar Behavioral Health Team. Missy is a 2016 graduate of the Lead Institute, which equips and empowers nonprofit leaders to transform the lives of those in need. In December 2017, Missy was named by Cobb Chamber of Commerce as a Health Hero, and also earned the Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Award as Professional of the Year, by the Cobb Collaborative. In 2018, Missy was named Woman of the Year by liveSAFE Resources and Woman of the Year and Honorary Member of the American Association of University Women. In 2018 Missy was selected to participate in the 2019 Leadership Cobb Class where she received the “Lean In Reach Out” award. She received the Unsung Hero award from Caron Treatment Centers in early 2019. She is trained in media presentation as a Survivor Advocate through the National Safety Council. Most recently the Davis Direction Foundation was awarded the Liberty Bell award from the Cobb County Bar Association.
Missy speaks often throughout the State of Georgia as well as Nationally, as a Recovery Ally and as an advocate promoting awareness regarding the National Opioid Epidemic. She has trained countless law enforcement agencies, nurses associations and parents of high-risk opioid users to properly administer Naloxone in an emergency overdose situation. She has also testified on the floor of the State Senate in support of SB 81 regarding the prescription drug-monitoring program. She speaks for school assemblies, civic organizations, hospitals service teams, law enforcement agencies, universities, and numerous conferences.
Missy and her husband Michael are the parents of 5 children ages 25 - 34. They have lived in Cobb County, GA since 1986.
Chief Executive Officer,
Davis Dire3ction Foundation, Inc.
Missy Owen is Co-Founder and CEO of the Davis Direction Foundation, Inc. a non-profit organization that was formed to “Fight Addiction & Fuel Recovery.” The foundation focuses on five priority areas: prevention, education, advocacy, harm reduction and recovery. She and her husband, Michael, established the foundation after the fatal overdose death of their first-born son, Davis Henry Owen, who died March 4, 2014. Missy graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Master of Education degree and later re-certified as a Professional School Counselor. She retired from the teaching profession in 2014 with 33 years of service – 7 years as a classroom teacher, and 26 years as a Counselor.
Missy tirelessly leads the Davis Direction Foundation, Inc. and quickly identified the severe gaps in accessible resources which led to the opening of THE ZONE, Cobb County’s first and only Recovery Support Organization that provides people in recovery from substance use disorder, the resources and support they need to remain strong in their recovery.
Missy is a former Board member of Cobb Community Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse and currently serves on their advisory council. She is also a current member of the Emory Drug Safety Task Force, the Georgia Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Initiative Coalition and the North Georgia Heroin Working Group. She has been recognized as a Positive American and received a Community Impact Award from the WellStar Behavioral Health Team. Missy is a 2016 graduate of the Lead Institute, which equips and empowers nonprofit leaders to transform the lives of those in need. In December 2017, Missy was named by Cobb Chamber of Commerce as a Health Hero, and also earned the Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Award as Professional of the Year, by the Cobb Collaborative. In 2018, Missy was named Woman of the Year by liveSAFE Resources and Woman of the Year and Honorary Member of the American Association of University Women. In 2018 Missy was selected to participate in the 2019 Leadership Cobb Class where she received the “Lean In Reach Out” award. She received the Unsung Hero award from Caron Treatment Centers in early 2019. She is trained in media presentation as a Survivor Advocate through the National Safety Council. Most recently the Davis Direction Foundation was awarded the Liberty Bell award from the Cobb County Bar Association.
Missy speaks often throughout the State of Georgia as well as Nationally, as a Recovery Ally and as an advocate promoting awareness regarding the National Opioid Epidemic. She has trained countless law enforcement agencies, nurses associations and parents of high-risk opioid users to properly administer Naloxone in an emergency overdose situation. She has also testified on the floor of the State Senate in support of SB 81 regarding the prescription drug-monitoring program. She speaks for school assemblies, civic organizations, hospitals service teams, law enforcement agencies, universities, and numerous conferences.
Missy and her husband Michael are the parents of 5 children ages 25 - 34. They have lived in Cobb County, GA since 1986.
