Adult System of Care

Our adult system of care manages both mental health and substance use treatment services for adults.

Behavioral Health Services

Our behavioral health services department oversees all mental health and substance use treatment services across our system.

Care Coordination

Care Coordination is the systematic management of the System of Care to ensure that individuals with the highest level of need are being linked to community-based care and provided the appropriate supports to ensure that their treatment needs are properly addressed.

Child Welfare Coordination

Child Welfare Coordination ensures consistent integration, coordination, and planning between the Managing Entity, Community Based Care Lead Agency and other child welfare stakeholders.

Children’s System of Care

Our children’s system of care manages both mental health and substance use treatment services for children and youth.

Communications

The Communications Department manages a variety of internal and external communications, marketing, social media, media relations, public relations, civic engagement and community relations opportunities. If you are a provider and need a logo/branding review, please email cliberante@thrivingmind.org.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)

Thriving Mind’s CQI team is committed to the development, implementation, and quality assurance of the network with priority given to those areas that impact individuals served and their families.

Contracts and Procurement

Our contracts and procurement group manages all contracts with providers across our system and offers procurement opportunities to the providers.

Executive Team

Our executive team consists of John Newcomer, M.D., president and CEO; Steven Zuckerman, Senior VP and CFO, and Laura Naredo, Senior VP and COO.

Finance

Our finance team is responsible for budgeting, funding allocations, accounts payable, invoice processing, and general accounting.

Housing

Thriving Mind’s Housing Coordinator and Housing Peer are committed to finding safe, affordable, stable housing for individuals with mental health and/or co-occurring diagnoses; Ensuring that these individuals receive the necessary support services to be successful in the community.

Human Resources

Human Resources is responsible for providing financial, administrative, and clerical services, which includes processing and monitoring accounts payable, bank deposits and payroll. The Human Resources Coordinator administers a variety of human resources activities and programs, including those related to staffing, compensation, benefits ,training and workplace safety.

Information Technology and Data Analytics

Peer Services

Our Peer services team is available to assist the peer community to better serve our consumers.

Prevention System of Care

Thriving Mind South Florida provides Prevention of substance abuse and promotion of wellness (positive mental health) services in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties as part of a continuum of behavioral health care for individuals and their families.

Research and Evaluation

Thriving Mind’s vision is that solid research and evaluation will help move behavioral health forward as a necessary and essential service for children, adults, families, and programs. Data is gathered at multiple levels and used to sustain programs and monitor fidelity. The team works with the network, community, and state partners to ensure measuring service provision for policy-relevant outcomes. The data-driven approach to manage funding to best meet the community’s needs. The evaluation data is used as a powerful tool for communicating with stakeholders. Through the use of data collection, evaluation, and analysis strategies, Thriving Mind strives to: Ensure financial strength and programmatic accountability to achieve performance outcomes and standards in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible Identify gaps in services and specialized needs Identify priority populations including, but not limited to criminal justice involved, child welfare involved, individuals served in need of trauma informed care, and co-occurring Use the collection and analysis of data to improve the network and network provider compliance and when necessary incorporate improvements into action plans.

Joanna Cardwell
Joanna Cardwell
Vice President, Continuous Quality Improvement, Chief Quality Officer
View Bio

Joanna Cardwell directs and coordinates activities of Thriving Mind for which responsibility is delegated to further attainment of goals and objectives. She is responsible for the management of all quality improvement and quality assurance processes within the agency, for the data support and analysis. She develops, leads, facilitates, and advises internal committees in regard to quality improvement, quality assurance, utilization management and risk management activities. She maintains knowledge of federal and state regulatory conditions and integrates into the internal QI/QA systems and ensures continued compliance with such regulations. She identifies opportunities for performance improvement and establishes corrective action plans. She is responsible for the preparation and the maintenance of national accreditation. She monitors services to ensure they meet organizational guidelines and stakeholder needs. She serves as one of the single point of contact for complaints and grievances. She serves as the Corporate Compliance Officer.  

