Ruth Jean-Marie, MBA/PA, LCADC, CCS, President, has over 20 years of leadership experience in the behavioral health field. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from William Paterson University in 1999 and later obtained her MBA with a concentration in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2008. She has worked across every treatment modality and level of care, bringing extensive expertise in clinical operations, regulatory compliance, workforce development, and program management.
Ruth currently serves as the Chief Clinical and Compliance Officer for Eva’s Village, where she oversees all treatment programs and ensure the highest standards of quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.
In addition to her clinical and executive leadership roles, Ruth is a certified BLS (Basic Life Support) Instructor, dedicated to strengthening safety preparedness and professional competency within the behavioral health workforce.” nnpresident1@gmail.com
Victoria Nagel (she/her), Secretary, has a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at Walden University and a dedicated behavioral health professional with over a decade of experience counseling individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders in both residential and telehealth settings. She is a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Clinical Supervisor, National Certified Counselor, Approved Clinical Supervisor, and Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider.
Victoria has nine years of clinical supervision experience and more than seven years of experience facilitating clinical training for professionals at various stages of their careers. She serves as Director of Clinical Training and Workforce Development at the New Jersey Prevention Network (NJPN) and is also the co-founder and a practicing therapist at Resilience to Thrive Counseling and Consulting, where she provides counseling services and professional development for behavioral health professionals. njapasecretary@gmail.com
Rose Maire, LCADC, CCS, MAC, NCSE, North Jersey Regional Director, is one of the founding members of the NJ affiliate of NAADAC. An active member of NAADAC, she is currently the chair of the Ethics Committee and also served on NCCAP, the certification branch of NAADAC, for 10 years. Ms. Maire has worked in the addiction profession for over 40 years, working in many levels of care, including OP, IOP, short term residential, and as a student assistance counselor. She has also taught graduate level counseling courses. For the state, Ms. Maire has served on the PAC, the Co-Occurring Committee, and the Drug Court Committee. With NJAMHAA, she was a member of the Addiction Practice Group, and the Workforce Development and Peer Recovery Support Committees. Throughout her career, she has advocated for the underserved populations, particularly those in the criminal justice system. She remains passionate about her work with clients and with providing clinical supervision to counselors and interns.
Sandy Gibson, PhD, LCSW, LCADC, Advocacy Committee Chair, is a Professor with The College of New Jersey. She received her masters and PhD from the University of Maryland with a specialization in addictions. She worked as an addiction counselor for six year in Alexandria, Virginia before completing her PhD in social work and becoming a Study Director at a research institute at Temple University for seven years. There she developed and evaluated addiction prevention and treatment programming, including a Center for Substance Abuse Prevention model program Across Ages.
In 2010 she became faculty at TCNJ in the Department of Counselor Education where she teaches addiction counseling, research and statistics, measurement and evaluation and practicum/internship. She also received a grant to provide recovery support for students and promote environmental change strategies on campus. During her tenure at TCNJ, she received a contract from Mercer County to become director of the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center and recently developed a new curriculum that is now used statewide. She is now contracted to draft a new curriculum to bring harm reduction strategies into NJ OORP and IRTS programs. Dr. Gibson now works actively to promote harm reduction and promote a shift away from a criminal justice approach to drug use towards one of public health that centers on the decriminalization of drug use. She is also a practicing addiction counselor (25+ years), her private practice, Crossing Wellness, focuses on harm reduction psychotherapy. nnjadvocate@gmail.com
Gayle Parker Wright, Central Jersey Regional Director, is Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York (LCSW-R) and Licensed Social Worker in New Jersey (LSW). She earned her Bachelor of Social Work from Howard University and her Master of Social Work from Columbia University and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree. With more than 30 years of progressive experience, Gayle is a seasoned clinician and leader in the mental health and substance use disorder fields, with a strong focus on underserved and marginalized communities. njaparegionaldirector@gmail.com
Kathleen Dennis, Clinical Issues Committee Chair, has a master’s degree in Counseling with an emphasis on Addiction Counseling. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) and has worked in the field of substance abuse and disorders for 25 years, primarily serving underserved and indigent clients. Dennis has worked in numerous levels of care, including outpatient, intensive outpatient, short and long term residential, and detox, as both a primary counselor and clinical supervisor. Dennis works from the perspective that strengthening counselors’ skills results in better client care, and ultimately an improved system of care. Dennis is credentialed as an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) and a Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS). Currently working in private practice, Dennis provides individual counseling and supervision services. She holds designations as a Master’s Addiction Counselor (MAC), a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP), and is a Certified Grief Educator. nnjclinicalissues@gmail.com
Fore more information please email: NNJInformation@gmail.com
New Jersey Addiction Professionals Association 