Destination Change

Barbara Aday-Garcia is an accomplished CEO with over 39 years of extensive experience in the field of alcohol and drug use recovery services. Her career is distinguished by her leadership in program development, implementation, and management, particularly within the alcohol and drug treatment sectors. Barbara's deep understanding of California's DUI System and addiction treatment regulations has positioned her as a pivotal figure in shaping recovery services and policies. Currently serving as the CEO of AG Management Consulting LLC, Barbara oversees a wide range of services aimed at enhancing organizational efficiency, standardization, and fiscal stability. Her work includes managing the California Association of DUI Treatment Programs, where she has been instrumental in the executive and administrative management of the association's operations, including counselor certification and continuing education.

In this episode, Chris Wolfington and Pete Nielsen have an off-the-cuff conversation about patient financial responsibility and how it affects the industry. Chris Wolfington is the founder and chief revenue & strategy officer of FinPay. He has more than 31 years of experience in technology, healthcare, payments, consumer, and financial services companies. Chris is determined to utilize his talents to positively impact these industries. With a keen sense of leadership, he has used his passion, energy, and capital to lead numerous businesses in the areas of payments and financial services, including three public companies. Our other guest is Pete Nielsen, who long-time listeners may remember from episode 2 of the podcast. Pete Nielsen is the President and Chief Executive Officer for the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) [https://www.ccapp.us/], CCAPP Credentialing, CCAPP Education Institute and the National Behavioral Health Association of Providers (NBHAP), and the Publisher of Counselor Magazine. He has worked in the substance use disorders field for 20 years. In addition to association management, he brings to the table experience as an interventionist, family recovery specialist, counselor, administrator, and educator, with positions including campus director, academic dean, and instructor.

Pattie's life is a testament to the profound strength of the human spirit and the ability to find purpose amid overwhelming pain. After facing the heart-wrenching challenges of having two of her three children struggle with substance use disorder, Pattie's world was further shaken when her son, Joel, lost his decades-long battle with the disease in 2017. In the wake of this profound loss, Pattie became determined to better understand the family experience of addiction. She has since used her own lived experience to support and guide others who are navigating the isolating and stigmatizing road of addiction and loss. As a Compassionate Bereavement Care™ Certified Provider and Kessler Certified Grief Educator, Pattie works with individuals, families, and communities impacted by loss. She is a Peer Parent Coach with the Partnership to End Addiction, and co-facilitates their online grief support community, and is the host of Finding Hope After Loss, Grief Support groups for The Happier Life Project. She is also an Advisor and facilitator with the Hopestream Community, certified in the CRAFT and Invitation to Change models. As an advocate for recovery policies, she is a California State Organizer with the Recovery Advocacy Project, serves on the RCO/RCC Advisory Committee, and was named the 2022 Architect of Recovery by CCAPP (CA Consortium of Addiction Professionals.) Her book, Secrets, Scars and Heart Shaped Jars, shares her family's journey through addiction, loss and recovery.

Mary Beth O'Connor has been sober from her methamphetamine use disorder since 1994. She also is in recovery from abuse, trauma, and anxiety. She wrote about her story in her award-winning memoir From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction. Mary Beth is a director for She Recovers Foundation and for LifeRing Secular Recovery. She also is on the Advisory Council for The Hyer Calling Foundation. She regularly speaks on behalf of these organizations and about multiple paths to recovery. This includes television, radio, conferences, podcasts, and recovery houses. She develops relationships with other organizations, such as Women for Sobriety and trains attorneys, judges, and medical professionals. Mary Beth regularly writes opinion pieces which have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Recovery Today, and other publications. Her memoir writings have been published in Memoir Magazine, Awakenings, and Ravens Perch among others. Professionally, six years into her recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm, then litigated class actions for the federal government. In 2014 she was appointed a federal Administrative Law Judge from which position she retired early in 2020.

Dr. Best is Professor and Director of the Centre for Addiction Recovery Research (CARR) at Leeds Trinity University, Honorary Professor of Regulation and Global Governance at The Australian National University, Adjunct Associate Professor of Addiction Science at Monash University (Melbourne) and Affiliate Senior Scientist at the Public Health Institute in California. He is also a founding member of the College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations in the UK and of the Inclusive Recovery Cities movement where he is chair of Inclusive Recovery Cities UK. Trained as a psychologist and criminologist, he has worked in practice, research and policy in the areas of addiction recovery and rehabilitation of offenders. He has authored or co-edited seven books on addiction recovery and desistance from offending and has written more than 240 peer-reviewed journal publications and around 70 book chapters and technical reports. As of December 2024, he has an h-index of 44 and a total of 7005 citations of his academic work. He is one of the leading academics in the area of addiction recovery and a key innovator in developing recovery capital measurement tools and methods.

