AHP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Leaning & Development
- Director of Learning & Development
- Director of Learning and Development at Advocates for Human Potential
Adam Halstead, M.S., is director of Learning and Development at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP). He has a background in corporate learning and employee development, and has been involved in both team and leadership development for companies such as Maximus, Comcast, and the U.S. Army, where he was commissioned as an officer until his honorable discharge. Mr. Halstead has expertise in adult learning theory, instructional design, strategic planning, and leadership development. He holds an M.S. in management from Troy University, and a B.F.A. in film and animation from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Adrian Bishop, B.Sc., is AHP's director of eHealth and organizational development. Mr. Bishop has earned a national reputation as a subject matter expert in transforming the way ambulatory care settings deliver services using electronic health records (EHRs) and other eHealth technologies. Over the past decade, Mr. Bishop has helped numerous organizations make informed decisions regarding technology tools and manage the resulting process and cultural changes. National associations, states, systems of care, and the federal government have tapped his expertise in this area. In addition, he is a presenter and lecturer on the methodologies, tools, and techniques to transform the delivery of health care and on leadership development.
Although Mr. Bishop has helped a diverse range of provider organizations, his specialty is federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), for which he has assessed EHR needs and implemented EHR systems, overseen primary/behavioral/oral health data and workflow integration, facilitated chronic care management and patient-centered medical home compliance with the National Committee for Quality Assurance, established systems to utilize data for performance measurement and improvement efforts, and collaborated with state regional extension centers to assist FQHCs in meeting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Meaningful Use of EHRs requirements.
Prior to joining AHP, Mr. Bishop worked as an international management consultant in health care, financial services, and manufacturing for more than 16 years, mentoring the boards of Fortune 500 companies and training thousands of employees. This experience gives Mr. Bishop a unique perspective in the application of cutting-edge business process improvement programs, such as Lean Six Sigma, in fast-paced health care environments. He understands that successful transformational projects are a balanced blend of people, processes, and technology components that have to be implemented in fast-paced, patient-focused environments. Mr. Bishop has developed advanced business and quality management methodologies that have been benchmarked worldwide and published in articles and books.
Amanda Flores, B.S., is a senior program associate for Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) and is currently serving as a grantee coach for the Mentored Internship Program (MIP) based in California. She is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Nation, and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Ms. Flores joined AHP after working as a career navigator III with a workforce organization in San Diego serving WIOA adult/dislocated workers with career growth opportunities and job placement. Ms. Flores's work has spanned over the last 10+ years in roles such as program management, career advising and mental health case management. Additionally, she is experienced in managing special programs including managing a SAMHSA Native American youth suicide prevention and early intervention program. She has also been responsible for managing a HRSA OUD/SUD planning project for the nine tribal nations of South Dakota. She is accomplished in project management, outreach services, facilitating talking circles, and development of tribal prevention programs. She holds a B.S. in human services from University of Phoenix.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow at AHP 's Center for Research
- Senior Fellow, Center for Research and Evaluation
Amy Salomon, Ph.D., is a senior fellow at AHP's Center for Research and Evaluation. Dr. Salomon has more than 30 years of experience in applied research, human service program development, public policy analysis, and knowledge product development. Her work has focused on applying research techniques and findings to improve programs and practices. Her content expertise focuses on the nexus of interpersonal violence, behavioral health disorders, trauma, criminal justice, and extreme poverty in women and children. Most recently, Dr. Salomon has also focused on evaluating complex multi-level change processes and the implementation of evidence-based practices in public systems serving vulnerable populations. She has special expertise in qualitative methods and implementation research, including case study, participant observation, site visits, and focus group methodologies.
In collaboration with the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, Dr. Salomon is currently leading evaluation studies of the Moms Do Care multi-site projects, funded through SAMHSA and the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. These studies focus on increasing the delivery of medication-assisted treatment, peer support, and integrated health and behavioral health care to pregnant woman with opioid use disorders. She is also leading a state pilot study of an innovative day treatment program for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders, funded by SAMHSA. Prior to becoming a senior fellow at AHP, Dr. Salomon was director of AHP's Center for Research and Evaluation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate I
Job Titles:
- Senior Scientist for Criminal Justice
- Senior Scientist for Criminal Justice at Advocates for Human Potential
Andrew Klein, Ph.D., is a senior scientist for criminal justice at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP). His areas of expertise include criminal justice, court administration, institutional and community corrections, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, domestic violence, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and victim services. Since 2010, he has served as the project director for providing training and technical assistance for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance prison and jail drug treatment initiative, the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program. In this position, he has helped jails and prisons develop MAT programming across the nation, including by drafting Jail-Based Medication-Assisted Treatment: Promising Practices, Guidelines, and Resources for The Field, issued by the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.
