Edward L Payne (“Monte” to friends and family) was born in Los Angeles, California. Monte entered the Air Force immediately after high school graduation – where his experience with substance use began. After being discharged from the military, Monte’s substance use intensified and extended from alcohol to other substances including crack cocaine.

Monte suffered through years of addiction on the streets of Los Angeles. When he finally decided to make a try for a new life, Monte came to Arkansas …. in the trunk of a car to escape murderous drug dealers looking for revenge! He tried, but his new life was not to be. Within a few years, Monte was back in the iron grip of crack cocaine. He was once more on the streets, in Arkansas this time.

In 2004, Monte entered Hoover Treatment Center and began a new life in earnest this time. Monte’s recovery journey saw him reunited with his 12-year-old son through the court system and begin working at the treatment center full-time. In 2018, Monte began working as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist, supervisor, and trainer. He was an integral part in the development of peer support in Arkansas and has trained more peer support specialists than any other trainer. In 2019, Monte was recognized as Trainer of the Year, and in 2023, he was recognized with the Kirk Lane Peer Champion of the Year Award. He has trained thousands of people to use Naloxone to save lives during opioid overdoses, and he is a member of the Arkansas Community Health Workers’ Certification Committee, the Arkansas Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council, the Arkansas Peer Advisory Committee, and the Arkansas Peers Achieving Recovery Together Coalition.

Monte currently serves as a Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor – the highest level of peer certification in Arkansas – and is the Programs Manager of the Wolfe Street Foundation, Arkansas’s oldest and largest nonprofit focused on recovery from substance use disorders.