Mavis Asiedu-Frimpong is Director of the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs (WRI) at Rutgers University, Camden, where she holds responsibility for vision, values, and strategy, and collaborates with WRI leadership and designates of the Rutgers-Camden campus to operationalize its mission of conducting community-focused research that connects to public policy and practice issues in Southern New Jersey and the State. Before joining WRI, she was Director of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (Penn LDI), where she facilitated and supported the development of impactful academic research partnerships with a variety of external partners, including foundations, health departments, and payers.

In the past, she also served as Director of National Initiatives and Communications – Content Development at the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, where she directed programs, projects, and strategic communications to support the emerging field of complex care, and was Assistant Director of Policy and Planning at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, where she led a variety of health policy and community engagement initiatives on behalf of the city and county. She holds a BA from Brown University, an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a JD from Stanford Law School.

Bre Azanedo (she/her) Afro-Latina, educator, activist and organizer from Paterson. For the last nine years has been dedicated to raising awareness and increasing education around Harm Reduction and HIV.  As a community ambassador for CDC’s Stop HIV Together campaign, Programs Manager for BLM Paterson as well as member of BHRN (Black Harm Reduction Network), she is able to work for social justice, equity, and re-creating systems that are affirming and inclusive of intersecting identities while uplifting the voice of Black folks in her community.  Bre is an alumna of William Paterson University.  

Robert R. Detore has been Chief Executive Officer of Turning Point, Inc. since 2015. Turning Point, Inc. is a nationally accredited and state licensed inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment organization located in Paterson, NJ. He is the founder and CEO of Correctional Health Services, Inc. (CHS) from 1989-2001. CHS was the major provider of healthcare services to seventeen county Juvenile and adult correctional facilities and private correctional facilities in New Jersey from 1989 -2001. CHS was acquired by Prison Health Service, Inc., the largest correctional health services corporation in the US.

He was a former Board member of Community Education Centers, LLC., Mellon Bank FSB, Cathedral Healthcare Services, Inc., East Orange General Hospital, Wynoma M. Lipman Child Advocacy Center, and since 2011, the President of the Board of Trustees of The Robert Treat Academy Charter School, operating on two campuses with 699 students in Newark, New Jersey.  

He is a graduate of the George Washington University and holds master’s degrees from New York University and Seton Hall University. He served twenty years in elective office, most recently as the Mayor of Verona Township.

Solomon Middleton-Williams is the Deputy Director of the Newark Community Street Team (NCST). He has over 15 years of experience in the health and human services and public policy fields and continues to be a strong advocate for equal housing for all. In this capacity, Solomon’s responsibilities include overseeing the development and execution of managing partnerships, programmatic systems, internal and external communications, fundraising and development. Before his appointment as Deputy Director of the Newark Community Street Team, he served as the Regional Resident Services Coordinator with Community Housing Partners, a housing developer specializing in affordable housing to home ownership for low income residents. He recently founded his own company, Grace Solution Services, helping to build organizational capacity, with common sense solutions.  He is also on the Board of Directors of Elite Mentoring Collective in Providence, Rhode Island, a non-profit program built to improve the lives of young men, ages 7-24.

Jenna Mellor (she/her) is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition.  She has over ten years of experience at the intersection of direct service and public policy. She previously served as the first Associate Director at Point Source Youth, aide to Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Outreach Manager at HIPS, and has advised the New Jersey Department of Health on harm reduction best practices.  Jenna holds a BA from Harvard College and completed her Master’s in Public Affairs at Princeton in 2020, focusing on drug and housing policies that promote public health and human dignity. Jenna is a co-founder of NJHRC, and previously served on the boards of New Leaders Council — New Jersey and the New Jersey Abortion Access Fund. Jenna is also a proud product of Atlantic County and lover of the Pine Barrens.

Amesika Nyaku, MD MS is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a physician-scientist.  She provides clinical care for people living with HIV or other infectious diseases and substance use disorders. Her research interests lie at the intersection of HIV and substance use disorders. She focuses on 1) evaluating long-acting therapeutics for HIV and opioid use disorder, 2) the implementation of integrated care models for HIV and substance use disorders to improve health outcomes, and 3) increasing the inclusion and participation of racial/ethnic minorities in clinical trials research.  She is also co-director of the Northern New Jersey Medication-Assisted Treatment Center of Excellence that is tasked with assisting the state in expanding access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder through education, novel service delivery, and community collaboration.

Shirla Simpson joined Burlington County as the Director of Human Services and Mental Health Administrator in 2015.  As the Director of Human Services, Simpson is responsible for providing strategic guidance, administration, management, and leadership of the department and for establishing a vision and direction for the full complement of core mental health and human services programs offered by the County.