In his research capacity, he has been the principal investigator for major National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-funded research on stalking, elder abuse, specialized probation supervision, correctional residential RSAT and civil protective orders. In 2013, The DOJ and Health and Human Services (HHS) commissioned Dr. Klein to co-author Practical Implications of Current Intimate Partner Violence Research for Victim Advocates and Service Providers. This followed an earlier work commissioned by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Practical Implications of Domestic Violence Research for Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, and Judges, which the NIJ released as a special report in 2009. As a team member for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery (JDTR) Priority to Veterans evaluation, Dr. Klein led site visits, wrote descriptive reports for 10 of the 13 state programs, and met with state and local pilot program directors, as well as representatives of each jurisdiction's hospital- and community-based U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs. Mr. Klein received his Ph.D. in law, policy, and society from Northeastern University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate II
Job Titles:
- Operations Director I - Real Estate
Job Titles:
- Co - Director of Advocates for Human Potential's ( AHP 's ) Center for Training
- Co - Director, CTTAC
Carol Bianco-Miller is the co-director of Advocates for Human Potential's (AHP's) Center for Training, Technical Assistance, and Consulting (CTTAC), overseeing more than 40 professional staff, 25 active contracts, and an annual budget of approximately $15 million. In addition to maintaining and growing the Center's portfolio, she provides project leadership and technical expertise to numerous federal agencies, state and local mental health departments, and community-based behavioral health organizations. She has held key roles in several Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) projects, including serving as the project director of the Homeless and Housing Resource Network (HHRN) and Olmstead Initiative; project director for two evidence-based practice KITs; corporate manager for Recovery to Practice, Behavioral Health-HIV Technical Assistance Center, Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy, Shared Decision Making in Mental Health, and Co-occurring Disorders Initiative; and advisor/consultant to the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant Program. Since 2018, Ms. Bianco-Miller has provided leadership and oversight for AHP's teams providing intensive consultation and training to accountable care organizations (ACOs) and community partners (CPs) implementing Massachusetts' Medicaid delivery system reform.
Her areas of expertise include mental health and disability policy and systems change, homelessness and housing, organizational and program development, recovery-oriented services and systems of care, and co-occurring disorders. Ms. Bianco-Miller is the former director of program development for one of New York State's largest providers of supportive housing for adults with serious mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders, where she led the development of supportive housing and recovery support services throughout the state. In this role, she also served as founding board member and chair of Hudson Alliance Corporation, a provider-owned managed care network with members spanning New York's Hudson Valley. She has authored or contributed to publications on supportive housing, supported employment, community integration, and consumer-operated services. Ms. Bianco-Miller is the parent of a young adult with autism and multiple disabilities and has served on numerous boards and committees of community-based nonprofit organizations serving adults and children with psychiatric, physical, and developmental disabilities, as well as adults who are experiencing homelessness.
Job Titles:
- Chief Legal Counsel
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the Corporate Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate I
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Corporate Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Director of Administrative Services
- Member of the Corporate Leadership Team
- Vice President, Administrative Services
Daniel Collings, J.D., M.A., PMP is director of Administrative Services at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP). His role is building out the administrative function of AHP's work in California and helping to lead and provide support for these projects. He began his career with military and defense contracting work, then moved into two decades of successful senior leadership in the realm of project management, legal, finance, business management, Veterans' assistance, and nonprofit healthcare support and outreach. He has experience consulting with the Big Four banks and accounting firms in America, along with clerking in the 13th Judicial District of Tampa, Florida. Most recently, Mr. Collings served as the senior vice president at TCM Bank, as well as a senior manager at Baker McKenzie, one of the largest global law firms. There he helped spearhead one of the services and legal project management divisions. He is PMP certified, Six Sigma certified, Lean certified, Project Management certified, and Scrum/Agile Master's certified. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration and management, an M.A. in management and leadership, a master's degree in organizational leadership, and a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Western Michigan University.
