Meet the Board of Governors for Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School

By Ginger Plumbo

The Board of Governors for the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School meets every semester to guide the school’s operations. It is chaired by retired Illinois Judge Susan Fox Gillis.

Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School is proud to have board members with diverse backgrounds, expertise and professional achievements. Here are the newest board members, alphabetically:

Stephen H. Dinwiddie, MD

Dr. Dinwiddie is professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Forensic Psychiatry) at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. In addition, he serves as director of the Division of Psychiatry and the Law and vice chair for Clinical Affairs for the Department of Psychiatry. Previously, Dr. Dinwiddie served as medical director of Elgin Mental Health Center, a large public-sector facility in greater Chicago, serving both community and forensic inpatients.

Board-certified in general, forensic, and addiction psychiatry, Dr. Dinwiddie held faculty positions at Washington University in St. Louis, Rosalind Franklin Medical School in Chicago, and the University of Chicago before joining the faculty at Northwestern University in 2011.

Dr. Dinwiddie has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters. Areas of scholarly interest include forensic psychiatry, the genetics of susceptibility to addictive and antisocial behaviors, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychiatric ethics. He completed his internship and residency with the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis, where he participated in research on the genetics of alcoholism and conduct disorder. He received his medical degree from the Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Kevin Doyle, EdD, President and CEO (ex officio)

Dr. Kevin Doyle is a counselor educator and higher education administrator who was named the President/CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School in January 2022. His career has included over 35 years as a licensed professional counselor, clinical supervisor, and non-profit executive. Prior to joining Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, he was a professor in the counselor education program at Longwood University (Farmville, VA), where he also served as chair of the Department of Education and Counseling. Dr. Doyle has served multiple terms as a member of counselor licensing boards and has been highly active in the collegiate recovery movement. He has published widely in counseling professional journals and other publications.

Hon. Susan Fox Gillis, Chair

Honorable Susan Fox Gillis is a retired Associate Judge who sat in the County Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, where she heard a variety of civil cases including mental health commitment and medication trials. She was first elected to the judiciary in 1999 and has been retained every four years since that time. The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Judge Fox Gillis to the Supreme Court’s Executive Committee, the Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice, and as a charter member of the Special Supreme Court Advisory Committee for Justice and Mental Health Planning.

Judge Fox Gillis has held leadership positions in numerous local, state and national organizations. She has been honored by IIT Chicago Kent College of Law as an outstanding young alumna, has received the John Powers Crowley Award from the Lawyers’ Assistance Program and has also received the Golden Gavel Award from CARPLS.

Suzanne Jessee, MA

Suzanne was the founder and CEO of Anew Era TMS, a conglomerate of psychiatric clinics that specialized in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). She is a lifelong entrepreneurial executive. She specializes in developing high performance organizations and e-commerce systems through the implementation of complex data tracking and management systems to monitor all aspects of her operations.

She is expert in building exceptional leadership teams through technical and intellectual skill identification and leadership empowerment strategies.

Suzanne pays great attention to detail in her work environment aesthetics and believes it should naturally inspire ease of positivity and cheerfulness in a solid culture of excellence in performance.

Superior customer service is the cornerstone to her business philosophy and is certain this is the primary element that separates her from her competition.

Suzanne is a 2011 alumna of Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School.

John F. Kelly, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School — the first endowed professor in addiction medicine at Harvard. He is also the founder and director of the Recovery Research Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH. Originally from England, he is one of the world’s foremost leaders in addiction psychology and recovery research.

Dr. Kelly has served as a consultant to U.S. government agencies as well as foreign governments, the United Nations and the World Health Organization. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, chapters, and books in the field of addiction medicine, and was an author on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. He has won numerous lifetime achievements and distinguished scientist awards for his work. His clinical and research endeavors have focused on addiction treatment and the recovery process, mechanisms of behavior change, and reducing related stigma and discrimination.

In 1991, Dr. Kelly’s training began in Center City, Minn., as a student in the Hazelden Counselor Training Program, before it evolved into an accredited Graduate School. From there, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at Tufts University and his doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of California in San Diego. “The quality, mission and values at the heart of Hazelden Betty Ford, as a clinical treatment facility, and the Graduate School, as an educational institution, align with my own values,” said Dr. Kelly, who in his spare time likes to write and perform music. “I had a great training experience at Hazelden years ago and was pleased to see it become an accredited Graduate School about a decade later. I can’t think of a better place to serve as a board member, and I hope we can expand its reach even further to ultimately help more people.”

