Title
Leadership
SAMHSA’s leadership team, made up of the Assistant Secretary, Deputies, Directors, and Regional Directors, brings SAMHSA a variety of experience and expertise in the behavioral health fields, including law, policy and research, mental health and substance use services, state and federal government, and more.
Tom Coderre
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Sonia Chessen
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Trina Dutta
Chief of Staff
Michelle Greenhalgh
Director of Legislative Affairs
Rachele C. Espiritu, Ph.D.
Director of the Office of Behavioral Health Equity
Craig Obey, J.D.
Director of Intergovernmental and Public Affairs (OIPA)
Neeraj Gandotra, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Kurt John, Ed.D., M.P.A., MSF
Director of the Office of Financial Resources (OFR)
Monica Johnson, M.A., LPC
Director of the 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office
CAPT Karen Hearod, M.S.W., LCSW
Director of the Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy (OTAP)
Daniel Lonnerdal, M.S., FACHE
Director of SAMHSA’s Office of Management, Technology, and Operations (OMTO)
Paolo del Vecchio, M.S.W.
Director of the Office of Recovery (OR)
Brian Altman, J.D.
Director of the National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory (NMHSUPL)
Anita Everett, M.D., DFAPA
Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)
CAPT Christopher Jones, Pharm.D., Dr.P.H., M.P.H.
Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP); Acting Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ)
Yngvild K. Olsen, M.D., M.P.H.
Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
Coqui Aspiazu
Director of the Office of CommunicationsSenior Advisors
Sunny Patel, M.D., M.P.H.
Senior Advisor for Children, Youth, and Families in the Office of the Assistant Secretary
Shalini Wickramatilake, M.H.S.
Senior Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary
Sam Ames, Esq., J.D., M.T.S.
Senior Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary
Last Updated: 03/11/2024