Deborah (Deb) Werner, M.A., PMP, is a senior program director at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) and serves as the project director for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) program. She also oversees and serves as a senior advisor for the DHCS California Youth Opioid Response (YOR California) and the Mobile Crisis and Justice Intervention Projects. Ms. Werner is an expert in leadership development, strategic and collaborative planning, data-informed change processes, risk assessment, communications, system transformation, and stakeholder involvement. She is also a subject matter expert in mental health and substance use interventions and housing and homelessness, with a particular focus on youth, women, families, and communities. She is a professional facilitator who can bring diverse stakeholders to a common plan of action, a certified project management professional, and a nationally recognized speaker and trainer. Ms. Werner received her M.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Job Titles:
- Senior Operations Manager I
Job Titles:
- Project Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Director
- Senior Program Director for Advocates for Human Potential
Fran Basche, M.A., senior program director for Advocates for Human Potential (AHP), is a seasoned leader with extensive experience in the development, management, and evaluation of programs and policies in the fields of behavioral health, HIV, and child and family policy. Much of her work has focused on providing training and technical assistance (T/TA) related to the integration of behavioral health and primary care, the intersection of behavioral health with HIV, workforce development and programs for women and girls, and programs for young children with and without disabilities. She has managed large contracts, subcontracts and tasks for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She was the project director for the SAMHSA Behavioral Health and HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Center (BH-HIVTAC) funded by the Centers for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (CSAP, CSAT) and now manages a subcontract for HRSA focused on integrating primary and behavioral health, opioid use disorders, and medication-assisted treatment.
She has been the task lead in developing a variety of TA materials-including online courses, the development and diffusion of behavioral health competencies, issue briefs, and guidance documents-for federal and state programs. Previously, she directed a HRSA grant on children with special health care needs for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH) and managed statewide early childhood and family support programs for the Massachusetts Department of Education (MA DOE). Ms. Basche holds an M.A. in public policy and applied child development from Tufts University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Manager II - Project Director
Job Titles:
- Chief Technology Officer
- Member of the Corporate Leadership Team
Hugh McDonough, M.Ed., is chief technology officer at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP), where he is focused on expanding AHP's project impact using innovative technology solutions. Mr. McDonough has 22 years of experience designing secure government data and collaboration solutions and helping organizations build their technology capabilities. He began his career as a mental health counselor, running a dropout prevention center and a school-based treatment center. Since then, Mr. McDonough has designed solutions for grant management, health informatics, public health program delivery, national health information networks, audit management, public health campaigns, and international disease reporting networks. He has directed several projects defining national data standards for behavioral health and justice programs. Mr. McDonough received his Master of Education degree from the Adolescent Risk and Prevention Program at Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Corporate Leadership Team
- Interim Chief Operating Officer
- Interim Chief Operating Officer for Advocates for Human Potential
Jeff Takle is interim chief operating officer for Advocates for Human Potential (AHP). He served previously as AHP's director of data projects. He is an experienced technology executive who most recently ran venture capital-based startups in nanotechnology and diagnostics (C2Sense), consumer diagnostics (E25Bio), and medical Internet-of-Things (SystemOne). Prior to this, he worked at Abt Associates building up the client technology center and, later, launched Abt's Innovation Department where he oversaw 400 technology projects.
Mr. Takle began his career in the U.S. Marine Corps. There he worked in intelligence and left as a Captain, having served almost eight years on active duty. He's worked in and/or traveled to 62 countries for both non-profit and for-profit organizations in the government and private sectors. He has an M.B.A. from Babson; an M.S. in strategic intelligence from National Inteligence University; a B.S. in business and a B.S. in international relations from Boston University; and executive education from MIT and Harvard. Mr. Takle has published around 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and is co-inventor on a patent (fluorescent nanoparticle detection).