Lisa Laitman, MA

Laitman is a leader in the collegiate recovery movement. She has recently retired from Rutgers University, where she had worked as the director of alcohol and other drug assistance program since 1983. Laitman also founded Rutgers’ well-known collegiate recovery community, which became a national model. Previously, she was the counseling supervisor in the rehabilitative alcoholism family treatment division of East Orange General Hospital in East Orange, New Jersey, and an aftercare coordinator in the Triple S Detoxification program at Perth Amboy General Hospital in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

Laitman holds a Master of Science in Education & Community Counseling degree from Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Social work from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

Bill Lammers

Before retiring, William (Bill) Lammers served as an organizational resource consultant at WJ Lammers Consulting. The firm specialized in health care and financial strategic direction, corporate governance, process improvement, investment management and federal government agency relations.

Bill’s professional career includes various positions as an accomplished financial and health care consultant. Most recently, he served as health systems advisor for the Office of Healthcare Programs for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, focused on hospitals and nursing homes. Before his government role, Bill served as chief financial officer for a large, multi-state, 13-hospital healthcare system; as a partner in a large regional CPA/Consulting firm; and in a leadership role in a large community hospital. Bill also served his country as an officer in the United States Navy.

A certified public accountant, Bill has undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting and business administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Currently, Bill serves on the board of directors for the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, a nonprofit health, education and arts organization. He previously served on several other DC-based nonprofit organizations including the Institute for Behavior and Health, a highly regarded national thought leader whose mission is to reduce illegal drug use and improve public health, and Active Minds, a collegiate mental health/suicide prevention organization. He is a past board member of REAL Services, Inc., Madison Center and Hospital, and United Health Services. From 2009 through 2018, Bill served on the Hazelden Betty Ford Board of Trustees, including service on the executive committee, investment committee, international task force, and as the finance committee chair.

A resident of Washington D. C., Bill is currently married to Debbie Jackson. He has four adult children — three sons and a daughter — and 10 grandchildren. Bill’s latest personal project was writing and recently publishing his new book, Letters to My Grandchildren. The book includes testimonials from past Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation board members and staff as well as a section where he encourages readers to donate to his philanthropic fund, the Lammers Renewal Center Endowment.

Patricia Lampkin, EdD

Dr. Lampkin recently completed a one-year appointment as interim Vice President of Student Affairs at Northwestern University. Previously, she retired as vice president for student affairs at the University of Virginia, where she worked for 43 years and had oversight of all alcohol and drug prevention and intervention programming among her responsibilities.

In addition, Dr. Lampkin provides educational consulting and executive coaching. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from Marian University, a Master of Education degree from the University of Vermont, and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Virginia.

Joseph Lee, MD, President and CEO, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation (ex officio)

Dr. Joseph Lee serves as the president and chief executive officer of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and is one of the most sought-after thought leaders on addiction treatment and mental health care in the world. With extensive expertise and experience providing quality, comprehensive care to youth and families from across the country and abroad, Dr. Lee has developed an unparalleled perspective on emerging drug trends, co-occurring mental health conditions, innovation and the ever-changing culture of addiction. He is known widely for his love-inspired, science-powered approach to care and impassioned advocacy for all people who are affected by substance use and mental health conditions.

A triple board-certified physician, Dr. Lee completed his fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry from John Hopkins Hospital, his adult psychiatry residency at Duke University Hospital and his medical degree at the University of Oklahoma. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. He also serves on the board of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers and is vice chair of the board at the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation.

Given his unique degree of specialization and powerful messaging, Dr. Lee is frequently interviewed by national media and has spoken on Capitol Hill, at the White House and at academic conferences and events across the United States. He is the author of Recovering My Kid: Parenting Young Adults in Treatment and Beyond, a practical guide for parental leadership in times of crisis.

Dawn McFarland, MA

In 2022, Dawn McFarland was appointed area commander of The Salvation Army of North Texas together with her spouse, Paul McFarland. Each has earned the title of Major with the Salvation Army. They oversee one of The Salvation Army USA’s largest area commands, covering a five-county region. Operations consist of 13 community centers, four homeless shelters, two apartment buildings for senior citizens, two social service centers, and two Christmas assistance centers.

Married since 1989, Majors Dawn and Paul McFarland were first commissioned to separate appointments as officers in the Ambassadors for Christ session. Combined, they share more than three decades of social service experience. Throughout her service to the Salvation Army, Major Dawn McFarland has served in a variety of positions and locations. She served as an administrator and counselor in Dallas/Fort Worth and director of special services in Florida, Maryland, and Virginia.

