Marvin Ventrell (he/him) became the CEO of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) in 2015, continuing his 30-year career as a practicing lawyer, association director, teacher, and addiction treatment executive. NAATP, founded in 1978, is a professional membership association of addiction treatment providers whose mission is to provide leadership, advocacy, training, and member support services to ensure the equitable availability and highest quality of addiction treatment.
Mr. Ventrell’s career has been devoted to advocating for populations in need and building legal and health care system responses to meet those needs. In addition to serving in executive leadership roles in several national social welfare and justice agencies, he has authored two textbooks on law and social justice, book chapters and professional articles on law, medicine, social services, behavioral health, and addiction treatment and recovery. He is a frequent lecturer at treatment programs, conferences, universities, and agencies throughout the country.
Prior to joining NAATP, Mr. Ventrell served as Program Director at Harmony Foundation and as a consultant to CeDAR at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, both Colorado based addiction treatment programs. He served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has received numerous distinctions including the American Bar Association National Advocacy Award, the National Council of Juvenile Court Judges Meritorious Service to the Children of America Award, the University of Colorado School of Medicine Kempe Award, and the Ashley Innovator Award given for impact in the field of recovery through innovation, commitment, and dynamic thinking. Mr. Ventrell’s focus while leading NAATP has been to secure the place of addiction treatment in health care through the establishment of treatment program professionalism, integrity, and evidence-based efficacy.
