Andrew J. Schreier, Director of Clinical Services/ICS, LPC, CSAC, BACC, ICGC-II
Andrew J. Schreier is an Independent Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Approved Clinical Consultant, and International Certified Gambling Counselor - II. Mr. Schreier graduated from Ottawa University with a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Human Services. He is the Director of Clinical Services in Wisconsin for Community Medical Services that provides medicated-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. He provides oversight and guidance for all clinical and behavior health services. Mr. Schreier also works at New Life Resources, Inc. that provides individual counseling/therapy, children and adolescent services, couples/marital counseling, group therapy, and consultation. Experience over the years include working in group home, halfway house, residential, medicated-assisted treatment, and outpatient treatment settings. He presents on various topics related to substance use and mental health.Email Address: andrew.schreier@cmsgiveshope.com
Daniel Trolaro, VP Prevention - US
Daniel Trolaro, MS in Psychology, is the Vice President of Prevention in the US for EPIC Risk Management. Dan has worked with stakeholders in over 35 states and has delivered hundreds of workshops, trainings, and keynote presentations around the country centered on prevention, education, and emerging trends in the world of sports betting, gaming and internet gambling. Having started his journey of recovery from gambling addiction on Feb 11, 2010, Dan has shared his story on the You Tube Channel, Soft White Underbelly by Mark Laita and co-hosts a 30 minute podcast and weekly radio show across the country called, “Hello My Name Is Craig” with fellow gambler in recovery and morning National TV host on Fox Sports, Craig Carton. Dan has 3 kids, 2 of whom are first year college students and one in 8th grade.Email Address: dtrolaro@epicriskmanagement.com
Zina Rodriguez, MSW, MCAP, CDE
Zina is a social worker, certified addiction professional and a certified diversity executive. She collaborates with organizations on the development of transformational DEIB strategies that align with their mission and values. Zina has over 25 years of experience and has held senior leadership roles for national and global behavioral health care companies. She is a global speaker on topics related to culturally inclusive treatment, diversity, equity and inclusion in health care. She is passionate about co- creating inviting, intentional and inclusive healing spaces for individuals to achieve wellness while creating pathways for success for individuals from underrepresented communities. Zina serves as a Board Member for the National Association of Treatment Providers, Young People in Recovery, C4 Foundation and is the Chairperson for the Brain Love Foundation. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work and holds a MSW from Fordham University and a BSW degree from Rutgers University.Website: zndconsulting.com
Rebecca Cooper, LCSW
Rebecca Cooper is a licensed social worker and currently is the Director of the Bureau of Problem Gambling at OASAS. She has been working in the addictions field for 32 years. For the last 18 years, she has worked at OASAS in various positions related to the regulatory, Medicaid managed care, prevention, credentialing, and clinical implementation of addiction services. During her time at OASAS she has been involved in problem gambling oversight and implementation of services in various capacities. Prior to her career at OASAS, Rebecca was the Program Director for the Center for Problem Gambling in Albany, NY and worked in both outpatient and inpatient OASAS certified programs. She has been in private practice part time for the last 14 years.
Chelsea Kehrli (she/her/hers), Youth/Young Adult Education & Training Coordinator, CRPA, CARC
Today, Chelsea is grateful for the opportunity to be the person that she needed when she was younger. She is currently the Youth and Young Adult Education & Training Coordinator for Youth Voices Matter, NY where she gets to use her lived experience to promote courageous conversations, and encourage young people to bring their best selves to the table while embracing their autonomy.Email Address: ckehrli@for-ny.org
Jessica L. Martin, Ph.D.
