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New Hampshire Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association

Dedicated to Advancing Addiction Professionals in New Hampshire

Board of Directors

NHADACA is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors.

Our leaders are also leaders within the substance use professions. 

The board members meet six times a year as a whole, as well as within various committees.

Board Committees

The board delegates authority to several standing committees so it can focus on critical issues of policy and governance. The committees are: By-Laws Committee, Ethics Committee, Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Fundraising Committee, Nominations & Annual Meeting Committee, Personnel Committee, and Public Policy Committee.

NHADACA also has representatives or member liaisons to several stakeholder groups. Those groups are: Prevention Certification Board, Commission on Primary Care Workforce Issues, Governor's Commission task forces and NH Board of Licensing for Alcohol & Other Drug Use Professionals.

All are welcome to attend the Board meetings. Meetings are held at the NHADACA office, 130 Pembroke Road, Suite 150, Concord, NH 03031 unless otherwise noted.

2024 Scheduled Board Meetings

Jan 25 - 9:00am -12:00pm @ 130 Pembroke Rd, Suite 150, Concord, NH

Mar 28 - 8:00am-10:00am @ virtual via Zoom

May 23 - 8:00am -10:00am @ 130 Pembroke Rd, Suite 150, Concord, NH

Jul 25 - 8:00am -10:00am @ virtual via Zoom

Sep 26 - 9:00am -3:00pm Annual Meeting @ TBD

Nov 21 - 8:00am-10:00am @ 130 Pembroke Rd, Suite 150, Concord, NH


NHADACA Past Presidents

Year 

President Year

President

 1986  Denise Devlin  2008-2010
Susan Latham
 1987-1990 Albert "Bud" Charest  2010-2012  Catherine Iacuzzi
 1990-1994  Estelle Accalia  2012-2014  Peter Dalpra
 1994-1998  Mary Woods  2014-2016   Lori Magoon
 1998-2000  Lindsay Freese  2016-2018  Kelly Luedtke
 2000-2002  Jeffrey Wedge  2018-2020  Alexandra Hamel
 2002-2004  Jacqui Abikoff  2020-2022  Linda Brewer 
 2004-2006  Peter DalPra 2022- Present Diane Fontneau
2006-2008 Patricia Dutton 2024-   

NHADACA Executive Board

Past President

Linda Brewer
Read About Linda

Linda earned a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of New Hampshire and is dually licensed in the state of New Hampshire as an Independent Clinical Social Worker and Masters Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Linda has been with the Department of Health and Human Services since 1996 and is employed by the State of NH Employee Assistance Program. As a counselor/consultant with the Employee Assistance Program, Linda provides a broad range of services for employees and their family members, workgroups and management teams aimed at improving individual and organizational health and wellbeing. Linda is also a provider of behavioral health services and has a clinical practice in Meredith, NH. Linda is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, The National Association of Alcohol and other Drug Counselors and the New Hampshire Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors Association. Linda has served on the Board of Directors for NHADACA since May 2016 as the Liaison to the Board of Alcohol and Other Drug Use Professionals and as the Lakes Region Representative. In her free time, Linda enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, being outdoors and spending time with family and friends.


President

Diane Fontneau
Read About Diane

Diane Fontneau, MS, LADC has worked in the substance use disorders profession, and in a variety of treatment settings, for over 25 years. She currently manages the outpatient substance use disorder treatment program at Seacoast Mental Health Center, with offices in Portsmouth and Exeter, N.H. Ms. Fontneau holds a MS degree in Human Services-Organizational Leadership, and a MS degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Diane is an active member of the Seacoast Public Health Network and the IDN Region 6 (Connections for Health) subcommittee addressing local gaps and needs of services. Diane was a founding member of the Rochester Bridging the Gaps Coalition. Ms. Fontneau has served on the board of NHADACA since 2017, and strongly believes in NHADACA’s mission and the importance of participation and recruitment for those working in this specialized profession.


