Thompson Heller is a person in long-term recovery since age 19. She attended the StepUP Program at Augsburg College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Metro Urban Studies. She earned a Masters in Educational Leadership, higher education and student affairs in 2011 and a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2013 from the University of Connecticut (UConn). Thompson Heller is currently working toward her Doctorate in Human Development and Family Studies at UConn – focusing on adolescent risk and resiliency and youth recovery.

Thompson Heller has worked to support youth recovery for many years. In addition to serving various youth recovery organizations, she helped develop and implement the UConn Recovery Community (URC), a collegiate recovery program, at the University of Connecticut.