Lina Castellanos
Lina Castellanos
Integrator, Community and Systems and Director, Prevention
Adilen Cruz
Adilen Cruz
Vice President, Behavioral Health Services
View Bio

Adilen Cruz, Vice President of Behavioral Health, oversees the System of Care programming. She is responsible for managerial work planning and directing behavioral health programs to ensure coordination and efficiency among programmatic aspects of service delivery, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. This position ensures coordination amongst the Programmatic, QA/QI, and Fiscal/Contract Departments. She develops, implements, and manages operational strategies for Thriving Mind’s System of Care Departments. She assists the Executive Management Team and its Board of Directors in carrying out the strategic plans to ensure a comprehensive, collaborative co-occurring system of care that is recovery oriented and transparent. The system of care should be innovative, fiscally responsible and demonstrate the following values: recovery based; individually focused and consumer/family driven; community- based; and cultural and linguistic responsive.  

Karol Diaz
Karol Diaz
Coordinator, Housing
View Bio

Karol Diaz is responsible for developing and overseeing a housing initiative that expands the permanent supportive housing options to individuals who experience behavioral health challenges. He works collaboratively with housing/homeless initiatives and representatives from Housing Finance Agencies, Department of Children and Families, Homeless Coalitions, other non-profit agencies, the faith-based community and other non-traditional and private partners in Miami-Dade and Monroe County.  

Nisermy Ferro
Nisermy Ferro
Children’s System of Care Specialist
Fany Flores
Fany Flores
Manager, Adult System of Care
Maria Guajardo
Maria Guajardo
Manager, Children’s System of Care
Johnny Guimaraes
Johnny Guimaraes
Vice President, Information Technology and Data Analytics, Chief Data Officer
View Bio

Johnny Guimaraes is a senior leader and IT leadership team member with over 30 years of executive and management-level work experience spanning financial and information technology with a specialized focus in information security, privacy, and data analytics. Well-versed in current and emerging threats and mitigating technologies, he applies extensive knowledge of technology standards and best practices, governance processes, and relevant metrics to ensure that IT is operating at optimum levels of effectiveness and appropriately managing risk. He is recognized for working with cross-functional teams throughout the company to provide guidance and project management services for implementing security controls. He utilizes a servant leadership style and passion for leading and motivating cross-functional, interdisciplinary teams to achieve tactical and strategic goals.  

Judy Hickson
Judy Hickson
Executive Assistant
Carrie A. Liberante
Carrie A. Liberante
Senior Director, Communications and Strategic Initiatives
View Bio

Carrie A. Liberante is an award-winning former newspaper journalist with nearly 30 years’ experience in communications, marketing, and grant writing. She has worked in newsrooms, medical schools and for nonprofits both on-staff and as a consultant. She uses her broad skill-set – writing, editing, design and outreach – to ensure our public-facing marketing efforts are understandable to our audience, visually engaging, accurate, and comply with all regulations set forth in our contract with the Department of Children and Families. 

Derek Moore
Derek Moore
Peer Services Manager, Consumer Affairs Representative
View Bio

Derek Moore is a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist and mental health advocate with over three decades in the field. He is also a licensed clinical social worker who has worked with various populations in many different capacities. He remains committed to the mission of breaking down barriers to mental health care and substance use disorders treatment.  

Yisel Morell
Yisel Morell
Manager, Care Coordination
Laura Naredo
Laura Naredo
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
View Bio

Laura Naredo. MS, CHC, CHPC is the chief operations officer with over 20 years of experience at both the clinical and management level. She has also worked with both state agencies and non-profits in behavioral health care. She is responsible for managerial work planning and directing programs to ensure coordination and efficiency among administrative, programmatic and operational aspects of service delivery, reporting directly to the President/CEO. She is responsible for the management of all systems of care operations, quality improvement and quality assurance processes within the agency. She develops, leads, facilitates, and advises internal committees regarding system of care operations, quality improvement, quality assurance, utilization management and risk management activities. She maintains a knowledge of federal and state regulatory conditions and integrates into the internal QI/QA systems, system of care operations and ensures continued compliance with such regulations. She has direct responsibility for the development of the system of care teams, quality improvement and quality assurance programs within the network. She identifies opportunities for performance improvement and establishes corrective action plans. She assists the President/Chief Executive Officer and leadership team in the development of appropriate system of care programming, quality assurance programs and monitor quality control for all operational functions.  

John W. Newcomer, M.D.
John W. Newcomer, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
View Bio

John W. Newcomer, M.D. is President and CEO of Thriving Mind South Florida in Miami, Florida. Thriving Mind (contracting as South Florida Behavioral Health Network, Inc.) oversees safety net mental health and substance abuse services for the population of 3 million people in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, serving approximately 220,000 individuals annually with an annual operating budget of $140 million, funded by the Florida Department of Children and Families as well as other Federal, State, County and private sources.

