We believe that with hope, respect, and caring, real recovery is possible.

Jay Higham is an experienced healthcare services executive with over 30 years of experience driving organizational success in high growth, multi-location, emerging healthcare businesses. He has been recognized for consistently leading business expansion through infrastructure development, new or repositioned products and services, pricing and financing models, market expansion, acquisitions and new location development. He is adept at sourcing public and private capital and has the investor and community relations expertise required for expanded market penetration. 

Jay is passionate about BHG’s mission to help solve the growing opioid addiction epidemic in the United States. In joining BHG, his vision was to help expand access to medication-assisted treatment, the gold standard of care. In support of these efforts, he directed and oversaw the development of the Revenue Cycle Management Department, increasing BHG’s ability to partner with 3rd party providers. Jay has also been committed to improving BHG facilities and technology across the company. As CEO, he has led the company with a dedication to providing high-quality care under the disease model of addiction. 

Prior to joining BHG, Jay was Chairman, President, and CEO of IntegraMed America, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed company that was the leading provider of infertility and varicose vein treatments in the United States. During a 10-year period, he led the company’s growth from four locations in New York to a national network of over 175 locations. 

Julie has a 35+ year healthcare career with nursing at the foundation, as well as 27 years focusing on building, growing, and mobilizing great clinical and operational teams to support alternate site healthcare organizations, such as Home Health and Home Infusion.  

Julie’s career has been focused on driving two main priorities: providing access to great medical care in our country, and the development of engaged, trusting, and high-performance operations and clinical teams. Julie has dedicated her career to supporting and developing the front-line teams, who she believes is the epicenter of any great organization. 

Prior to joining BHG, Julie held multiple leadership positions with Option Care Health, a national alternate site infusion provider. Her most recent role was Senior Vice President for Operations for Option Care Health, where she was part of a dynamic team responsible for advancing the Infusion industry and driving access to alternate site infusion for patients across the US.  

Option Care grew to be one of the largest Home Infusion providers and is now recognized as a leader in this space, with over 100 locations committed to the best outcomes for both acutely and chronically ill patients receiving infusion therapy in an alternate setting. 

Julie’s passion for making a difference with those suffering from addiction, driving access to care, and utilizing her experience to enhance and scale an organization's operations and clinical teams is what brought her to BHG. BHG’s holistic approach to addiction treatment includes appropriate service delivery for co-occurring mental health disorders and is a mutually shared philosophy.  

Julie brings years of clinical and operational leadership and is excited to watch this phenomenal company continue to grow their footprint by expanding services across the country to support the recovery needs of those suffering with addiction, their families, and their communities. 

James Hopwood has more than 30 years of experience in financial and executive positions, specializing in the healthcare industry. His broad expertise includes long-term and short-term acute care and behavioral health hospitals, post-acute and outpatient care settings, medical billing and collection operations, physician practices, surgery centers, and pharmaceutical distribution.  

Prior to joining the BHG team, James was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Adeptus Health and Chief Financial Officer of Promise Healthcare Group. Before his time at Promise, he was a Managing Director at Focus Management Group, providing turnaround and restructuring expertise to numerous clients in healthcare and other industries. Before accepting his first Chief Financial Officer role early in his career at Wickes, Inc., James was an analyst at Goldman Sachs & Co. 

James earned a Bachelor of Finance degree from Western Illinois University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, both with honors. 

Dwight brings 26 years of healthcare business development expertise to Behavioral Health Group. As Chief Development Officer, Dwight is responsible for establishing and fostering key external relationships to successfully enter new markets and expand the company’s presence nationwide via treatment center acquisition, new site development, and real estate. In addition to overseeing acquisitions, he has provided leadership for BHG’s many infrastructure improvement projects. 

Before joining BHG, Dwight served as Vice President of Business Development with Alliance Oncology, where he led the oncology division’s strategy of acquiring community cancer centers and partnering with hospital-based cancer centers. Prior to his position with Alliance, Dwight led all the business development activities for Global Physics Solutions (including sales strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and product offerings) as Vice President of Business Development. Prior to Global Physics, Dwight spent 14+ years with US Oncology in various roles, including Vice President of Physician Development, where he established the internal physician recruiting department and led in market acquisitions. 