Major McFarland graduated from Nazarene Bible College with a degree in counseling for Christian ministry. She earned her master’s degree from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School in 2018.

“It was a shock to get asked. Would not have been on my radar. When Doyle called, I told my husband jokingly — if he offers me a job it will be hard to say no because I love Hazelden. Stunned. Not sure what I bring to the table but my whole way of interacting with the world changed as a result of my education. The mission of the school is to create leaders in the field. One of the greatest ways I was pushed to develop was to become a critical thinker and dig into things and look at best practices and incorporate them into what I’m doing in the field and how I am as a person. Always been a question asked and now I think I ask better questions. I think as well so many of the ppl that we care for in the Salvation army — who come to us with MH, trauma and SU issues are so prevalent and my education helped me for 20 years my husband and I ran 5 residential rehab centers and when I came into it, I thought if they really want to stop, they can do so. Within a few years, I realized otherwise but I didn’t have the understanding or vocabulary to explain what I’m seeing matches this is a chronic brain disease. Over time and getting educated, and close to Twelve steps, I began to understand, but MA gave me the tools I needed to help make a difference in the lives of the people I worked with and the places where I worked. I began to deconstruct how the rehab path and education we provided to patients and looking at recovery from development standpoint — engaging with early understanding of what brings people here — we shouldn’t be teaching people more advanced practices in their first 30 days — gave me that understanding. We saw turnarounds in completion rates and recovery rates because we stated to treat like brain disease and developmental process. The Salvation Army in North Texas is engaged in major capital campaign in one of our six counties and included in that is a massive social services complex and one of the buildings will be for behavioral health — will get to help develop programmatically what happens there.”

“I hope I have opportunities to communicate the quality of education which I believe is top notch. The community developed there and I hope through communicating that I encourage people to go there too

Need to know how to have people who can clearly communicate and push for positive change in policy and public attitudes. Create more than just phenomenal practitioners — but leaders in the field.”

Bennett Rosenthal

Bennett Rosenthal was the President and Managing Partner for 35 years of Rosenthal Bros., Inc., an independent insurance agency headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. Shortly after Bennett obtained his Bachelor of Science degree with a dual major in Finance and Insurance from Syracuse University, he received a C.P.C.U. Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation.

Together with his wife, Bennett created a scholarship fund to provide significant tuition assistance to three outstanding students at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School.

Upon Bennett’s retirement he and his wife, Carolyn, relocated to the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin area where he volunteers as a tutor for the Walworth County Literacy Program. Together, they enjoy spending time with their three children, three grandchildren, and visiting National Parks.

Anderson Saint Georges, MA, LADC, CPP

Anderson is an award-winning licensed substance use counselor and certified prevention professional working as CEO of Compassion House and Daystar Recovery Center in Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Saint Georges earned his bachelor’s degree in addictions counseling at Oak Hills Christian College and his master’s degree at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School. He is a board member, Region 4 governor, and Rural Health and Disparities Committee co-chair for the Minnesota Association of Resources for Recovery and Chemical Health, which in 2020 honored him with the MARRCH Counselor of the Year Award for his dedication and commitment to the addiction treatment, mental health and recovery communities.

“I am both honored and thrilled to contribute my skills and expertise to the progress and success of our esteemed graduate school,” Saint Georges said. “This appointment presents an invaluable chance to work alongside a distinguished group of people who are dedicated to fostering excellence in education and safeguarding the values and practices that advance the success of the school; its students, faculty, and alumni; and the counseling profession. I am confident that our collective efforts will propel the graduate school to even greater heights of excellence.”

Cameron Strang

Cameron has had a long and distinguished career in the music business, most recently having served as the President and CEO of Warner Music Group. He left the company in 2017 to pursue other interests and spend more time with his family. While heading the award-winning global music publishing company, Cameron was responsible for the company’s worldwide operations including strategic acquisitions, international licensing initiatives, and global expansion. Previously, he founded New West Records, and Southside Independent Music Publishing, a leading independent music publishing company with a reputation for discovering and developing talented writers, producers and artists. Spanning across a wide range of genres, their roster included recording artists Bruno Mars and Cee Lo Green, Matthew West, and Kings of Leon. Cameron is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia where he earned and practiced his law degree before venturing into the music business. He has served as a director at American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the National Music Publishers Association (NNPA), Warner Music Group and LA’s Best. Cameron and his wife Victoria “Tory” live in Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica, California. They have three children: two sons and a daughter.