# Cooper Zelnick

> Cooper Zelnick is the New York-based CEO of Groups Recover Together and the founder of Cloister Watch Company. After studying history and English at Williams College and working as an investor at RRE Ventures, he joined Groups in 2017 and moved through chief of staff, strategy, revenue, and president roles before becoming CEO in 2025. His parallel work restoring and reimagining vintage watches offers a revealing counterpoint to his operating career: both are built around patient systems work, measured outcomes, and a willingness to revise inherited designs.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Groups Recover Together
- **Organizations:** Groups Recover Together, Cloister Watch Company, RRE Ventures
- **Education:** BA in History and English, magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa, Williams College
- **Known for:** Advanced through multiple operating and commercial leadership roles at Groups Recover Together before becoming CEO in 2025., Helped build the value-based contracting strategy of a company that now reports more than 120 locations across more than a dozen states., Led Groups Recover Together through its first acquisition in 2026; the Better Life Partners deal doubled weekly membership in New England from about 3,000 to more than 6,000.

## Career timeline

- **2009** — A custom restoration project became the origin of Cloister Watch Company, his New York vintage-watch design studio.
- **2014** — Elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Williams College while studying history and English.
- **2015** — Graduated from Williams College magna cum laude and later worked as an investor at RRE Ventures, focusing on financial technology and healthcare.
- **2017** — Joined Groups Recover Together as chief of staff.
- **2018** — Moved into an executive director role at Groups and was named among the 2018 NextGen Under 30 winners in healthcare.
- **2020** — Became senior vice president of corporate development and strategy at Groups.
- **2021** — Served as chief strategy officer and then chief revenue officer as Groups raised a $60 million Series C.
- **2022** — Featured in Hodinkee's Talking Watches series for his work founding and designing for Cloister Watch Company.
- **2024** — Promoted from chief revenue officer to president of Groups Recover Together.
- **2025** — Appointed chief executive officer of Groups Recover Together.
- **2026** — Led Groups through its first acquisition, Better Life Partners, and signaled plans for further strategic consolidation.

## Achievements

- Advanced through multiple operating and commercial leadership roles at Groups Recover Together before becoming CEO in 2025.
- Helped build the value-based contracting strategy of a company that now reports more than 120 locations across more than a dozen states.
- Led Groups Recover Together through its first acquisition in 2026; the Better Life Partners deal doubled weekly membership in New England from about 3,000 to more than 6,000.
- Founded Cloister Watch Company, a New York studio that restores and reimagines vintage watches.
- Graduated magna cum laude from Williams College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
- Named a 2018 NextGen Under 30 healthcare winner and included in Behavioral Health Business's 2026 executives-to-watch list.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Behavioral Health Business included Zelnick in its list of eight substance-use-disorder and addiction-treatment executives to watch, one year after he became CEO.
- **2026-07** — Discussed Groups Recover Together's acquisition of Better Life Partners, the company's first acquisition, and said the organization aims to remain active in industry consolidation.
- **2026-07** — Publicly recruited a head of corporate development and integrations to build an M&A pipeline and oversee post-close integrations.
- **2026-02** — Groups released its 2026 annual outcomes report while Zelnick was CEO.
- **2025-09** — Became chief executive officer of Groups Recover Together after serving as president.

## Links

- Website: https://www.joingroups.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-zelnick-30124254

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/cooper-zelnick
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28