Dr. Nordstrom is a Board-Certified Addiction Psychiatrist. Prior to coming to BHG, he was on the faculty of the medical schools of Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania, where he led addiction treatment services and taught at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate level.  

Dr. Nordstrom was previously the Chief Clinical Officer and later the CEO of Phoenix House, a national provider of addiction treatment services. He served on the ASAM committee that generated National Practice Guidelines for the use of medications in the treatment of opioid use disorder and was a co-leader of the quality improvement learning collaboratives as part of the state of Vermont’s Hub and Spoke initiative. In addition, Dr. Nordstrom has deployed twice as a psychiatrist with the Army Reserves.  

He received his medical degree from Dartmouth, his PhD in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed his psychiatry and addiction psychiatry training at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. 

Dr. Kamala Greene Génecé is a New York state licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience in addiction treatment and cognitive-behavioral therapy for co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Boston University and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center, with post-doctoral work at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.  

Dr. Génecé has extensive experience teaching and supervising graduate students, psychiatry residents, and Addiction Fellows in disseminating cognitive-behavioral treatments. She has also conducted specialized training in motivational interviewing and family therapy techniques.  

Before joining BHG, Dr. Génecé was a Principal Consultant at Health Management Associates where she provided clinical and administrative support to behavioral health agencies. She helped implement evidence-based practices, assessed substance abuse treatment system capacity and developed strategic plans for program improvement.  

Dr. Génecé served as Vice President of System Innovation & Quality at the Partnership to End Addiction, Chief Clinical Officer of Phoenix Houses NY/LI, Deputy Director of the Division of Substance Abuse, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center. At Montefiore, she was the Chair of the Quality Committee and provided administrative and clinical leadership to over 200 staff members, serving 3000 OTP patients annually. Additionally, she was the Administrative Director of Addiction Treatments at Bronx Lebanon Health Center, overseeing multiple levels of care.  

Russell Goin has 20+ years of progressive Human Resources experience and an extensive background in Human Capital and Talent Management. As the Chief People Officer, he is focused on ensuring BHG has the human capital to achieve business objectives by acquiring, rewarding, engaging, and developing exceptional talent. Russell is proud to take part in such purposeful work focused on restoring lives and strengthening communities through real, life-changing recovery. This work is done through advancing a culture and values that include Hope, Respect, and Caring. 
 
Russell possesses experience in a variety of industries, strategic planning, transformation, driving cultural change, and mergers and acquisitions at both public and private companies. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Texas Tech University, an MBA from The University of Texas at Dallas, and enjoys serving the community through non-profit boards. 

With over 20 years of experience in healthcare sales and marketing, Angela Valchine is an expert in growth strategy, new business development, and building efficient teams. Angela received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oakland University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She now serves as the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BHG where she focuses on increasing referrals and market share to ensure patients receive the full spectrum of evidence-based opioid recovery care.   

Before joining BHG, she held senior roles at Happier Living, GenesisCare, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America, now known as City of Hope. Her diverse background highlights her expertise in physician relations and healthcare strategy with a track record of successfully building and executing growth strategies that drive thousands of patients annually.   

Angela is a passionate and results-oriented leader who strives to make a positive impact on people's lives. Her mission is to disrupt markets and drive results by creating value for physicians, patients, and partners while continuing to learn, grow, and innovate in the dynamic and evolving healthcare industry.  

Jaimee McGuire has more than 35 years of experience in the medical field, specifically as a registered nurse and family nurse practitioner.  Jaimee is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner and obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from Missouri State University in 2009 and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Chatham University in 2010.  As the Chief Compliance Officer for Behavioral Health Group, Jaimee works closely with all functional areas of the organization to ensure all team members function within the guiding laws and regulations, allowing for the provision of safe and effective patient care.  Jaimee is Certified in Healthcare Compliance through the Healthcare Compliance Association. 

Jaimee has been with Behavioral Health Group since 2012 and has held various roles within the organization prior to becoming the Chief Compliance Officer, including Nurse Practitioner, Program Director, and Director of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs.  In addition to her role as Chief Compliance Officer, Jaimee also serves as the organization’s Privacy Officer and holds certification as a Privacy and Security Expert.

Marlin Martin serves as the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Behavioral Health Group (BHG), where he has been a cornerstone of the organization for over a decade. His expertise and dedication to regulatory excellence has played a pivotal role in shaping BHG’s success and ensuring its growth and compliance.  