Under her collaborative and visionary leadership, the Department of Human Services has provided Burlington County residents with essential services and public assistance programs.  Her accomplishments include the launch of a pilot program to match individuals recovering from substance abuse with sober living homes, the partnership between Human Services and the Sheriff’s Department to run the Hope One Mobile Outreach Program, Hope One for Youth, the launch of the Burlington County Recovery Center, a second Peer Recovery Center, and the establishment of the Burlington County Housing Hub.

Prior to joining Burlington County, Simpson served as a Deputy Executive Director within the N.J. Department of Human Services, served in numerous roles at the Drenk Behavioral Health Center (currently Legacy), including Director of Emergency Mental Health Services, and the Director of the Screening Center. She began the Burlington County Crisis Intervention Training program with the Burlington Township Police Department 12 years ago and continues to provide training in that program.

As a former certified Mental Health Screener of 15 years and current Disaster Response Crisis Counselor, Simpson responded to 9/11 in NYC, Hurricane Sandy, and the recent pandemic.  She also lends her expertise to numerous County boards, including the Homelessness Trust Fund Task Force, the Minority Equal Rights Task Force, and the Regional Opioid Advisory Committee.

Brian Thompson is the Housing Coordinator on the Care Management Initiatives team for the Camden Coalition. He has extensive knowledge of community resources throughout Camden City and is passionate about working in the community with folks who are underserved. Brian passion and dedication to his work expel from his lived experience with Substance Use Disorder and Homelessness.  In his free time, Brian loves spending time with his family/kids and loves sports!

Morgan Thompson, M.S.W., is a person in long term recovery and the CEO of Prevention Links, a Union County-based nonprofit focused on preventing the development of substance use disorder and supporting individuals in their recovery journey across the lifespan. In her capacity as CEO of Prevention Links, Ms. Thompson has spearheaded the development and implementation of a number of innovative programs designed to promote health literacy, wellness, and resiliency for individuals impacted by substance use disorder and their families. Ms. Thompson was instrumental in the launch of the Raymond J. Lesniak Experience Strength and Hope Recovery High School, three recovery community centers, and the New Jersey Coalition for Addiction Recovery Support (NJ-CARS), a statewide recovery community organization. Ms. Thompson is a certified trainer of The LeMire Group’s Harm Reduction: A Recovery Coaching Pathway©, Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR)’s Recovery Coach Academy and has developed a variety of continuing education trainings for social workers, peer recovery specialists, and other professionals, training more than 500 professionals in the state annually. Ms. Thompson is a graduate of the Rutgers School of Social Work.

Debra L. Wentz, Ph.D., President and CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies (NJAMHAA) is also Executive Director of its 501(c)3, the New Jersey Mental Health Institute (NJMHI). NJAMHAA represents 164 behavioral healthcare provider organizations serving more than 500,000 children and adults annually. NJMHI promotes equal access to quality mental health and substance use services through development of policies and best practices, training, research, and anti-stigma and antidiscrimination campaigns. Dr. Wentz improves lives by changing views about mental health and addictions in government and corporate leaders, the media and the public through innovative and persuasive advocacy, communications and education.

In June 2020, under Dr. Wentz’s leadership, NJAMHAA was selected for the Advocacy Leadership Award for Organizational Excellence from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. In 2021, she was honored with the Roger Mansel Lifetime Achievement Award from Family Connections. In 2019, she was recognized by ROI-NJ with a Champions of the C-Suite (CEOs of the Year) award and by NJBIZ with an ICON Honors award. In addition to various other awards, in 2013 Dr. Wentz was named the Citizen of the Year by the New Jersey Psychiatric Association; was recognized with the inaugural Codey Award from Carrier Clinic; the Gabriel M. Ambrosio Mental Health Humanitarian Award from Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare; and the Public Service Award for NJAMHAA from the Council on State Public Affairs.

A sought after expert on mental health and substance use issues, Dr. Wentz has been interviewed frequently on local, state and national, as well as international, television and radio programs, and is regularly cited and featured in the media.

Applying a global perspective, following the tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004, Dr. Wentz developed the Sri Lanka Mental Health Relief Project through NJMHI with a local nongovernmental organization (NGO). Mental health experts and a cultural ambassador trained individuals in Sri Lanka to identify and treat survivors experiencing mental health and substance use problems. NJMHI also developed trilingual, culturally sensitive informational materials and worked with an NGO and professionals in Sri Lanka to develop and deliver training to community leaders in rural areas to serve as facilitators of addressing behavioral health needs. These projects have positively impacted over 200,000 individuals. Closer to home, Dr. Wentz developed the Changing Minds, Advancing Mental Health for Hispanics program, which resulted in state regulatory requirements for continuing education units in cultural diversity. It evolved into the National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health. Providing tools, trainings and awareness, it assisted thousands to overcome cultural and linguistic barriers to services.

