The Council is comprised of fourteen public members and twelve ex officio members.

Of the public members:

• Two are directly appointed by the Senate president;
• Two are directly appointed by the Assembly Speaker; and,
• Ten are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Of the ten gubernatorial appointments:

• Two shall be recovering alcoholics; and,
• Two shall be recovering drug abusers.

The twelve ex-officio members are:

• The Commissioners of the Departments of Children and Families, Community Affairs, Corrections, Education, Health, Human Services, Labor and Work Force Development; and the,
• Administrative Office of the Courts (Administrative Director)
• Adjutant General (Department of Military and Veterans Affairs)
• Attorney General (Department of Law and Public Safety)
• New Jersey Presidents' Council (Chair of the executive board)

Celina Levy Executive Director

In her position as Executive Director of the Governor's Council on Substance Use Disorder, Celina Levy is actively engaged in statewide efforts to raise awareness and educate communities about substance use disorders and overdose prevention. Through the Governor's Council and its Alliance to Prevent Substance Use Disorder, and its strategic partnerships, she is committed to embracing strategies that focus on mental health, harm reduction, and trauma informed approaches, as well as combating the stigma associated with both substance use and mental health disorders. Having formerly been the Executive Director of the Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, Ms. Levy remains wholly dedicated to combating stigma and is grateful to be a collaborative partner in New Jersey's prevention efforts.

Rebecca Alfaro Deputy Director

Rebecca Alfaro has spent most of her career working in the field of substance abuse prevention with the Municipal Alliance Program. She started her work in Ocean County as the County Alliance Coordinator before joining the Governor's Council on Substance Use Disorder as a State Alliance Coordinator. She has served as the Deputy Director since 2013, continuing to work on creating and sustaining healthy communities throughout New Jersey. These roles have allowed Ms. Alfaro to present at national and statewide conferences as a subject matter expert while also holding advisory roles on the national level.

Ms. Alfaro earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Monmouth University with a concentration in International and Community Development which has given her the opportunity to take part in needs assessments, research and evaluation with communities throughout the United States and internationally. Her undergraduate studies were at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she earned a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Ms. Alfaro served as an adjunct professor at Monmouth University and Rutgers University teaching social work and public health courses. Ms. Alfaro has spent over twenty years advocating on social justice issues, including human rights, health equity, racial justice and child welfare.

Sara Thode
Director of Prevention and Planning

Viktoria Kremper
Fiscal Manager

Kimberly Rodriguez
State Alliance Coordinator

Kristin Boniface
State Alliance Coordinator

Katelyn Assenheimer
Administrative Assistant

Tamira McCord
Alliance Support Staff