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate for Business Development
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Manager, Tribal Behavioral Health Program Development
Job Titles:
- Marketing Director
- Marketing Director at Advocates for Human Potential
Linda Wolf, M.S., is the marketing director at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) and provides marketing oversight and guidance across a range of projects. She guides the management and implementation of marketing strategy and campaigns for AHP clients. Ms. Wolf consults on a broad range of AHP projects to analyze market opportunities, define program messaging and positioning, and recommend strategy and tactics to implement campaigns. AHP's Marketing Department is responsible for internal and external marketing and communications for the company and supports its business units, including Technical Assistance & Training, Research & Evaluation, Healthcare Solutions, and Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). Ms. Wolf oversees all company website, conference, marketing outreach, public relations, social media, and marketing collateral initiatives. Ms. Wolf received her M.S. in technical and science communication from Drexel University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Director of Behavioral Science - Innovation
Job Titles:
- Real Estate Development Manager
Job Titles:
- Director of New Business
- Director of New Business at Advocates for Human Potential
Milly Krakow, Ph.D., is director of New Business at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP). She oversees the development of new business opportunities, collaborates with senior leadership and subject matter experts on growth strategies, and develops and manages proposals. Dr. Krakow focuses on the development of services for underserved populations. Prior to joining AHP, she was the principal at a consulting firm that provided project and proposal development for nonprofit organizations, healthcare companies, and research organizations; was the director of development at an elder-care organization focusing on innovative models of long-term care; and was the executive director of an applied research and evaluation behavioral health company. She has expertise in business development, strategic planning, proposal development, writing and editing, fundraising, organizational systems and change, and process improvement. Dr. Krakow received her Ph.D. from the Heller School, Brandeis University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate I
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Corporate Leadership Team
- President
Pam Rainer, M.S.W., LCSW, is a senior program director at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP). She has extensive experience managing federally funded projects in the areas of behavioral health, community mental health, homelessness, and recovery, with a special emphasis on trauma and trauma-informed approaches. Ms. Rainer manages project deliverables, technical assistance (TA) activities, and product development. She is currently the director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid Addiction Program (COAP), which includes developing comprehensive TA strategies to respond to the opioid epidemic in jail-based treatment settings. Ms. Rainer is a member of AHP's federally registered Institutional Review Board (IRB), the entity responsible for protecting the rights and interests of AHP's research subjects. Before joining AHP, she served as regional president and board member of a statewide housing group and chaired several committees at the local planning level. She was formerly the mental health services director for a large human services organization in upstate New York, where she developed model programs, policies, and procedures. Ms. Rainer received her M.S.W. from the State University of New York at Albany.
Job Titles:
- Director of DEI and Senior Program Director
Patricia (Pat) Tucker, M.B.A., M.A., is director of diversity, equity, and inclusion and a senior program director at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP). Ms. Tucker is an experienced trainer and technical assistance (TA) provider and a nationally recognized leader in supportive housing, supported employment, and community integration for people with disabilities, including those with behavioral health conditions. As one of AHP's top trainers, Ms. Tucker's professional experience and creative spirit produce a training style that is concise, easily followed, worthwhile, and fun. She brings a passion to her trainings and successfully takes difficult, complex subjects and transforms them into information everyone can enjoy. Regardless of the topic, people attending Ms. Tucker's trainings gain a deeper, fuller, and clearer understanding of the content area and the skills necessary to complete related tasks with greater confidence and effectiveness. She consistently scores well above average on training evaluations and clients nearly always request that she return and train additional staff.
Ms. Tucker provides TA and training to providers throughout the country in the following practices: supported employment, permanent supportive housing, harm reduction, case management, peer involvement, staff self-care, and motivational interviewing (MI). In addition, she has conducted fidelity assessments of programs around the country providing supported employment and permanent supportive housing. Ms. Tucker received her M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and her M.A. in industrial psychology from Roosevelt University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Corporate Leadership Team
- Director of Strategic Development Division
- Director of the Strategic Development Division for Advocates for Human Potential ( AHP ) Cand
- Vice President, Strategic Development
Patrick Gauthier, B.A., is director of the Strategic Development Division for Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) Cand a highly sought after expert on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and on the design and effective deployment of policies and programs that properly align the resources and incentives of health and behavioral health payers, providers, and consumers. Over the course of more than 25 years in the behavioral health field and managed care sector, Mr. Gauthier has held management positions in a variety of treatment settings and served as chief operating officer and chief marketing officer for a national managed behavioral health care organization. He has developed public/private performance-based partnerships for Medicaid provider networks and led the privatization of Idaho's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Substance Abuse Treatment Block Grant. Mr. Gauthier was also responsible for the implementation of mental health parity in group health plans providing coverage to federal and state employees. This experience, combined with his expert understanding of the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, enable him to uniquely meet the needs of providers, policymakers, and payers.
