Executive Leadership

Interim President and CEO

Mr. Merz’s career spans more than 25 years in healthcare administration and behavioral healthcare. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President of Operations at Diamond Healthcare. Prior Mr. Merz was President/CEO of Maine Behavioral Healthcare, a $100M, 1,200 employee integrated behavioral healthcare organization, providing urgent/crisis/ED, inpatient, ambulatory, addictions, developmental disorders, residential, community, case management and integrated services for 1.1M people in Maine.

Mr. Merz holds a Master of Health Services Management and Policy degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University. He has served on national and regional boards, including the National Association of Behavioral Healthcare, and chaired the Behavioral Healthcare Councils of the Maine and Connecticut Hospital Associations. He also was an ACHE Regent for Connecticut.

James M. Stevenson, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Stevenson served as Professor and Chair, West Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, for 35 years, the longest-standing such tenure for a school of medicine in the United States. He is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and was named an Exemplary Psychiatrist by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Dr. Stevenson is the author or co-author of numerous books, chapters and professional publications, and has served as Principal Investigator for federally funded and private research studies and clinical trials.

Rebekah M. Stewart

Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer

Ms. Stewart has extensive experience in healthcare compliance, regulatory standards, audits and compliance program implementation. During her tenure as Assistant Vice President, Hospital Compliance for MedStar Health, she was responsible for the implementation and oversight of MedStar’s compliance and privacy programs for the organization’s acute care hospitals and the MedStar Health Research Institute.

Ms. Stewart holds a Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University School of Law, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Health Services Management from Oklahoma Christian University and a Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University. She is also Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) and Certified in Healthcare Research Compliance (CHRC) from the Health Care Compliance Association.

Donald Lovelace

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Lovelace has extensive experience in the healthcare field, including financial oversight of hospital-based behavioral health service lines.

Among his more notable assignments, Mr. Lovelace was the CFO for MetroSouth Medical Center in Illinois, Senior VP of Finance and Accounting at Curo Health Services in North Carolina, Chief Financial Officer at Blufton Regional Medical Center in Indiana, and Associate Chief Financial Officer at Gateway Regional Medical Center in Illinois.

He began his career as an Audit Associate with Arthur Anderson in Norfolk, VA. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of South Carolina, Master of Taxation from Georgia State University, and Master of Business Administration from Auburn University.

Sheila Butler

Chief Engagement Officer

Ms. Butler is an experienced Human Resources executive and a recognized professional in the field of organizational development, predominantly in strategic planning and employee relations. Her human resources experience encompasses numerous leadership roles in a variety of industries including healthcare, banking, communications, marketing and utilities. She is highly proficient in developing and implementing retention strategies, researching and implementing human resource information systems, managing employee relations, and creating performance management and measurement systems.

Ms. Butler holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Development from The George Washington University and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Organizational Development from St. Paul’s University. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Joey Trapani

Senior Vice President Business Development

Mr. Trapani is an exceptional behavioral healthcare executive. With prior experience as a VP in Operations at Diamond, he understands the full spectrum of integrated behavioral health care and what it takes to run a successful program. He is adept at helping our clients understand their needs and recommending programming that is personalized to their hospital, budget and community.

Previously, Mr. Trapani was the Chief Executive Officer of Poplar Springs Hospital in Petersburg, VA. Mr. Trapani served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, and was an active member of the Virginia Governor’s Task Force for Mental Health focusing on urgent access issues within the Commonwealth for patients with Severe Mental Illness.

Mr. Trapani has a Bachelor’s of Science in Liberal Arts from the University of Central Florida.

Diamond Leadership

Operations

Mike Raisig, Divisional Vice President of Operations

Trey Steckline, Divisional Vice President of Operations

Donna Tidwell, VP

Richard Cote, VP

Business Development

Carmen Leschuk, VP

John Piechocki, VP

Communications

Jane Odberg, VP

Employee Engagement

Ann Belvin, VP Talent Engagement

Clinical Services

Patricia Scalfari, VP

Finance

Angela Meadows, VP Accounting and Controller

David Bissi, VP Finance

Traci Gray, VP

Information Technology

Neil Konitzer, VP