Via Positiva National Managing                                    Director, Sylvia Barela.                                                      Sylvia is a key leader in New Mexico’s                                               System of care and helps large and small                                         organizations around the country                                                       expand and diversify revenue to achieve                                           sustainability.  Sylvia and her team
                               offer on-going technical assistance and consultation to provider leaders, corporations and regulatory funders.  Sylvia can be reached at Sylvia.Barela@ViaTiva.com or (505) 310-2910.

This is a time of transition and challenge for most behavioral health agencies and their leaders due to healthcare payment evolution, changing managed care criteria, contracting expectations, and integration.  Our team includes highly successful former CEOs and managed care executives to help solidify and enhance your strategic plan in a highly supportive, judgment free way through agency technical assistance and executive coaching.  

Meet Our Expert Board of Advisors for 2024:

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John Tadich, MBA, is the former CEO of United Behavioral Health and President, Public Sector at ValueOptions.  John is a noted national leader, mentor and innovator in behavioral health.  He is the past Chairman of the Ihope Network and serves on many boards and advisory boards across the country within behavioral health.

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Clarence Jordan, MBA, is Vice President of Wellness & Recovery at Beacon HealthOptions (Anthem) responsible for Beacon’s national development and implementation of the use of peers in treatment and recovery.   He received the 2014 Peer Specialist of the Year Award from the National Council for Behavioral Health. This prestigious award recognizes a person with a lived experience of mental illness who uses his or her strengths to help peers on their road to recovery.  Jordan’s passion to help those struggling with the challenges of mental illness arose from his own experiences. As a man of color, a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, and a person in recovery since 1998, Jordan has dealt with the obstacles these populations face in accessing appropriate treatment. Foremost are the dual challenges of ignorance and cultural stigma: “When I served in the Navy, my ‘image’ of a person with mental illness was certainly not me. I believe I share this experience with thousands of military service members who could benefit from VA services but may not be getting them. The same holds true for communities of color, where social isolation and discrimination are no strangers.”

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Michael Klaybor, Ph.D., is a former national board member of the National Employee Assistance Professional Association and has been providing professional counseling and consulting services to individuals, families and organizations for more than 30 years. He has wide and deep roots and relationships in the energy, medical and industrial sectors.  Specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy, his approach is dynamic in addressing and resolving problems of anxiety, depression and marital problems. 

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Dawn Nickel, Ph.D., is the Founder of She Recovers Foundation, a worldwide network and movement of women’s recovery and wellness and an international subject matter expert in gender specific services for women.

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Trudy Soole, LPCC, is President of Soole Solutions, Member, Santee Sioux Nation, therapist, traditional healer and nationally respected speaker and trainer.

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Christopher Botten is an Associate at the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions, a very popular leader and trainer on the business and finance of behavioral health.

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Leonard Kincaid, LCDC, LPC, MBA, is the Chief Executive Officer at Houston Recovery Center and a leading advocate and change agent for homelessness and substance use disorder in the country's fourth largest city.

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Rev. Brendalyn Batchelor, M.A., LPC, is a therapist, ordained Unity minister, Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Spiritual Director, HeartMath Coach and Lead Unified Mindfulness Coach.

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Sylvia Barela, MBA, is the National Managing Partner of Via Positiva and the former CEO of Santa Fe Recovery, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  She is a statewide leader in the cultures and behavioral health services in New Mexico and subject matter expert in substance use disorder in the Public Sector.

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