Mr. Gauthier has delivered expert consulting to the country's largest health and behavioral health networks and to systems that serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. His work includes tackling issues related to health care law, rules and regulations; health care financing and reimbursement reforms; developing integrated delivery systems and provider networks; behavioral health business planning and implementation; Medicaid managed care plan operations; health informatics and analytics; and performance and value-based reimbursement. He is a dynamic speaker and trainer at national conferences and trade shows, addressing topics including the ACA and reform-related initiatives, integrated delivery systems and collaborative care models, population health management, accountable care organizations and health home models, and program development for new markets and business ecosystems.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of Administrative Services
- Director of Legal Operations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Corporate Leadership Team
- Co - Director, CTTAC
- Vice President, Federal Strategy
Richard Landis, M.S.W., is co-director of Advocates for Human Potential's (AHP's) Center for Training, Technical Assistance, and Consulting (CTTAC). He has been a pioneering leader in identifying and helping solve challenges facing the behavioral health care field. He is a specialist in the areas of workforce development, substance use treatment and prevention, mental health promotion, and HIV/AIDS. His more than 30 years of experience includes both direct clinical practice and extensive experience conducting human services research, as well as managing both small and large substance use treatment/prevention and mental health projects. Mr. Landis co-manages AHP's Center for Technical Assistance and Training, which includes a staff of more than 30 and an annual budget in excess of $10 million. Representative center projects include the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Center of Excellence (COE) for Behavioral Health, Expanding Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Youth and Young Adults in California, Massachusetts Access to Recovery (ATR), and Massachusetts Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Technical Assistance. He is the author of more than 50 articles and presentations in the fields of substance use, HIV, technology transfer, and workforce development. Mr. Landis received his M.S.W. from The Catholic University of America.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate I
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate I
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate II
Job Titles:
- Co - Investigator of a National Institute
- Deputy Director of Research
- Deputy Director, Center for Research and Evaluation
- Deputy Director, Research & Evaluation
Susan A. Pickett, Ph.D., is a deputy director of research and evaluation at AHP and has more than 25 years of experience in mental health services research. She has designed and implemented numerous federally funded rigorous research studies that examined the effectiveness of health services for diverse and underserved populations, including adults with serious mental illness, at-risk youth, and persons experiencing chronic homelessness. Dr. Pickett brings expertise in program evaluation, quantitative and qualitative methods and analyses, outcome measurement development, research instrument design, project management, and training and technical assistance (TA). She has published widely on behavioral health care treatment and outcomes, peer-led mental health services, family education and support group programs, homelessness and employment, and mental health service satisfaction.
Dr. Pickett is co-investigator of a National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)-funded study that is developing and testing a peer-led integrated behavioral health and primary care intervention for African Americans with serious mental illness who are experiencing homelessness. She also is an evaluator and leads site visits for the national evaluation of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) homeless programs. At the systems level, Dr. Pickett has worked with state and local agencies to use data-driven strategies to deliver evidence-based services to at-risk populations. This includes a recent TA project with Heartland Health Outreach to identify performance measures designed to enhance integrated housing and health care services for adults experiencing chronic homelessness.
Prior to joining AHP, Dr. Pickett was an associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and co-principal investigator of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)-funded UIC National Research & Training Center on Psychiatric Disability. As the associate director for systems transformation and strategic planning at the Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Mental Health, Dr. Pickett worked with state and local agencies to develop data-driven policies to better equip the current system to provide high-quality, community-based primary and behavioral health care to indigent adults and children. Dr. Pickett serves on the editorial board for the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal and chairs the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Serious Mental Illness.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Manager - Workforce Development Specialist
Job Titles:
- Director, Center for Research and Evaluation
- Senior Scientist for Advocates for Human Potential, Inc
- Vice President, Center for Research and Evaluation
Terri Tobin, Ph.D., senior scientist for Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), has 18 years of combined experience in designing and leading evaluation and research activities, including national evaluations and multisite studies; quantitative and qualitative methods and analysis; survey design; collection and reporting of Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and other outcome, process, and performance data; secondary data analysis of large state and national data sets; evaluation technical assistance (TA); and preparing and presenting oral and written reports. A skilled social scientist and manager, she has led evaluations and projects focused on homelessness and housing, implementation science, substance use disorders, serious mental illness, and co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. She offers exceptional project management skills, having led activities for federal and state agencies.
Job Titles:
- Project Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate I
Job Titles:
- Compliance Analyst
- Internal Auditor