President Elect

Christine McKenna

Read About Christine

Christine McKenna, MS, LICSW, MLADC works at Keystone Hall and is the Director of the Rockingham County Drug Treatment Court. She has been working in criminal justice for over 25 years, supervising offenders with SUD and M/H. She became clinically trained when retiring from the State of NH, to work with participants in the justice system from a clinical angle. She has been the Director of the Rockingham County Drug Treatment Court for nearly 4 years supervising clinicians and case managers in the treatment part of the drug court while also managing the day to day operations of a drug court including trainings of team members, court liaison, policy making, etc.


Secretary

Vacant
Coming Soon

Treasurer

Christopher Foster

Read About Chris

Christopher Foster, Vice President of Operations of Amatus Health, is an undergraduate of Springfield College and earned his Master’s in Health Administration from Cornell University. He has worked in behavioral health for nearly a decade, starting in an entry-level paraprofessional position and progressing through the organizational career ladder. Christopher has served as a c-suite executive for several New Hampshire organizations, where he developed and co-developed behavioral health programs, including residential and outpatient levels of care. Christopher openly describes himself as an individual in long-term recovery who believes that his life experiences have given him exactly what is needed to be of maximum service and to show up daily for those who rely on him. He states he has promised himself to always be an advocate to improve the quality of care provided to those suffering from substance use and mental health disorders. He is committed to ensuring those who are treating patients practice ethically and professionally in all matters. He enjoys launching new campaigns, programs, and events.

Regional Representatives


North Country Representative

Vacant
Coming Soon


Lakes Region Representative

Sara Dupont
Read About Sara

Sara received an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from PSU in 2008. She went on and completed her master’s in social work from UNH in 2015. Since completing her master’s degree she has spent the last 7 years working in several community hospitals specializing as a medical social worker. During her time in this field, she worked on many different floors including patients who had been hospitalized for severe persistent mental health concerns as well as patients who suffered from severed substance use disorders (SUD). Sara spent a large portion of her time working with patients who had medical complications from their SUD. She also worked with pregnant woman with SUD. She provided support assessment crisis intervention and referrals for those patients. Sara provided counseling education and assistance to mothers and family members of infants who were being monitored on the eat sleep and console program. Sara also spent several years working in community mental health as an emergency services clinician per diem while she was working as a medical social worker. In this position Sara assessed individuals for safety and would refer out for either inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations or outpatient appointments. For the past 2 years she has been building a small private practice that specializes in assisting adolescents and individuals who suffer from SUD. Sara has also worked or interned in the justice system, as well as with funding organizations. Sara lives in the lake’s region with her husband and two children.


Central Representative

Meredith Senter
Read About Meredith

Meredith Senter, LICSW, MLADC, has been a social worker for 20+ years, the majority of which, in the medical setting. She has worked with a diverse population that has included those who struggle with substance use disorder. She is currently the Clinical Lead Social Worker for the Case Management Department overseeing the social work team. Prior to that she was employed as a social worker in the Pregnancy Care Center at CMC and saw firsthand the benefits of addressing substance use disorder within the context of overall medical care. Throughout her career she has been an advocate for people and policies that improve our clients lives. She is licensed as a clinical social worker and master licensed alcohol and drug counselor. She has also served as a board member for the NH NASW and was an Ambassador for the Concord Chamber of Commerce for five years.


Seacoast Representative

Maury Elsasser
Read About Maury

Maury joined Hope on Haven Hill in January 2022 as IOP Clinician providing group and individual counseling. He received education and training at the University of South Dakota in Addiction Studies Program and in Arizona at Prescott College in Psychology. Maury has over 40 years of clinical work in addiction working with adolescents, adults, and families. He has worked in a plethora of professional treatment models that include psychiatric hospitals, 12-Step recovery programs, wilderness adventure experiential programing with Outward Bound, therapeutic communities, court diversion, high school student assistance, and the last 16 years in methadone treatment program saving lives in the opioid overdose epidemic.


