Premier Sponsor

Summit Oaks Hospital

Trish Toole

Chief Executive Officer

Summit Oaks Hospital has been serving New Jersey communities since 1902, building a long-standing legacy of behavioral health treatment. Located in Summit, New Jersey, the hospital provides a comprehensive range of psychiatric and substance use disorder services for children, adolescents and adults. With 24/7 services, including walk-in access, Summit Oaks is committed to ensuring individuals and families can receive care when they need it. Through more than a century of service, the hospital continues to strengthen behavioral health as both a treatment provider and an advocate for accessible, quality care.

Champion Sponsor

Keynote

CarePlus New Jersey

Brigitte Johnson, Esq. 

President and CChief Executive Officer

CarePlus New Jersey is strengthening the state’s behavioral healthcare system through integrated care, expanded access and innovative crisis services. As a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), CarePlus has helped advance an integrated care model that can support other providers across New Jersey. Through partnerships with organizations such as Bergen New Bridge Medical Center and Integrity House, CarePlus is also developing Crisis Receiving and Stabilization Center services to ensure individuals experiencing a crisis have timely access to care and a stronger continuum of support.

Champion Sponsor

Plenary

Center For Family Services

Therese Benyola

Vice President of Behavioral Health

For more than 100 years, Center for Family Services has supported individuals, families and communities across New Jersey. With more than 1,600 dedicated staff and over 100 programs and services, the organization provides a comprehensive continuum of care designed to meet diverse community needs. Its services include counseling and behavioral healthcare for children, teens, adults and families, with a focus on compassionate, high-quality care. By helping people heal, build resilience and achieve their goals, Center for Family Services continues to strengthen the health and well-being of communities throughout New Jersey.

Partner Sponsor

Brown & Brown

John F. Ehresman, AAI 

Senior Vice President

Placeholder -

Advocate Sponsor

+Lanyard

Acenda Integrated Health

Bridget DeFiccio LPC  

Senior Vice President Integrated Health

Acenda provides a broad continuum of behavioral health, prevention, treatment and wellness services to individuals and families throughout New Jersey. Services include mental health and substance use treatment, crisis response, maternal and family health, youth and adolescent services, supportive housing, case management and other community-based supports. By reducing barriers and creating clearer pathways to care, the organization meets people where they are and connects them with the support they need. Its integrated approach recognizes the important role that family, housing, employment, physical health and relationships play in a person’s overall health and well-being.

Advocate Sponsor

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center

Deborah Visconi

President and Chief Executive Officer

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, located in Paramus, is New Jersey’s largest hospital by bed count and has a longstanding commitment to behavioral health. The Medical Center provides care across the lifespan, from children as young as five to adults and older adults, with specialized services for depression, eating disorders, children and adolescents, and behavioral health support within its expanded emergency department. Beyond the hospital, Bergen New Bridge works to reduce stigma, remove barriers to care and meet people where they are—guided by the belief that there is no health without mental health.

Visionary Sponsor

+Tote

Children's Aid and Family Services  

Shavonda Sumter 

President and Chief Executive Officer

Children’s Aid and Family Services has been serving children and families throughout New Jersey for 127 years. In partnership with state agencies and community organizations, it works to strengthen and preserve families through family reunification, kinship care and access to behavioral health services. Its work focuses on providing the resources and support families need to remain connected, stable and strong.

Visionary Sponsor

Eva's Village 

Howard Haughton

Chief Executive Officer

Eva’s Village is a comprehensive anti-poverty and recovery organization in Paterson, New Jersey. For nearly 50 years, it has helped individuals and families overcome barriers related to homelessness, substance use disorders, mental health challenges, unemployment and poverty. Its continuum of care includes behavioral health and medical services, recovery support, housing, workforce development, emergency assistance, food and other wraparound services designed to help individuals achieve stability, independence and greater well-being.

Visionary Sponsor

Integrity House 

Robert J. Budsock

President and Chief Executive Officer

Integrity House, headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, has been providing care since 1968. With a strong commitment to whole-person care, Integrity House integrates substance use disorder treatment, mental health services and primary healthcare. This comprehensive approach allows individuals to receive coordinated treatment for addiction, mental health needs and chronic medical conditions—all under one roof.

Visionary Sponsor

PerformCare

Valery Bailey 

Executive Director

PerformCare serves as a gateway to behavioral health services for approximately 63,000 youth across New Jersey. By connecting young people and families to support for crisis situations, behavioral health needs and essential services, PerformCare plays an important role in strengthening New Jersey’s system of care and helping youth access the support they need.

Cantata

Heather Green

Director of Regional Sales 

Cantata provides modern technology solutions designed to help behavioral health organizations move beyond the limitations of legacy EHR systems. Its RISE EHR is highly configurable, easy to use and built with a mobile-first approach, allowing users to access the system across devices and browsers. An open API architecture also supports data exchange with other systems, helping organizations improve efficiency and support the delivery of high-quality care.

Core Solutions

Ross Young

Co-Founder and CEO

Clinical AI partners with behavioral health organizations in New Jersey to reduce administrative burden and help organizations navigate evolving payer and regulatory requirements. Its AI-powered intelligence layer is designed to understand each organization’s policies, programs, services and requirements, helping providers use artificial intelligence in ways that are relevant to their operations and create efficiencies across multiple areas.

IT Project

Ron Gordon
Director, IT Project

Placeholder text

NJ Division of Mental Health & Addiction Services

David Helfand

Assistant Commissioner

The New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) oversees mental health and substance use disorder services throughout the state. Working with community providers, DMHAS supports a broad range of programs, including prevention, crisis services, treatment and recovery supports, as well as gambling prevention services. Its work helps connect individuals with appropriate services and support throughout their recovery journey.

Partners in Prevention

Dr. Irakli (Eric) Kakauridze, DHSc



Verity

Alex Ferstenberg
Founder and CEO



Verity is a motivational incentives and rewards platform designed for behavioral health organizations, supporting both clients and staff. For clients, Verity helps extend engagement beyond traditional therapy sessions by providing tools to monitor, motivate and support individuals between appointments. By helping care teams stay connected with clients during the time they are outside of treatment sessions, Verity aims to strengthen engagement, encourage positive behaviors and support recovery.

Get your video here by sponsoring today! contact

Tara Shiffert

tshiffert@njamhaa.org

Fall Conference Rates

October 20, 2026