Dr. Wentz serves on numerous Boards and committees including several National Council for Mental Wellbeing Committees; New Jersey Mental Health Work Group, Department of Education; New Jersey’s Multicultural Services Advisory Committee; the Healthy New Jersey 2030 Workgroup; multiple committees of the NJ Business and Industry Association and the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Association.  She has held many state and national appointments, and currently is the Chair of the Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma. Previous appointments include the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Having served on transition teams for many Administrations, she most recently was a member of Governor Murphy’s transition team.

Dr. Wentz earned a doctoral degree from the University of Paris, Paris, France; a second PhD and MA degree from the University of Connecticut; an Executive MBA from the Alternative Careers Program of the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania; and a BA from Goucher College.

Commissioner Sarah Adelman has led the New Jersey Department of Human Services since January 2021, and was confirmed as Commissioner in March 2022. Under her leadership, the Department has helped residents through the pandemic by making significant investments in child care and food assistance, improving and expanding services for older adults and individuals with disabilities, protecting health coverage for more than 2 million residents, and continuing to enhance mental health and addiction services.

Adelman joined the Department in 2018, initially serving as a Deputy Commissioner, overseeing the Division of Developmental Disabilities, Division of Aging Services, and the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, which operates the Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare program. She also served on the Board of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.

The Department's programs serve one in three New Jersey children and one in five adults, with a budget of approximately $20 billion in state and federal funds and a staff of about 7,500.

Before joining Governor Murphy's Administration, Adelman served as Vice President at the New Jersey Association of Health Plans and Chief of Staff at the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. She also served on the Board of Trustees for Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice and the Board of Directors for a statewide child abuse and neglect prevention program.

Adelman received her Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude from Rowan University and a certificate in Advanced Healthcare Leadership from Seton Hall University as a fellow in the inaugural class of the New Jersey Healthcare Executives Leadership Academy.

Mollie Greene is the Assistant Commissioner for the Children’s System of Care in the New Jersey Department of Children and Families.  Mollie has over 30 years of executive leadership experience in the administration of private and public behavioral health systems serving children, youth, adults, and families.  Throughout her career, Mollie has sought to improve service availability, accessibility, acceptability, quality, and outcomes through innovative programming and strategic braiding of federal and state funding, and has led the development and implementation of policy and initiatives in the areas of substance use, mental health, integrated physical and behavioral healthcare, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Mollie holds a master’s degree from Rutgers University in American Literature with a concentration in gender studies.  She is a person in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder.

Michele Calvo, MPH is the Director of the Office of Opioid Response and Policy at the New Jersey Department of Health. In this role, she oversees the Department’s portfolio of surveillance and prevention activities to prevent opioid overdose and advises on opioid overdose policy. Michele is Principal Investigator of New Jersey’s CDC Overdose Data to Action grant and is working collaboratively with stakeholders to expand evidence-based harm reduction and overdose prevention services throughout the state. Prior to her role at the NJ Department of Health, she worked on public health research and policy in New York, primarily focusing on overdose and drug policy. Michele serves on the advisory board of the Peer Network of New York and is passionate about promoting equity, inclusion, and leadership for people who use drugs. An New Jersery native, Michele is a twin mom, book lover, and has lived experience of addiction.

Kelly Levy joined the Department of Law & Public Safety, the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General, as a Deputy Attorney General (DAG) in September 2012.   DAG Levy has been serving in the capacity of the Acting Director of the Office of the New Jersey Coordinator for Addiction Responses and Enforcement Strategies (“NJ CARES”) since September 2021. NJ CARES oversees the addiction fighting efforts across the Department of Law & Public Safety and creates partnerships with other agencies and groups that are committed to identifying and implementing multi-faceted solutions to the opioid crisis and drug addiction. DAG Levy joined NJ CARES shortly after its inception in 2018, and has worked on the administration and management of several law enforcement-led outreach efforts, including facilitating proactive collaboration between law enforcement officers and addiction professionals to link individuals suffering from substance use disorder with treatment and recovery services, and educating law enforcement on understanding and addressing addiction.   She has also worked with the New Jersey Department of Health and the New Jersey Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services to expand access to harm reduction services, including naloxone and clean needles and syringes, and the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs to develop and implement low-cost or no-cost education for health care professionals related to evidence-based practices for opioid prescribing.  Before joining NJ CARES, DAG Levy worked in the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, where she investigated and prosecuted insurance fraud and other related offenses, and the Division of Law, where she represented the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in child abuse and neglect matters. She holds a B.A. from Hunter College and a J.D. from Rutgers-Newark School of Law.