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.

Trish Caldwell, MFT, LPC, CCDP-D, CAADC, CCTP is a licensed clinician, marriage, and family therapist and is certified in both co-occurring disorders and substance use.

Trish has been a therapist for over 25 years and has worked extensively with families, adults, and adolescents with co-occurring behavioral health and substance use disorders in various settings including outpatient, residential, schools, and community agencies. She is trained in DBT and is a Certified Trauma Professional and a Certified Mentor Trainer of Trauma. Additionally, Trish created the first Young Offenders Treatment Program in Delaware County, serving first-time offenders with Drug charges.

Trish has been the Keynote speaker for the PAYS Summit, the Suicide Prevention Conference, and Magellan behavioral health conference. Additionally, she has provided in-service training for several PA school districts and has trained law enforcement officers on drug trends for the CIT program. She has also presented at the Annual Trauma conference, the Cape Cod Symposium, and the annual conference for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT). Trish specializes in ADHD, opioid use in young adults, trauma-informed care, developmental trauma, trauma and substance use disorders, trauma and the family system, family engagement, and substance use for today’s teens. Trish holds her MFT from Drexel University and is licensed and certified in the state of PA.

During her career, Trish has held a variety of clinical and leadership roles. She is currently the Vice President of Family Services of Recovery Centers of America, which has sites in NJ, PA, MA, MD, IL, and IN.  Providing services to adults seeking treatment for substance use disorders. Additionally, she is a member of the NOPE task force and Partners for Success Coalition, and she holds a private practice specializing in adolescents and young adults who have been diagnosed with ADHD or Trauma.

Kevin Mullin is Senior Vice President of Acquisitions, Strategy and Business Transformation at Recovery Centers of America. In this capacity, Mr. Mullin leads the acquisition team for all businesses, including inpatient, outpatient, MAT, digital health and laboratory services. His team oversees all real estate leases, joint ventures, strategic partnerships.

Prior to joining Recovery Centers of America, Mr. Mullin held several senior roles in real estate consulting, corporate acquisitions, real estate development, solar development, employee benefits, venture capital, and startup formation and capital raising.  He was a partner, founder, co-founder, funder, capital raiser for five technology companies. Specifically, he co-founded a wireless scanning company with substantial investment from Goldman Sachs, Motorola and Symbol Technologies. He also co-founded and co-funded 3rdWire, which merged into Rajant Corporation, a pioneer of scalable kinetic wireless mesh networks.

Deanna Telese is Chief Administrative Officer at Recovery Centers of America. In this role, Mrs. Telese oversees the finance, accounting, payroll, accounts payable, purchasing, billing, accounts receivable, compliance and quality departments. She is integrally involved in the day‐to‐day operations of RCA and has been a key member of the leadership team that has guided the acquisition and development of seven inpatient facilities, seven outpatient locations and the first of a chain of Medically Assisted Treatment clinics as well as a lab performing COVID‐19 testing.

 Prior to joining RCA, Mrs. Telese worked as a key member of the executive team in the role of VP‐Corporate Controller at NHS Human Services, Inc. where she designed, implemented and managed NHS’ accounting, budget, and internal control processes.

Kevin McClure serves as Chief Financial Officer of Recovery Centers of America. In this capacity, Mr. McClure oversees finance, accounting, information technology, business development and project management, as well as operational oversight of Genetworx. This involves providing data and information to operators to serve RCA’s patients most effectively and to ensure financing is available to expand services to treat as many patients as possible.

Prior to RCA, Mr. McClure served as CFO at Merakey (formerly NHS Human Services) for 15 years, bearing responsibilities similar to those at RCA.  Before that, he was a manager at Grant Thornton LLP, focusing on healthcare clients.

Since 2021, Sean Hanrahan has served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Recovery Centers of America.  Prior to that, he was RCA’s Director of Customer Experience between 2016-2020.  In these roles, Mr. Hanrahan’s key strategic responsibilities have included talent acquisition & management, workforce management, organizational design & development, learning & development, and employee engagement. Further, he supports RCA’s Intervention Team, known for having the highest ethical standards and success rate in the industry.

With more than 25 years of leadership and management experience in the financial services and healthcare industries, Mr. Hanrahan is adept at managing large workgroups across multiple organizations. Boasting a successful record of developing top-performing teams and recruiting and retaining top talent, he has earned a reputation for leading by example and helping others achieve their goals and performance results.

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.

Stephanie L. Anderson, LCSW  is the Chief Executive Officer for the RCA at Indianapolis addiction treatment center. Stephanie holds bachelor’s degrees in both Criminal Justice and Ballet from Indiana University.  She received her Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, where she specialized in working with at-risk, delinquent youth and their families. Her work included a focus on the treatment of co-morbid mental health and addiction disorders.

Both during and after her Master’s program, she worked as a Deputy Juvenile Officer for the St. Louis City Family Courts serving families involved with the Gun Court Program, Child Abuse and Neglect Services, Drug Court Program and General Field supervision Unit.  After moving back to Indianapolis in 2008, Stephanie provided direct practice mental health and addiction care to a variety of populations as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at community-based agencies in Marion County, IN.

She began serving the State of Indiana in 2014 as an employee of the Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, where she was the Deputy Director of Adult Mental Health and Addiction Services.  While at the Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Stephanie was responsible for leading Division initiatives related to Adult Forensic Populations, Serious Mental Illness, Addiction Treatment, State Opioid Treatment Programs, Services for Homeless Populations and Veterans, and Emergency Preparedness.  In 2016, she continued her public service to the State of Indiana as the is the Executive Director of Addiction Recovery Services for the Indiana Department of Correction.   While there, Stephanie and her team lead the transformation of the clinical addiction treatment programming across all the State Correctional Facilities.

Stephanie joins RCA at Indianapolis after working in the private behavioral health sector as the CEO of a youth behavioral health residential facility.  She is excited to be able to bring her passion for supporting those who seek recovery to the state-of-art programming in Indianapolis.

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.