The Council is comprised of fourteen public members and twelve ex officio members.

Of the public members:

• Two are directly appointed by the Senate president;
• Two are directly appointed by the Assembly Speaker; and,
• Ten are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Of the ten gubernatorial appointments:

• Two shall be recovering alcoholics; and,
• Two shall be recovering drug abusers.

The twelve ex-officio members are:

• The Commissioners of the Departments of Children and Families, Community Affairs, Corrections, Education, Health, Human Services, Labor and Work Force Development; and the,
• Administrative Office of the Courts (Administrative Director)
• Adjutant General (Department of Military and Veterans Affairs)
• Attorney General (Department of Law and Public Safety)
• New Jersey Presidents' Council (Chair of the executive board)

Celina Levy Executive Director

Celina Levy has dedicated most of her career to community health, with a commitment to quality of life for all individuals, particularly the most disenfranchised among us. Early in her career she developed, wrote, produced and directed theater and film projects based on true-events and human-interest stories, which ultimately fueled her passion for social issues.

Celina subsequently transitioned to work in the non-profit community, where she created, executed and directed a variety of public awareness, advertising, marketing and development projects for organizations that include the March of Dimes, North Hudson Community Action Corporation, and VNA of Central Jersey.  During this time she served on efforts such as the New Jersey Primary Care Association State Marketing Board and Jersey City Cancer Coalition, and acted as Health Center Advocacy Coordinator for the National Association of Community Health Centers.

In her previous position as Executive Director of the Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, Celina developed, implemented and oversaw the Council's signature statewide mental health and anti-stigma public awareness campaign, A Community Effort, working with community partners across New Jersey and beyond, to help change the conversation about mental health.

Since assuming the position of Executive Director of GCADA, Celina has overseen the development and release of the Council's Task Force on Heroin and Other Opiate Use by New Jersey Youth and Young Adults 2014 Report. She also developed the statewide public awareness campaign, Addiction Does Not Discriminate, collaborating with state partners - Office of the Attorney General, Department of Human Services, Department of Education, and Partnership for a Drug Free NJ - for the launch of the campaign in May of 2014.

Celina represents GCADA on a number of statewide efforts to stem the tide of the prescription drug and heroin epidemic, raise awareness about substance use disorders, and combat the related stigma, including the Monmouth County Suicide Prevention Task Force, Bergen Community College Wellness Planning Committee, NJ Opioid Core Working Group, NJ Adult Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, and DMHAS Stakeholder Communication Committee.

A graduate of Brooklyn College and the Juilliard School of Music, Mrs. Levy was named one of 1995 Asbury Park Press' Five Women of the Year, and was the recipient of the NAMI NJ 2008 Governor Richard J. Codey Health Champion Award and the 2011 Cop2Cop Advocacy Award. She remains inspired and is honored to be part of GCADA's effort to lead the way for healthy and safe communities.

Rebecca Alfaro Deputy Director

Rebecca Alfaro has spent most of her career working in the field of substance abuse prevention with the Municipal Alliance Program. She started her work in Ocean County as the County Alliance Coordinator before joining the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse as a State Alliance Coordinator.

Ms. Alfaro earned her Masters Degree in Social Work from Monmouth University with a concentration in International and Community Development which has given her the opportunity to take part in needs assessments, research and evaluation with communities throughout the United States and internationally. Her undergraduate studies were at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she earned a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. On a volunteer basis, Ms. Alfaro has spent over ten years providing crisis intervention with survivors of sexual assault in Ocean County. She spends much of her time advocating for social justice issues including human rights and child welfare.

Sara Thode
Director of Prevention and Planning

Viktoria Kremper
Fiscal Manager

Kimberly Rodriguez
State Alliance Coordinator

Kristin Boniface
State Alliance Coordinator

Katelyn Assenheimer
Administrative Assistant

Tamira McCord
Alliance Support Staff