Advisory Board
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Dr. Sam MacMaster,
MSSW, PhD.
Dr. Samuel A. MacMaster is a distinguished expert in the behavioral health field, with over three decades of experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating substance use and mental health treatment services. His work has significantly impacted both national and international communities, focusing on innovative approaches to meet the needs of underserved populations.​Dr. MacMaster co-founded a behavioral health company where he served as Chief Clinical Officer. He has also held executive-level positions in two other large national treatment organizations, where he drove significant growth and quality improvements in clinical programming.
Dr. Sandra J. Gonzalez, MSSW, Ph.D.
Sandra J. Gonzalez, PhD, LCSW is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Dr. Gonzalez has nearly 25 years of experience in the behavioral health field, serving in various capacities including clinician, educator, and researcher. Throughout her career, she has provided direct psychotherapy services to youth and adults in outpatient and primary care settings and is a staunch proponent of mental health and substance use disorder parity. She is an experienced grant writer and has served as Project Director, Co-Investigator, Clinical Consultant, and Evaluator on numerous federally funded grant projects. Dr. Gonzalez earned a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, an MSSW from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Austin Peay State University.
Dr. Stephen Loyd, MD.
Dr. Stephen Loyd is an Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine physician with a distinguished career in substance abuse services. He served as Tennessee's Assistant Commissioner for Substance Abuse Services, earning recognition as an Advocate for Action by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. An expert witness in prescription cases, Dr. Loyd has significantly influenced Tennessee's pain treatment practices, especially for opioid-dependent pregnant women. His work spans drug courts, anti-drug coalitions, and law enforcement, and he inspired a character in the series "Dopesick." Currently, he is the Chief Medical Officer at Cedar Recovery and chairs the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council.
Dr. Gregory Washington, LCSW, Ph.D.
Gregory Washington, LCSW, Ph.D. is currently Full Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Memphis and Director of the Center for the Advancement and Youth Development (CAYD). He also is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW that works as a community clinical practitioner and has practiced as an individual, family, and group therapist in Illinois, Georgia, Arkansas, and Tennessee. He has served on the evaluation team of several Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) funded projects in Tennessee. His research interests include culturally
centered empowerment methods, and the risk and protective factors associated with youth development. A major goal of his work is to identify and promote the use of innovative culturally centered group interventions that reduce risk for disparities in behavioral health and incarceration outcomes among young people of color. Dr. Washington has published several peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters and spoken at professional meetings nationally and internationally. He also continues to facilitate professional in-service training, mentor training workshops, men′s health
workshops, and youth and community development workshops around the country.
Dr. Bryan Heckman, Ph.D.
Bryan is an accomplished researcher in Human Behavior and Addiction Psychology. He is an Assistant Professor at Meharry Medical College, CEO of a digital healthcare company, and Founder/Director of the Tobacco Control Innovations Foundation. He was asked to lead SRNT's mHealth work group and is establishing guidelines for proper mHealth research conduct. He has an ongoing longitudinal dataset of all smoking cessation apps available on iOS and Android. His mission is to further health equity by conducting meaningful research and implementing impactful interventions that foster equity in communities, policy, and education, especially at minority-serving institutes (MSIs)
Dr. Lori Holleran Steiker, Ph.D
Dr. Lori Holleran Steiker, in long-term recovery since 1987, is the Associate Dean of Student Engagement, Success, and Wellness at the University of Texas at Austin and the Steve Hicks Professor of Addictions, Recovery, and Substance Abuse Services. She is also the Associate Director of the UT Addictions Research Institute. Since 1989, she has researched substance use, focusing on prevention and intervention among youth. Notable projects include the Drug Resistance Strategies Minority Project and her NIDA-funded K01 grant. Dr. Holleran Steiker helped establish the UT Center for Students in Recovery and founded University High School, a recovery high school. She co-created Operation Naloxone and serves on several boards, including the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council.
Dr. Alycia DeGraff PhD, LMFT-S.
