[NYAPRS Enews] SAMHSA Names Del Vecchio as Director of New Office of Recovery, Dona Dmitrovic, Larry Davison as Senior Advisors

[Harvey Rosenthal]

NYAPRS Note: The Biden Administration and HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon have appointed 3 of the recovery movement's most cherished pioneers and leaders to head up SAMHSA's new Office of Recovery. In these roles, they will be "charged with promoting recovery and recovery support services across the nation."
New Office Director Paolo del Vecchio is known best for decades of pioneering leadership and expertise in promoting services and policies that are deeply rooted in the principles of  self-determination, choice, wellness and recovery.  He was the first prominent policy maker to move us from a 'recovery happens' approach to one that asserts that "recovery is the expectation for all." His leadership has launched pivotal national technical assistance programs that have advanced the capacity of peer run agencies and the delivery of fidelity level peer delivered services across the nation. He is a beloved figure whose selection will be lauded across the national recovery communities.
Dona Dmitrovic has decades of experience and expertise in promoting recovery policies and services, with a strong background in advancing addiction and mental health recovery, as exemplified in her former role as SAMHSA's Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. She has a long history of supporting the development of innovative programs promoting the recovery of individuals with substance use disorders and is equally highly respected leader by the mental health recovery community.
Larry Davidson PhD has long been recognized as on of the nation's most prominent researchers on recovery, peer support and community inclusion. His seminal studies and reports have brought great respect and recognition to peer delivered recovery services, most notably connected with his work as the Director of Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health and of SAMHSA's Recovery to Practice initiative.

"Great thanks are due to Dr. Delphin-Rittmon and the Biden Administration for selecting such a strong, highly respected team of pioneering leaders who will build on decades of experience and expertise to advance the mental health, addiction and trauma recovery of all Americans at a time when their leadership has never been needed more," said Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services.

SAMHSA Announces New Recovery Office Leadership and Personnel

As the nation concludes Recovery Month, SAMHSA is pleased to announce the appointment of an outstanding team of leaders to help staff SAMHSA's Office of Recovery. They will be charged with promoting recovery and recovery support services across the nation.

"We are excited to announce this team to lead our Office of Recovery," stated HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., "They will form the foundation while we grow and develop the Office of Recovery to meet all the needs of all Americans."

Assuming the role of Office Director will be Paolo del Vecchio, MSW. As a person in recovery from both mental health and substance use conditions, a family member, and a trauma survivor, Mr. del Vecchio has over 40 years of experience of behavioral health leadership and systems change efforts to promote recovery-based care. Mr. del Vecchio currently serves as SAMHSA's Executive Officer and Director of the Office of Management, Technology and Operations and previously as Director of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services.

He will be joined by Dona Dmitrovic as Senior Advisor. Previously, she served as the Director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. As a person in long-term recovery from substance use and family member of those with mental and substance use disorders, she brings over 36 years of leadership in public health systems and has extensive background in the development and implementation of national, state and community based recovery support programs and services.

Larry Davidson, Ph.D., will also be serving as Senior Advisor. As a Professor of Psychology at Yale University's Department of Psychiatry and a recipient of psychiatric care himself, Dr. Davidson has been one of the nation's leading researchers on recovery-oriented practices in mental health and substance use services and served as Project Director of SAMHSA's Recovery to Practice initiative.

Additional key staff will include:


  *   David Awadalla as Public Health Analyst (liaison to CSAP)
  *   Sabrina Frost as Executive Assistant
  *   Steven Fry as Public Health Analyst (liaison to CMHS)
  *   Grace Lee as Statistician (liaison to CBHSQ)
  *   Guadalupe (Lupe) Mendez as Public Health Advisor
  *   Enid Osborne as Public Health Analyst (liaison to CSAT)
  *   Elizabeth Sweet as Public Health Advisor

"As the nation faces the mental health and opioid overdose crises - which have particularly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Recovery will serve as a critical component in meeting these challenges," stated Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Coderre, himself a person in long-term recovery. "Please join me in welcoming and supporting our new team in SAMHSA's Office of Recovery."

https://mailchi.mp/health-emailupdates/samhsa-announces-new-recovery-office-leadership-and-personnel?e=d0fc0a2d6f

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 26801 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://kilakwa.net/pipermail/nyaprs_kilakwa.net/attachments/20220929/1d292dfc/attachment.bin>