An esteemed alumnus of Missouri State University, Marlin's academic background provided a solid foundation for his career in behavioral health. In addition, Marlin holds a Certification in Healthcare Compliance and is a proud HIPPA Privacy and Security Expert. His adept knowledge of legal and clinical frameworks has consistently reinforced the organization’s commitment to delivering superior care.  

Marlin is responsible for overseeing all operations to meet the rigorous standards set by referral, state, and local authorities, while also ensuring the highest quality of clinical practices. His extensive knowledge and strategic oversight have been imperative in maintaining the credibility and continued success of BHG. His leadership ensures that the organization not only meets but exceeds compliance requirements, benefiting patients and communities. 

As Chief Revenue Officer for BHG, Charles has responsibility over the revenue cycle functions of BHG’s Opioid Treatment Centers and OBOT clinics.  Charles brings nearly 20 years of experience in revenue cycle operations, healthcare informatics, managed care, patient access services, healthcare finance, EMR systems and M&A. Charles holds degrees in Finance from Baylor University and Southern Methodist University. Prior to joining BHG, Charles has held senior leadership roles in Revenue Cycle and Finance capacities with Meridian Medical Management (CareCloud), NorthStar Anesthesia, Parkland Hospital, and Zotec Partners. 

Paul brings over 25 years of leadership, strategy, and transformation in IT. As the CTO, Paul is responsible for all technology, data, security and support of BHG’s information systems. Prior to BHG, Paul spent most of his career in the behavioral health sector in NYC and a short time in the education sector in Texas. He has implemented and managed several EHR systems, digitization of organizations and led the implementation of HIPAA Security and HITECH programs. 
 
Paul holds a BS in Business Administration from the University at Buffalo and an MBA in Quantitative Analysis/Computer Information Systems from St. John’s University. 

Amanda Karistai joined the team at BHG New Orleans Westbank in 2012. She has held several roles within the organization and now serves as Vice President of Operations. Amanda received her MSW from Tulane University and MBA from Louisiana State University, and is currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board Approved Clinical Supervisor. Amanda is dedicated to enhanced patient care, internal leadership development, and achieving operational excellence across the organization. 

Matt Broussard serves as the Area Vice President of Operations for the South Central Region at Behavioral Health Group (BHG), where he leverages his extensive expertise and leadership skills to drive excellence across operations. With a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) from Texas Woman's University, Matt brings a well-rounded educational background to his role.  

Matt’s thorough experience in both business administration and management allows him to integrate strategic insights with effective business practices. His dedication to patient care and operational excellence ensures that BHG continues to provide top-tier behavioral health services to those that we serve. 

Paige Hendrickson began her professional career in behavioral healthcare and has over a decade of experience in operational health care leadership, with a strong focus on addiction medicine. Her accomplished career has been focused on driving initiatives for organizational growth and standardizing operations. She holds a Master Health Administration (MHA) from Western Kentucky University.  

Paige held leadership positions with several private equity-backed health care companies. She previously served as Vice President of Health Services with a private Correctional Organization, where she was responsible for promoting quality of care standards. As a member of the executive team, Paige also focused on reducing staffing turnover, improving quality scores, and managing key performance indicators (KPIs). 

Damian Walker serves as the Area Vice President of Operations for the Western Region at BHG, bringing extensive expertise in business operations and strategic leadership. With a proven track record in financial management, staffing, and performance optimization, he is committed to creating a positive impact on both the organization and its patients. 

Damian holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies & Economics from the University of Kansas and an MBA from the University of Denver, providing him with a strong foundation for success. His leadership will drive BHG's mission to provide exceptional, patient-centered care, helping individuals achieve sustainable recovery through operational excellence across the Western Region.

John brings more than 25 years of Accounting and Finance expertise to BHG. As Vice President of Finance, John is responsible for all aspects of financial reporting, treasury management, debt compliance and external financial audits. He also provides strategic guidance across multiple corporate functions, including budgeting and forecasting, integration of acquisitions, and business insurance. Prior to joining BHG, John held various leadership positions at companies in the manufacturing, consumer products, and oil and gas industries. He began his career at Ernst & Young in its assurance and advisory practice. John is a Certified Public Accountant licensed by the State of Texas.