Dr. DeGraff specializes in working with professionals including counselors/therapists, doctors, nurses, academics, business owners/executives, first responders, and military members/veterans. She understands that the same traits that make professionals successful (e.g., highly intelligent, over-analyzing, leadership skills, charisma, etc.) can be the same traits that get and keep folks stuck. Drawing from her experience as a professor, researcher, and supervisor, you can trust that your care will be modern and of high quality. Dr. DeGraff aims to promote growth via new experiences that break down rigidity and increase connection to self and others.​
Dr. Brune teaches graduate courses at AT Still University and the University of North Texas, covering topics like LTC Financial Administration, Healthcare Delivery Systems, and LTC Leadership-Culture Change.
Dr. Kendell Brune
Ph.D
Dr. Kendall Brune is a pioneering figure in elderly healthcare delivery, holding a doctorate in healthcare administration and recognized as a Fellow by the American College of Healthcare Administrators. He authored three key books for the senior care industry and was an early researcher and implementer of the "Eden Alternative" culture change movement in Missouri. With over 35 years as a licensed administrator, Kendall has improved resident-centered care across various levels, from independent senior housing to skilled nursing facilities, and developed 2 successful Senior Communities.
Dr. Brune teaches graduate courses at AT Still University and the University of North Texas, covering topics like LTC Financial Administration, Healthcare Delivery Systems, and LTC Leadership-Culture Change.
Dr. Cayce Watson, LAPSW
Dr. Cayce Watson is a Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker in Tennessee with over 20 years of experience. She holds a B.S. in Social Work from Lipscomb University, an MSSW from The University of Tennessee, and a Doctorate in Social Work Practice from The University of Alabama. Dr. Watson has been in higher education since 2010, joining Lipscomb's faculty in 2011, where she taught and coordinated the Field Education Program until 2021. Her clinical practice includes work with adolescents, families, and adults at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, and she has coordinated research on behavioral health and substance misuse, focusing on pregnant women with opioid use disorder.
Currently, Dr. Watson is a Building Strong Brains Trainer with the Resilient Tennessee Collaborative and recently served as Co-Chair of the Tennessee Statewide Field Consortium.
Xavier Justice,
CPES-E, LCADC, CCS
Xavier Justice is a veteran of the United States Army. Mr. Justice holds a graduate degree in counseling and is currently matriculating in a doctorate program with an emphasis in Traumatology. Mr. Justice is an international, national, and state recognized addictions specialist and clinical supervisor. He is a subject matter expert in behavioral health and has experience and holds credentials at the supervisor-educator levels in forensic counseling, forensic peer recovery, public and community health, mediation, clinical traumatology, clinical pastoral education, psychiatric rehabilitation, group therapy, and clinical supervision.
Dr. Lauren Mitchell, PhD, M.S.
Lauren Mitchell is a researcher and direct care practitioner with a current appointment as a Lecturer in the Vanderbilt University Department of English and through the Columbia University Narrative Medicine Certificate of Professional Achievement Program. She has recently published in Configurations, Departures in Critical Qualitative Interventions, and The Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, and has held a faculty position at Texas Christian University. She is also pursuing a Master's in Social Work at the University of Tennessee at this time.
Dr. Ryan Edgerton
Ph.D
Dr. Ryan Edgerton has worked as an epidemiologist for the past 7 years working in substance abuse prevention, treatment, and harm reduction research. Recently completing his PhD in health and behavioral economics his research includes harm reduction, drug user health, and healthcare policy. He has worked as the lead evaluator for multiple SAMHSA funded projects focusing on substance use treatment and prevention, a CDC funded project focusing on linking people who
use drugs to HIV prevention medication, an Office of Minority Health funded project identifying the benefits of low-threshold buprenorphine treatment centers.
Siobhan A. Morse, MHSA, CRC, CAI, MAC
As Product Director for Addiction Services in a Fortune 500 healthcare company, Siobhan Morse is charged with spearheading the research, clinical operations management and new product development focusing on substance use disorder treatment. Ms. Morse holds a Master’s degree in health services administration and is certified as a Master Addiction Counselor, Clinical Research Coordinator and ARISE Interventionist. She regularly presents original research worldwide, has published multiple articles in peer reviewed scientific journals, and conducts education within the addiction services network. She contributed a chapter highlighting her lived experience with substance use disorder, trauma and mental health to the book, Breakthrough, which later won a Book Excellence Award. In recognition of her dedicated work to support Americans who are in or seeking recovery, Ms. Morse was presented a Presidential Proclamation in 2020 by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and Bureau of Justice Administration.