Dr. Newcomer is also Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. During two decades at Washington University, he served in research leadership roles including Medical Officer for the General Clinical Research Center and Medical Director for the Center for Clinical Studies. Dr. Newcomer has served as Principal Investigator on peer-reviewed federal research grants funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for over 30 years. He was Executive Vice Dean at Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. From 2007-2019 he served on the Metabolic Disorders Steering Committee of the Biomarkers Consortium of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, and in the public sector Chaired the Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Board for the State of Missouri for 13 years. In 2014 he was named to the Thomson Reuters List of Highly Cited Researchers.

Julie Ortiz
Julie Ortiz
Coordinator, Human Resources
Steven  L. Proctor, Ph.D.
Steven L. Proctor, Ph.D.
Senior Program Director for Health Outcomes/Director, VOCA Trauma Recovery Network
Jessica Rodriguez
Jessica Rodriguez
Vice President, Contracts and Procurement, Provider Affairs Ombudsman
View Bio

  

Jessica Rodriguez, Vice President of Contracts and Procurement is a Florida Certified Public Manager with 19 years’ experience in contracting and procuring State of Florida publicly funded behavioral health services. Ms. Rodriguez’s contract and procurement career began at the Florida Department of Children and Families, Southern Region’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program Office in 2004. At Thriving Mind, she oversees the Contracts and Procurement Department that currently manages approximately $141 million in contracts. Her department manages over 100 contracts and agreements. She is responsible for drafting all procurements, contracts, consulting agreements, memorandum of understanding, business associate agreements, data sharing agreements, and prepares budgets when requested. She participates, and at times, takes the lead in contract negotiations. She reviews and provides feedback on subcontractor’s budgets, develops and approves scope of work and review invoices submitted by vendors and subcontractors. She serves as the Single Point of Contact for person’s and/or companions with disabilities and limited English proficiency that need auxiliary aids to be able to communicate effectively during meetings and events at Thriving Mind. In 2018, she began her work as the Procurement Manager to a competitive procurement process that selected a general contractor for the renovation of a vacant hospital to a state-of-the-art mental health diversion facility for individuals diverted from the criminal justice system in Miami-Dade County.  In her eleven (11) years at Thriving Mind, she has never had a solicitation successfully challenged by an agency.  

Alisa Surenskaya
Alisa Surenskaya
Child Welfare Integration Coordinator
Jose Vempala
Jose Vempala
Vice President, Finance
View Bio

Jose Vempala is Vice President of Finance at Thriving Mind, where he has worked for 13 years. He previously was a budget manager at the Department of Children and Families.

Stephen Zuckerman
Stephen Zuckerman
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
View Bio

Stephen Zuckerman is the chief financial officer. His role is to develop, initiate, maintain, and revise policies and procedures for the general operation of the Financial Program and its related activities to prevent illegal, unethical, or improper conduct. He develops and periodically reviews and update Standards of Accounting to ensure continuing currency and relevance in providing guidance to management and employees. He collaborates with other departments to direct accounting and finance compliance issues to appropriate existing channels for investigation and resolution. He responds to alleged violations of rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and Standards of Conduct by evaluating or recommending the initiation of investigation procedures. Develop and oversee a system for uniform handling of such violations. He acts as an independent review and evaluation body to ensure that accounting financial issues/concerns within the organization are being appropriately evaluated, investigated, and resolved. He monitors and coordinates the financial and accounting activities of other departments to remain abreast of the status of all financial and accounting activities and to identify trends. He Identifies potential areas of financial vulnerability and risk; develop/implement corrective action plans for resolution of problematic issues and provide general guidance on how to avoid or deal with similar situations in the future. He provides reports on a regular basis, and as directed or requested, to keep the President/Chief Executive Officer, Finance Committee and Board of Directors informed of the operation and progress of accounting efforts. He monitors the performance of the Financial and Accounting Program and related activities on a continuing basis, taking appropriate steps to improve its effectiveness. He ensures the provider network follows the rules and regulations of regulatory agencies as it pertains to the contract with the provider, that agency policies and procedures are being followed, and that behavior in the organization meets the company’s Standards of Conduct.  

Adult System of Care Behavioral Health Services Care Coordination Child Welfare Coordination Children’s System of Care Communications Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Contracts and Procurement Executive Team Finance Housing Human Resources Information Technology and Data Analytics Peer Services Prevention System of Care Research and Evaluation
Translate