Leadership Team

Dr. Peter Vernig serves as Vice President of Mental Health Services at Recovery Centers of America. In this role, he oversees mental health care across the organization, including outpatient, inpatient and digital health, as well as the expansion of mental health services into new market and service lines. He has experiences in a wide range of settings and clinical populations and expertise with many different facets of modern behavioral healthcare.

Dr. Vernig holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Suffolk University and an MBA in Healthcare Management from West Texas A&M University. He is licensed as a psychologist in Pennsylvania and holds faculty appointments at Drexel University College of Medicine and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is an associate editor of the Journal of Substance Use and the president of the Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association.

Prior to RCA, Dr. Vernig served as Chief Clinical Officer at Friends Hospital, the oldest private psychiatric hospital in the United States.

Dr. Hyong Un, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer, at Recovery Centers of America. He leads the development and implementation of the clinical behavioral health strategy for Recovery Center of America. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine and completed his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Un has deep experience in health care spanning 30 years.  Prior to joining RCA, he was the Chief Psychiatric Officer for Aetna /CVS where he led the design and oversaw the implementation of Aetna’s behavioral health and employee assistance program.  He was also the psychiatrist-in-chief for Friends Hospital and Penn Friends Behavioral Health System, a provider-owned managed behavioral health organization.  Dr. Un’s clinical interests are in psychopharmacology, workplace mental health and determinants of overall health and wellbeing.  Dr. Un has served on multiple boards including advisory board to the Director of National Institute of Mental Health, APA’s Center for Workplace Mental Health, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, and National Depression Center of Excellence.

David Zach serves as Senior Vice President of Strategic Payor Relations at Recovery Centers of America.  In this role, Mr. Zach is responsible for establishing and fostering key external payor partnerships and alliances, enabling RCA to enter new geographic markets and expand the company’s presence within existing markets and industry channels. As an experienced executive, he brings a proven history within healthcare industries to bear in executing his vision for payor strategy.

Prior to RCA, Mr. Zach was Vice President of Enterprise Specialty Distribution at Cigna Healthcare where he led several distribution channels and strategic initiatives.  He has over 30 years of leadership experience in growth, transformations and enterprise planning.

Peter McCullough serves as EVP and Chief Operating Officer of Recovery Centers of America. In this capacity, Mr. McCullough provides leadership to the Operations, Clinical, Training, Managed Care, Mission Center, Outpatient and MAT divisions of RCA across six states. Throughout a career dedicated to improving patients’ lives and outcomes, he brings over 25 years experience as a global operations executive in healthcare, biotech and life sciences fields to bear in his leadership role at RCA.

Prior to RCA, Mr. McCullough was the Chief Operating Officer of Accelerated Enrollment Solutions (AES), a PPD business.

Peter Barbuto is Vice President of Business Development at Recovery Centers of America. Since joining RCA in March 2017, Mr. Barbuto has worked to fulfill his mission of community advocacy and to serve as a resource for anyone seeking help for addiction.

Prior to RCA, Mr. Barbuto worked as Director of Business Development at American Addiction Centers, as an outreach coordinator for a South Boston housing development, and as a manager of a long-term residential facility for adolescents.

Outside of RCA, Mr. Barbuto serves on the board of directors of the Gavin Foundation, as well as on the board of the South Boston Collaborative Center, which honored him with the Beacon of Hope Award in 2015. In 2016, he was also conferred the Massachusetts Labor Assistance Professionals Community Service Award.

Marcus Smith is CEO of Recovery Centers of America Capital Region. In this role, his responsibilities include overseeing a team of world-class addiction professionals, providing superior substance use disorder treatment. He also interacts with the local community, extending the support and resources available through RCA. Prior to this role, Smith served as Clinical Director at the facility.

Before joining RCA, Smith served as Executive Director of Calvary Healthcare, Director of a 75-bed Adolescent Residential Treatment Center for Adventist Behavioral Health and Wellness Services, as well as overseeing the RTC graduate internship program.

Smith is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia, specializing in the treatment of adults suffering from depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, sexual trauma and trauma generally.

He is also a member of The American Colleges of Healthcare Executives, a clinical member of the Association of the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, and holds affiliations with American Counseling Association, Maryland Counseling Association, DC Mental Health Counseling Association, among other clinical professional bodies.

Mike has worked in the mental health/behavioral health and substance abuse fields for 28 years. He has held various positions including Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director of Residential Services and Chairman of the Behavior Management Committee. Most recently Mike served as the CEO/Vice President of Onward Behavioral Health. He was responsible for all aspects of a 25 office Outpatient Treatment company.

Mike earned his Master’s Degree for Organizational Development and Leadership from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has co-facilitated graduate level classes at PCOM and been a guest lecturer for The Administration of Human Service Programs at the University of Scranton, Department of Counseling and Human Services.

He holds a personal patent for the Safety Shield® and copyright for Positive Outcome Intervention Strategies for Effective De-escalation (SHIELD), an early detection and proactive intervention training program for crisis intervention and de-escalation situations.