Gina Thorne brings three decades of expertise in behavioral health, specializing in business development and marketing. Her extensive background spans private and public sectors, working with in-patient treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, and educational institutions across several states, including Florida, New York, and Colorado. Gina has been instrumental in leading marketing, alumni relations, and admissions efforts for prominent treatment programs on both coasts. Her achievements include co-founding the Colorado Professional Liaison Association (CO-PLA) and serving in key roles like Board Co-Chair for Treatment Professionals in Alumni Services (TPAS). With a deep understanding of mental health and substance use disorder treatment, Gina excels at collaborating with revenue-generating departments to drive sustainable census growth. In 2021, she launched GTC Consulting, focusing on overcoming barriers to growth and enhancing organizational visibility within the behavioral health landscape.

Nick Jaworski is an internationally recognized executive in the field of behavioral health marketing and operational consulting with experience building organizations across four continents. As the owner of Circle Social Inc., he has helped healthcare organizations ranging in revenue from $10 million to $300 million a year perform turn-rounds and accelerate growth. He is a recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Award for his work in mental health, is an adviser to the board for the National Behavioral Health Association of Providers, and is also on the board for one of the most innovative treatment programs in the country – Above and Beyond Recovery in Chicago. When he's not online, he can be found spending time with his favorite person in the whole world, his daughter.

A native of New Jersey, who now lives in Oklahoma, Mark Attanasi has been in recovery for 25 years. He is currently the CEO of IC&RC which provides peer credentialing exams. He brings a wealth of knowledge, and formerly served as the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Drug & Alcohol Professional Counselor Association since 2010. Moreover, Attanasi has over 21 years of non-profit leadership experience, and has been in the behavioral health field since 1999.

Drew LaBoon serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Pathways Recovery Centers, where he combines leadership, operational excellence, and a passion for innovation to advance substance abuse treatment. In addition to his role at Pathways, Drew is the Co-Founder and President of the Board of Pathways to Innovation, a nonprofit organization focused on transforming the mental health and substance abuse treatment industry. Drew is a retired Special Operator who served in multiple high-stress combat deployments. His military career instilled in him resilience, leadership, and a solutions-oriented mindset, all of which he applies to his work in healthcare. A passionate advocate for recovery, Drew draws from his own journey of overcoming substance abuse to inspire others. Through his work, Drew is driving meaningful change in the lives of those impacted by substance abuse, setting a new standard for care in the industry.

Tim Cesario has worked in the field of substance use counseling since 1990 as a counselor, clinical supervisor, team leader and program director. He currently serves as the Director of Recovery Services for Cumberland River Behavioral Health, Inc. During his time as director, Tim developed programs to meet the needs of people with substance use disorder in underserved areas of southeastern Kentucky. In 2012, he founded TJC Consulting, LLC, and provides consultation to organizations seeking to develop treatment programs, assist with grant writing and provides trainings throughout Kentucky and several other states. Tim is the former Chair of IC&RC's Board of Directors, a position he held from May of 2021 until October of 2023. Tim was a member of the Kentucky Board of Alcohol and Drug Counselors from August 2014 to January of 2024 and served as board chair from November of 2018 until leaving the board. He currently serves as chair of the Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy, a role he has held since August of 2020.

Dr. Louise Stanger LCSW, CDWF, CIP, CILC is a preeminent interventionist, family clinician /coach and thought leader in the behavioral health (mental health and addition) industry. She serves as Director of Family Services for YPM, a global initiative to help mitigate risk. She also serves as a clinician Interventionist for The Balance - Mallorca, Zurich London. Dr. Louise has received many distinguished awards for her work. She is a prolific writer with over 500 blog posts and magazine and newspaper articles, and the author of four books. She continues to do her own original work looking at families, trauma and how one can help others matter in a world full chaos.

Julie Seitz is a Project Director with the Impaired Driving Solutions (IDS), All Rise (formerly NADCP) division, providing training and technical assistance to the treatment court field. Julie joined IDS in 2018, bringing 20 years of experience working in the clinical sector and community program development. Before joining IDS, Julie was the clinical director of an internationally recognized treatment center offering the entire continuum of clinical care, including a first-of-its-kind direct access opioid withdrawal unit, where she was the project lead. As a published author and clinician, she has spent the last 20 years of her career giving clients a voice. Her work with clients has focused feedback informed, research, and outcome-driven practice. Julie has trained at the local, national, and international levels.

In 2010, Jordan's personal recovery and desire to help others pushed him away from corporate B2B sales and towards behavioral healthcare. He began his career in an admissions role at the corporate headquarters of one of the industry's most respected companies. In that role, he worked with over 4,000 patients and their families to coordinate treatment with hundreds of treatment centers around the country and facilitate intervention services. In 2018, his aspirations to make a more significant impact on behavioral healthcare led to the creation of Jordan and Associates Consulting, whose purpose is to leverage the experience, education, and thousands of connections made in the industry to help treatment centers overcome obstacles blocking their path to success. He is an avid sports fan, and the only job that could pull him away from behavioral healthcare is when the Tennessee Titans call to name him their head coach.

