May 31, 2023
"Substance use and mental health conditions are worsening. More insights and resources are needed to expand behavioral health services access." – Arla Lach, Chair, Gateway Foundation Board of Directors
CHICAGO, IL -- Gateway Foundation, one of the United States's largest, longest-running addiction treatment non-profit announces the appointment of six new members to its Board of Directors. This comes on the heels of announcing its new President and CEO in January, 2023.
Gateway Foundation - Chicago Independence
Gateway Foundation - Lake Villa
Arla Lach, Chair of the Gateway Foundation Board of Directors, states, "Each of these six individuals has the expertise to further strengthen our resources and capabilities to ensure Gateway fulfills its addiction recovery mission in over 100 locations nationwide. These professionals bring the necessary skills to make Gateway even more effective – especially now, when the need for substance use disorder treatment and co-occurring mental health challenges are so profound."
"We are focused on building up our workforce, facilities, and systems for Gateway Foundation to play an even larger role in meeting unmet behavioral health needs," says Jeremy Klemanski, Gateway Foundation's new President and CEO. "Further strengthening an already impressive Board is an important part of that growth."
Klemanski adds, "The future of behavioral health care is about access and quality. Without access, people are dying. Without quality, people won't receive the care they deserve. Gateway Foundation is in the process of conducting an agency-wide review of its resources. We have plans to invest substantial funds to further support our workforce, as well as improve our systems and facilities. In just the past quarter we have invested and/or committed over $10 million towards those efforts."
The new Gateway Foundation Board Members include:
Melanie Barnes, CPA and Partner In Charge – For-Profit Assurance at Sikich LLP. With over 17 years of public accounting and industry experience, Barnes has in-depth experience in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures on the client advisory side and in an industry role. Prior to Sikich, she worked at a global accounting firm in audit services and at Navistar in technical accounting and finance business transformation.
Justin Dearborn, C.P.A., J.D., and CEO of PatientBond. Dearborn's been an executive officer of three publicly traded companies spanning 25 years – including now at PatientBond, a digital healthcare engagement platform. Dearborn holds a B.S. in Accounting from Illinois State University and a J.D. from DePaul University.
Paula A. Elliott, Vice-President of Impact Advisors. Elliot is a seasoned healthcare executive with broad experience in organizational change and performance excellence. For over 30 years she's developed and executed strategies to help healthcare organizations improve operations and achieve better patient outcomes.
Mark A Frey, Former CEO of Alexian Brothers/Amita Health. During his 20+ year CEO tenure, he oversaw the merger of all Presence Hospitals and senior living facilities into Ascension Living and Amita Health – the largest hospital system merger ever in Illinois.
J. Simone Jones, J.D., M.P.H., Environmental Law Partner at Sidley Austin LLP. Jones leverages her prior multi-national healthcare work experience in representing pharmaceutical companies. Jones maintains an active pro bono law practice and was awarded the award for "Excellence in Pro Bono Service" by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Jones is also the recipient of the Thomas H. Morsch Award for Pro Bono Achievement and the Vincent F. Prada Pro Bono Award.
Benjamin R. Younger, CPA, Midwest Territory Leader for Riveron Consulting. Younger is responsible for client development, relationship management, market strategy, and expansion of Riveron in the Midwest. Younger has over 25 years of experience in advising private equity sponsors, C-suite executives, and boards of directors regarding complex accounting matters, acquisitions, divestitures, and business transformation initiatives.
About Gateway Foundation: Gateway Foundation is one of the nation's largest providers of behavioral health services for clients diagnosed with co-occurring mental health disorders. For over 50 years, Gateway Foundation's professional clinicians helped one million families recover from substance use disorders by developing personalized plans to treat the underlying causes of their addiction. 24-hour hotline 855-925-GATE (4283) | www.gatewayfoundation.org