Jessica L. Martin, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, Associate Director for the Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research, a Senior Research Associate for the Research Foundation for SUNY, and a Research Fellow for the School of Education at the University at Albany-SUNY. She also maintains a small private practice. Dr. Martin’s research expertise is in substance use, health-risk, and addictive behaviors among young adults and college students.Email Address: jlmartin@albany.edu
Craig W. Johnson, LMHC, Master CASAC-G
Mr. Johnson has been providing counseling to individuals and families struggling with gambling for over 15 years.Email Address: mindevolutionny@hotmail.com
M. Dolores Cimini, Ph.D. Director, Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research and Senior Research Scientist
Dr. M. Dolores Cimini is a New York State licensed psychologist and Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research at the University at Albany, SUNY. She has also served as the Director of the nationally recognized Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program. Dr. Cimini has led comprehensive efforts in research-to-practice translation at the University at Albany for the past 30 years with over $15 Million in support from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, and New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. The screening and brief intervention program developed by Dr. Cimini, the STEPS Comprehensive Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Program, has earned 13 national awards for best practices and innovation in behavioral health care. Dr. Cimini has co-edited two books, including a volume focused on college student health and well-being entitled Promoting Behavioral Health and reducing Risk Among College Students: A Comprehensive Approach (2018) and Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Substance Use: A Practitioner’s Guide 2020).School of Education: University at Albany
Email Address: dcimini@albany.edu
Paige Lorette, LMHC; Training & Postvention Coordinator
Paige has been in the field of mental health for over 10 years. After completing a Masters in Counseling and Community Psychology, she worked in prevention with the juvenile justice population and began clinical work as a Functional Family Therapist in Schenectady County. She then moved to an outpatient school-based clinic for elementary-age students in the Saratoga area, and then as the director of an Assertive Community Treatment Team in the capital region, working with adults diagnosed with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness. She started her work with SPCNY as the Training and Postvention Coordinator in the Summer of 2022.
Email Address: Paige.Lorette@omh.ny.gov
Jessica McCarthy, New York Council on Problem Gambling
Jessica McCarthy is part of the New York Council on Problem Gambling team. Jessica has been serving New Yorkers in the prevention field for over 5 years as a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor trainee and is a Credentialed Prevention Professional with a specialty in gambling.Email Address: jmccarthy@nycpg.org
Rachel Volberg, PhD
Rachel Volberg has been involved in epidemiological research on gambling and problem gambling since 1985 and has directed or consulted on numerous gambling studies throughout the world. In 1988, Volberg was the first investigator to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health to study the prevalence of problem gambling in the general population. Dr. Volberg has directed or consulted on numerous studies internationally, published extensively, and advised governments and private sector organizations on issues relating to gambling legalization, the epidemiology of problem gambling and public policy approaches to developing and refining services for problem gamblers and their families. She is currently the Principal Investigator on a large, multidisciplinary study funded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, titled Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA), which has been underway since 2013.Email Address: rvolberg@geminiresearch.com
Lawrence T. Force, Ph.D., LCSW-R
Lawrence T. Force, Ph.D., LCSW-R is a Founder and Chief Clinical Officer with the National Organization of Adult Addictions and Recovery (NOAAR) and has 35 years’ experience as a practitioner, academician, administrator, and researcher in the public, non-profit and private sector. He specializes in aging, psychiatric disorders, mental health and wellness, addictions across the lifespan. Dr. Force, a professor of psychology, Director of the Center on Aging and DIS-Ability Policy at Mount Saint Mary College and is the founder of AgePlan, a national advocacy and training organization.Email Address: drforce@icloud.com
Jim Ball, CCAR-RCA, CRPA, CASAC-T
Jim Ball is the Director of Peer Service for Mental Health of America of Dutchess County. In his role he has been able to grow the peer program staff to 40 certified peers. Jim is the Founder and COO of the National Organization of Adult Addiction and Recovery (NOAAR). The mission of NOAAR is to treat, prevent and raise awareness of addiction in adults, midlife and beyond.
