Bea Blackmon was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. She graduated from John Jay High School in 1993 and a year later joined the United States Navy. There she served as a Hospital Corpsman and was stationed in various places overseas; Italy, Greece, Germany, and Spain as well as the States. Bea has been in long-term recovery from drugs and alcohol since August 30, 2011. Recovery has not only given her a new lease on life but a beautiful relationship with God. She is an active member of a 12-step fellowship that she is devoutly in service with. Since she has been in recovery, all sorts of remarkable things have transpired in her life. December 9, 2017 she graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University with dual degrees in Sociology and Social Work. She has received her Masters in Social work as well from Our Lady of the Lake University. Bea is currently serving as a board member for the National Association of Recovery Schools. God has blessed her with a wonderful wife Liz and two beautiful children Ocean and Damu. God, recovery and her family are the three most important elements in her life today. As Rise Inspire Academy (RIA) (San Pedro) Administrator, she believes in advocacy, self-determination and continuous empowerment for those she will help. As a person in recovery, Bea believes in showing the newcomer that there is a way to live a life free from the misery and pain of substance use disorder.

P.S. Bea says music is the key to our soul and says that in her former life she probably was a musical performer, because she loves to sing, even though she sounds as if she was howling at the moon!