Founder/Executive/Life Long Learner
Dylan was born in San Diego, CA, where he spent the majority of his first 30 years; moving to the Northeastern Pennsylvania region in 2018. A person in long-term recovery, and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Dylan understands the importance of social connectedness and community.
Initially getting sober in 2011, Dylan had difficulty finding work and took a volunteer position at Being Alive San Diego where he helped those affected by HIV/AIDS gain access to life-sustaining medications and other community support services as a Peer Advocate.
Through this experience, the fire to help others was ignited and Dylan was encouraged by his family and friends to go back to school. In 2013, Dylan obtained his GED; it took another 2 years for him to build up the courage to register for classes. In 2015 with the support of his peers in 12-step recovery programs, he started his journey in higher education at Grossmont and Cuyamaca Community Colleges in San Diego, where he eventually made the Dean’s List every semester before graduating in May of 2018 with two Associate’s Degrees, one in Social Work and the other in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Dylan applied to, and was accepted, to Penn State Wilkes-Barre, after following his now-husband back to his home in Pennsylvania. In 2020, Dylan graduated from Penn State with his Bachelor’s Degree in Rehabilitation and Human Services, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and earning the Luzerne County Council on Adult Higher Education’s Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year Award. Dylan is in his final year of graduate school at Marywood University’s School of Social Work and expected to graduate in May of 2024.
Since arriving in Pennsylvania, Dylan has worked in a variety of positions in the drug and alcohol treatment industry, in both clinical and operational capacities, and currently serves as the Director of Business Development for Gemini Recovery Centers in Scranton.
Dylan has a passion for helping others and giving back to his community. He also understands that LGBTQIA+ individuals experience substance use and other mental health conditions at disproportionately higher rates than the general public, this is why he founded the NEPA Pride Coalition in July of 2022. Dylan looks forward to using his role with the Coalition to advocate for this community through education, awareness, and facilitating access to affirming and supportive services.
Dylan lives in Northeastern Pennsylvania with his husband, Gerard.
Through the art of tattoos, Dylan Fredricey has been able to express and celebrate different aspects of his identity. From rebellious teenage years to his journey in recovery, Dylan's tattoos have become a visual representation of who he is and …