CT Valley Representative

Elena VanZandt
Read About Elena

Elena, is the passionate owner of HALO Educational Systems, a Behavioral Health Organization settled in the Upper Valley and specializing in addictions. She has been the Managing Director for 11 years and provides co-occurring therapy to residents across 16 towns within the Connecticut Valley Region. She operates in a wide range of milieus including government, military, business, education and communities. She has been a student assistant provider for the Lebanon school district for the past 17 years, provided trainings and an array of substance misuse services for 15 NH schools. She served on multiple boards such as; NH Certified Prevention Specialist Board and All Together Community Coalition. She has had speaking events such as; the NH Foster and Adoptive Parent (NH-FAPA) Conference and at New Hampshire School Nurses Association (NHSNA) Spring Conference. She has operated in a secure facility as a DOD trainer at NSWDG. She works with Veterans and coordinates care at the Veterans Place.

Southern Representative

Doreen Boutin
Read About Doreen

Doreen Boutin, MS, MLADC. Since 2019, Doreen has been a MLADC with the State of NH. She currently works at Clear Reflection Counseling Associates. Doreen's career started out in 2010, where she has worked in programs such as detox, inpatient, outpatient, and mental health programs Doreen participated in many Non-Profit boards ranging from NHADACA, Child and Family Services, Manchester Young Professionals Network and The Lupus Foundation of NH. In working with The Lupus Foundation, she had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. numerous times to speak to Congress requesting funding for Lupus research. Advocacy work is just one of the things Doreen is passionate about. Doreen is also passionate about what she does in the SUD field by learning and collaborating with others to best help those who suffer with addiction.

At Large Representatives

At Large Representative

Carol Furlong
Read About Carol

Carol Furlong is currently working at Elliot Hospital as a SUD Consultant. She has worked in the Mental Health and Substance Use environment for over 40 years. Carol began her career as a substance use counselor working for the Department of the Army in Germany and continued her Behavioral Health career path upon her return to New England. She has developed and managed programs and provided care in all levels of care – inpatient, ED, PHP, IOP and outpatient services. Carol strongly believes in integrated care and addressing all areas that impact on an individual’s recovery – housing, benefits, employment, family, etc. Carol received her Master’s Degree in Counseling and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California and her MBA in Healthcare Administration from Rivier College. She was an adjunct professor at Rivier College for 15 years and at Springfield College for 4 years.


At Large Representative

Vacant
Coming Soon


At Large Representative

Phoebe Axtman
Read About Phoebe

Phoebe Axtman, LICSW, MLADC is the Director of Education for the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition and owner of Be One Counseling. Phoebe Axtman received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of New Hampshire. She is dual licensed as a LICSW and MLADC, working in private practice, serving people experiencing both mental illness and substance use. Phoebe started her career in the mental health field working with individuals experiencing severe and persistent mental illness. She has continued her work in mental health, determined to bridge the gap between the mental health and substance use fields. Phoebe is the Director of Education for the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition, providing trainings in the state of New Hampshire on overdose prevention and reducing drug use harms. Phoebe has been a resident of New Hampshire for over 25 years and strives to make the state a healthier place for everyone.


Student Representative

Catherine Burns
Read About Catherine

I have found my passion in working with individuals and their families who seek recovery and wish to maintain it long-term. I sit on the advisory board at Revive Recovery Resource Center and have recently worked to re-open and manage The Solution House women’s sober living community in addition to my on-call shelter support work at the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter and in my role at The Farnum Center as a substance use treatment clinician for my master’s program internship. I believe that there is not one approach that is the right treatment for everyone and therefore continue to learn and appreciate all pathways to recovery, including those within the frameworks of the Matrix Model, the Cognitive Model, and the Sociocultural Model. Ultimately my goal is to support individuals in finding balance, value, and peace in their lives. I advocate and support my community in reducing stigma around mental health and substance use disorders, including education around harm reduction and complete abstinence to create a safer, healthier community. My education background includes my bachelor’s degree in social work through Plymouth State University and I am currently a student in the master’s program in clinical mental health counseling at Southern New Hampshire University.

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Address
130 Pembroke Road, Suite 150
Concord, NH 03301
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Office Hours
Monday – Friday
8AM – 4PM
Phone
603.225.7060
Fax
603.589.1191
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