Dr. Orisha A. Bowers,
Ph.D.
Orisha A. Bowers holds a BFA, two MA degrees, a MEd, a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Women and Gender Studies, a Certificate in Complementary Alternative Medicine, and a Certificate and Licensure in Chapliancy. Orisha has over 25 years of experience in social services, nonprofit leadership, grants management, program design, and civic leadership. Orisha’s life work is centered on intentionally merging women’s studies, education, interdisciplinarity and creativity, spirituality, healing, wellness, and movement. She uses scholarship and vocation to do healing work in communities of color in reproductive health, women’s issues, and communities of faith. Orisha, an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church. She combines a spiritual focus with the therapeutic disciplines of mindfulness dancing to offer dynamic Dancing Mindfulness and other healing practices across the U.S. and abroad.
Allison Wilhelm,
MPH
Allison Wilhelm has been an Epidemiologist specializing in HIV, STIs, and harm reduction since 2016. Ms. Wilhelm’s work has concentrated on program evaluation, including evaluating state-approved syringe services program outcomes, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Navigation program outcomes, and most recently working on a CDC-funded implementation science research grant focused on linking people who inject drugs (PWID) to HIV prevention services. Prior to her role as an Epidemiologist, Ms. Wilhelm served as a Disease Intervention Specialist, where she conducted HIV and STI case investigations, primarily in response to an HIV outbreak among PWID. At the core of her work, she believes that behind every data point is a person with a story, and is driven by the responsibility to honor and understand those human experiences.
Jeri Wheeler, MS, NCC, CRC
Tricia Christensen, MPP
Jeri Wheeler is a strategic healthcare leader with a passion for improving systems of care through innovation, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making. She brings over a decade of experience working across the mental health, substance abuse, and behavioral health fields, leading complex initiatives focused on quality improvement, access to care, and sustainable growth.
With a background in healthcare outcomes research and mental health counseling, her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and shared at national conferences. Jeri holds a Master’s in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Georgia Tech, along with certifications as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).
Tricia Christensen is a harm reduction expert with varied experience working in positions of direct service provision, research, public policy, and advocacy. She has demonstrated expertise at the intersection of overdose, HIV, and viral hepatitis, and has dedicated her career to advocating for the health and rights of people who use drugs through broad coalition building. She has worked with stakeholders from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and from rural, urban, and suburban areas, including serving as a Peace Corps volunteer (Morocco ‘11-’13), consulting for national organizations, and working closely with community-based organizations to stand up programs for low-barrier access to naloxone, syringes and other life-saving supplies. Tricia is a national opioid settlement expert and believes those funds should be prioritized for evidence-based, public health interventions to save lives and heal communities from decades of regressive drug policies.
Administrative Team
Logan Terry
Director of Program Evaluation & Development
Logan Terry is the Director of Operations at the National Institute for Behavioral Health, where he brings his unwavering commitment to making a difference in the lives of individuals struggling with substance use disorder. With a career spanning since 2018 in the treatment and recovery housing industry, Logan's dedication to recovery is evident in every facet of his work.
​As the Founder and Executive Director of Old Hickory Recovery Homes, a subsidiary of the Keith Dixon Foundation in Nashville, Tennessee, Logan has created a haven for individuals seeking sobriety. His leadership embodies a compassionate, holistic approach to recovery, ensuring that residents receive comprehensive and effective support. His commitment extends further as he serves on the boards of two other nonprofits focused on providing direct assistance to individuals struggling with substance use disorder and their families.
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Nick Talmo
Director of Community Relations
Nick Talmo is the Director of Client Relations at National Institute for Behavioral Health where he leverages his extensive expertise in program development to support mental health and substance abuse treatment programs, non-profits, recovery housing organizations, and other treatment agencies. With a commitment to operational excellence, Nick ensures that every project runs smoothly and efficiently, driving the success of the organizations he supports.​ In addition to his role at NIBH, Nick is the Co Founder of Old Hickory Recovery Homes and Chief Operating Officer for RCN Treatment Center. His passion for making a difference in the lives of those facing substance use disorder is evident in his dedication to operational excellence and effective management.​ With six years of experience in substance use and mental health, Nick brings a wealth of knowledge to NIBH. His dedication to improving the recovery journey is at the core of his work, ensuring that clients receive the best possible care and support.