Shirley Hoak, ICGC-II, CFRA, CPRS
Shirley Hoak, JD, ICGC-II, CFRA, CPRS is an Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor II and Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. She is currently the Peer Services Coordinator for Problem Gambling Services Rhode Island. She has worked in gambling specific treatment programs for the past 12 years and is a person in long term recovery. She brings a unique perspective of lived experience, treatment and recovery to her work. She has presented at National, Regional and State Conferences. She maintains an individual caseload and facilitates early and long term recovery groups and has recently completed a Certified First Responders counseling course to bring to her work with first responders.Email Address: shoak.pgps@gmail.com
Jonathan Crandall, BSW, CRPA, VSR
Jonathan Crandall is the Veteran Outreach Coordinator for the NY Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG). Jonathan served eight years in the military and received his Bachelor of Social Work degree from Keuka College.Email Address: jcrandall@nycpg.org
Dani Koulermos, LCAT-P
Dani Koulermos is a U.S. Army Veteran who served as a Military Police Officer from 2012 to 2016, both stateside and overseas. After her honorable discharge, she pursued a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Art Therapy from Long Island University, focusing on PTSD and MST, and graduated with dual honors. Currently, she is a Primary Counselor at Outreach Recovery Center's Veterans Track in Brentwood, working towards her New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist certification. She specializes in art therapy for trauma processing and recovery from substance abuse, particularly for veterans with PTS and SUD. Dani manages a caseload including homeless populations and runs multiple therapy groups, including Creative Solutions in Recovery Art Therapy and Grief and Loss in this setting. Dani also conducts an online Military Sexual Trauma webinar series, advocating and educating about MST. She is involved in several initiatives, including the Resource Coalition at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Veterans Suicide Coalition. She served on the Suffolk County Women’s Advisory Commission from 2020-2022 and was honored in 2023 for her military duty, leadership, and community service.Email Address: veteranvibes1775@gmail.com
Heather Chapman, Ph.D., ICGCII, BACC
Dr. Heather Chapman is a clinical psychologist, a National Certified Gambling Counselor and Board Certified Clinical Consultant for the National Council on Problem Gambling, a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council on Problem Gambling. She is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University, Deputy Director of the Veterans Addiction Recovery Center and the Director of the Gambling Treatment Program at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, the leader of gambling treatment, training consultation and research for the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. After 30 years of work in the gambling field, Dr. Chapman was recently honored by the National Council on Problem Gambling with The Robert Custer Lifetime Award for Direct Service. Dr. Chapman’s aim is as a research practitioner, helping people struggling with gambling, developing interactive, and dynamic tools to assist and maintain change.Email Address: heather.chapman@va.gov
Mara Mendicino, CASAC II - G, SAP
Mara is a Certified Alcohol &Substance abuse counselor with a specialty in Gambling Disorder. She is also a Substance Abuse Professional for Clarkstown NY, and is a board member of the New York Counsel on Problem Gambling. Mara holds a Life Coach Certificate toward helping folks with life stressors, and motivating them toward a life that brings them happiness.Mara has been working for Lexington Center for Recovery for the last 15 years . She is a counselor ,helping men and women who struggle with substance abuse .She also runs the gambling program in Rockland and Westchester Counties, including helping gamblers, and their family members, toward education , prevention ,and understanding how gambling can negatively effect their lives, and the lives of their families.
Mara is compassionate and caring ,and enjoys spending time with family and friends . She has been married for 35 years to her high school sweetheart, had has 2 beautiful daughters who are a clinical social worker and managing the HR department for the American Dream mall.
Email Address: mmendicino@lexingtonctr.org
Brenda Harris-Collins, Director, Recovery Bureau, NYS OASAS
Brenda Harris-Collins works in the Division of Addiction Treatment and Recovery (ATAR) for New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). Brenda is the Director of the Recovery Bureau where she oversees New York States Recovery Community Outreach Centers (RCOC’s), Peer Integration, Peer Engagement Specialist services, the proposed regulation for the voluntary certification of Recovery Residences, Recovery Ready Workplace development and the overall NYS recovery agenda. She is working diligently in her position to assure that Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) and Recovery Support Services continue to flourish in the State of New York. Brenda is a Trauma Informed Care Champion and, on the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council at NYS OASAS promoting the transformation of OASAS and the provider system. Brenda brings to the Recovery Bureau 36 plus years in the field of Addiction, 15 years focusing on ROSC and being a Recovery Coach for approximately 13 years. Brenda is a family member in recovery and is passionate about recovery services for women and faith as a pathway to recovery.Email Address: Brenda.Harris-Collins@oasas.ny.gov
Barbara Tabala, BBA, CASAC-G, Advanced
Barbara Tabala is the Director of Dutchess County and Sullivan Satellite Programs for the Lexington Center for Recovery. She has extensive outpatient treatment experience with adult SUD and problem gambling clientele and their families.Email Address: btabala@lexingtonctr.org