Dr. B J Davis (he/him) is the Executive Director of Sacramento Recovery House residential treatment programs and the owner of Davis Consulting. Additionally, Dr. Davis is an Adjunct Professor in the Forensic and Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Alliant International University, is a consultant to the Sacramento AIDS Housing Alliance, and is the past vice chair of the CAADAC Counselor Certification Board. Dr. Davis is the author of the 2009 DVD What is Recovery?: A Quality-of-Life Perspective, and is considered an excellent motivational speaker and is an often sought out lecturer, presenter, and keynote speaker regarding addictions treatment, criminal justice reform, and addressing issues related to diversity. Dr. Davis has significant experience testifying as an expert witness on substance abuse in criminal cases and is a strong advocate for challenging some of the long-held myths about what works in substance abuse and offender reentry programs. Dr. Davis has been committed to teaching students and clinical staff both the science and art of counseling for over 20 years. Recently, Dr. Davis has facilitated several workshops related to the psychology of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and its impact on providing recovery related services for African-American clients.

Dr. Jason Roop is the founder and CEO of the Center for Trait-Based Transformation and serves as the Vice President of Research and Development for Hometown Health System. Having experienced 17 years of active addiction, which led to homelessness, Jason entered treatment in 2013 and has been in recovery ever since. An author of several publications on the leadership traits of individuals with substance use disorder, Jason is a frequent speaker at national addiction treatment conferences and is a member of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. Jason's research emphasizes the inherent strengths and qualities of individuals with substance use disorders. His innovative work has redefined the perception of addiction by highlighting how personality and character traits can be harnessed for positive outcomes. He advocates for accessible treatment options for all, comprehensive aftercare support, and the adoption of person-centered, evidence-based practices in behavioral healthcare.

Jeffrey Quamme is the Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Certification Board, a workforce development agency focused on the SUD prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction industry. He is an internationally certified Master's level addiction counselor and clinical supervisor, and holds credentials as a Certified Nonprofit Executive and Certified Nonprofit Consultant. He is an expert trainer as well as a podcaster and author.

Ryan Hampton is a nationally recognized activist and organizer. He's a person in recovery from addiction and the author of Unsettled and American Fix. A prominent speaker, author, media commentator and panel participant, Ryan travels coast-to-coast to add solutions to our current addiction epidemic. A former White House staffer, he has worked with multiple non-profits and national recovery advocacy campaigns. This includes Mobilize Recovery.

As an educator, organizational consultant, and psychotherapist, Lee Dalphonse has consistently been recognized as a tireless advocate for the underserved, with his advocacy targeting issues of access, quality, and effectiveness of mental health and addiction-related services. Recognized locally and nationally as an agent of change, Lee has consistently been at the forefront of emerging best practices, and an early adopter of numerous innovations in care delivery that are now considered the gold standard of care. Lee holds dual state licensure as a Mental Health Counselor, and as a Chemical Dependency Clinical Supervisor, and he is Board Certified nationally in mental health counseling, and Board Certified internationally in alcohol and other drug counseling. Lee's work experience includes nearly fourteen years as an Adjunct Instructor in the Graduate Counseling program at Rhode Island College. Throughout his career, Lee has also provided training and organizational consultation services to a variety of audiences, governmental entities, and human service organizations throughout the United States and Canada. Lee's leadership in the behavioral health world has been recognized via several awards, and was recently the Vice-Chair of the IC&RC Board of Directors.

Jen Carvalho is a proven leader in the behavioral health industry -- adeptly leading in times of crisis and calm. As a facility and system CEO for much of her career, she has developed a leadership style that supports professional and system development, transparency, and global thinking. To that end, Jen has served on the boards of CCAPP, NBHAP, and NAATP. Currently the President/COO of Your Behavioral Health, Jen is focused on providing dynamic leadership to multi-disciplinary teams with converging goals. Despite a significant focus on the work of providing access to care, Jen is grounded by her family and a long practice of adventure running.

Andrew Kessler, JD, is founder and principal of Slingshot Solutions LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in behavioral health policy. His clients, past and present, include IC&RC, CCAPP, and NBHAP. With 20 years of policy experience and over a decade in behavioral health, Andrew is a fixture in circles that advocate for substance abuse treatment, prevention, and research. He collaborates frequently with congressional offices, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, NIDA, SAMHSA, and other federal actors. Andrew has written legislation and report language adopted by both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, and has presented orally before such bodies as the Scientific Management Review Board, the National Conference on Addictive Disorders, and the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.