Michael, a native to the Pittsburgh area, brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and skill to Recovery Centers of America at Monroeville. He most recently served as CEO of RCA at Bracebridge Hall, located in Earleville, Maryland. He was previously the Executive Director of RCA’s largest addiction treatment center located in Devon, Pennsylvania. Michael has over 30 years of experience in the treatment of patients suffering from substance use disorder, including many leadership roles at behavioral health and addiction treatment organizations.

Michael holds a BA in Psychology from Saint Leo University and Master of Public Health from Drexel University. Michael is also a US Navy Veteran.

Karen Wolownik Albert, LCSW joins RCA with over 20 years of experience in progressive behavioral health leadership. As a frequent public speaker and advisor regarding local, state, and federal behavioral health issues and initiatives, she is also a subject matter expert on in substance use issues and treatment, juvenile justice and child welfare, therapeutic intervention, and case management.

Karen was the recipient of the 2018 Dr. C. Vincent Bakeman Memorial Award presented by the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health for her work in connecting patients to treatment and improving the system of care for persons struggling with Substance Use Disorder. Karen serves on the Board of Directors of the Lake County Opioid Initiative and Live4Lali.  She worked on the core team of Task Force members in the development and launch of the nationally recognized A Way Out Program, a law enforcement deflection program for persons seeking Substance Use Disorder treatment.

She looks forward to expanding addiction treatment in Illinois and continuing RCA’s mission of saving one million lives, one neighborhood at a time.

Kat Stevens is the CEO of Recovery Centers of America at Westminster and Interim CEO of Recovery Centers of America at Danvers. She has a BS in Psychology, with a concentration in Women’s Studies. She also has an MA in Counseling Psychology with concentrations in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Child & Family Interventions and is a Massachusetts Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). With over 13 years of experience in Behavior Healthcare, including 10 years of working especially with substance use and co-occurring disorder treatments, Kat has provided leadership in multiple modalities of treatment, including acute treatment services, inpatient and residential services, and community-based support professionals. In recognition of her outstanding achievements, Kat was awarded 40 under 40 Top Leader by the Worcester Business Journal.

Kat’s background is in project management, clinical treatment, direct care, training facilitation, and quality improvement, with clinical experience in CBT, suicidality assessment, motivational interviewing, group, individual, community-based, and family therapies. She also has experience working with diverse populations, such as trauma survivors, LGBTQI, adolescents, adults, and families. Stevens provides quality, patient-centered, individualized treatment to help engage and support patients and their families in a safe, therapeutic environment.

Bobby Bunyon is CEO of Recovery Centers of America at Bracebridge Hall in Earlville, Maryland. In this role, his primary responsibilities include leading and mentoring a team of dedicated, mission-driven addictions professionals in delivering superior substance abuse care. He also ensures the local community is aware of the resources and support available through RCA.

For over a decade, Bobby has been an influential leader within the addiction treatment field. Before assuming his current role, he served as Recovery Centers of America’s Corporate Director of Clinical Operations for over three years.  Prior to RCA, he worked at Retreat Behavioral Health, a provider of substance use disorder and mental health services in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Bobby received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology from the University of Phoenix.

Corey brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and skill to RCA at Lighthouse addiction treatment center in New Jersey. She believes strongly in the power of patient advocacy, and is personally and professionally invested in RCA’s mission to save one million lives.

Corey has 10 years of experience in addiction/psychiatric care, initially beginning in case management and then expanding to mental health screener in a psychiatric crisis center, which is where she found her true passion in helping those in a crisis state to stabilize and take their first step to wellness and recovery.

Corey completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at The College of New Jersey and obtained her Master of Science in Psychology from Walden University.

Steve has forged a national reputation for executive healthcare leadership and strategic planning with three decades of experience in operational leadership, financial oversight and strategic development focused on systems and programs. From Philadelphia to Alaska, Steve has led multi-disciplinary teams of mental health professionals providing comprehensive behavioral healthcare services in all aspects of residential operations. Stellar local reputation, having built one of most successful drug and alcohol treatment centers in PA leading a staff of more than 650 in multiple locations. Steve has held the following national positions:

• President and General Partner, White Deer Run Treatment Centers
• COO and CFO, Boys and Girls Home and Family Services
• Residential Services Director, Family Centered Services of Alaska
• Associate Director, Devereux

David Dorschu, MS, has over eighteen years of experience in the substance abuse field, serving in various leadership positions which incorporate the entire continuum of care, including Clinical Director, Risk Management Director, QA Director, Outpatient Program Director, and currently as Chief Executive Officer of the RCA at Raritan Bay drug and alcohol addiction treatment center. David began his tenure at RCA in 2016 as CEO of the Lighthouse, a 133-bed inpatient rehab center in Mays Landing, NJ. David has utilized these various leadership roles to form a treatment philosophy based on the latest, empirically supported research.

“The patients we are so fortunate to serve have provided to us a tremendous gift: the willingness to share their pain and offer us a glimpse into their brokenness. They are under no obligation to do so, therefore we must treat this gift as a sacred trust and privileged responsibility.“

David earned his Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Villanova University.