The Institute Team

Executive Director, Danya Institute & Project Director, Central East ATTC & Central East PTTC

Duties:

Oscar has the overall responsibility for the management, growth, and development of the Institute, guiding all administrative, fiscal, training, and programmatic activities, and have primary responsibilities for supervision of the Institute's personnel. He also serves as the Project Director for the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) and Prevention Technology Transfer Center and is responsible for the programmatic and administrative coordination of all training and technical assistance (T/TA) for the Central East ATTC and PTTC. He is the spokesperson and liaison to federal, regional, state and local entities, academic institutions, and mental health agencies, etc. Oscar also recommends and develops other training/workforce initiatives.

Dr. Raymond Crowel

Dr. Raymond L. Crowel, is a nationally known clinical psychologist with more than 35 years of experience as a therapist, program developer, policy maker, manager, and consultant. For the past four years he served as the Director of the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), where he helped to lead the county’s Covid-19 prevention, testing, vaccination, and recovery activities. Raymond has also served as Montgomery County’s Chief of Behavioral Health and Crisis Services, Vice President for Training and Technical Assistance at ICF International, Vice President for Mental Health Services for the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), Director of Child and Adolescent Services for Baltimore City, and Deputy Director for Children’s Mental Health in Washington, DC. In February 2023, after 15 years with DHHS, Raymond retired from county government. He is currently in private practice in the Washington DC area, working with individuals and couples on relationship issues, wellness, life balance, and trauma recovery. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Rutgers University and has held faculty positions at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities. In addition to time with family, Raymond relaxes by doing photography, playing golf, and studying martial arts.

Duties:

As the Clinical Director for the Danya Institute, Raymond brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in public health management, as well as training and technical assistance on mental health, substance abuse, policy and systems change.

Co-Project Director, Central East ATTC

Andrew is a learning and development leader with ten years of experience in the mental health and substance abuse field. Before coming to the Danya Institute, Andrew worked for the State of Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), serving as the Deputy Hospital Director for the Delaware Psychiatric Center. He also served as an organizational development consultant, where he oversaw strategic planning efforts and change management. Andrew provided leadership as a Workforce Development and Education Administrator, providing evidence-based, continuing education opportunities for a wide range of mental health and substance abuse professionals. When Andrew’s not working, you’ll find him cycling, cheering for any/all Philadelphia sports teams (Go Birds!), traveling, or spending time with family and friends.

Duties:

Andrew is the Co-Project Director for the Central East Addictions Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) and is responsible for the programmatic and administrative coordination of all training and technical assistance for the Central East ATTC Region. He is the spokesperson and liaison to federal, regional, state, and local entities, academic institutions, mental health agencies, etc. Andrew also supports the development of other training and workforce initiatives.

Project Director, Central East PTTC

Duties:

Deborah Nixon-Hughes, LCSW-C, is the Project Director for the Central East Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC). She is responsible to use proven technology transfer strategies and practices to promote the adoption and implementation of evidence-based prevention and early intervention approaches. Debbie will be the spokesperson and liaison to federal, regional, state and local entities; academic institutions; and prevention, treatment, and/or recovery agencies. Deborah is responsible to identify prevention needs through engaging and collaborating with primary care providers; individuals experiencing behavioral health challenges and their families; and other community stakeholders/systems. As a result, she recommends and coordinates workforce trainings and technical assistance initiatives that can address the needs identifies, and thus reduce the effect of mental and substance use disorders on the health of individuals, their families, and their communities.

Director of Operations

Tamara Moreland has worked for the Danya Institute for more than 20 years. She oversees human resources, finance, communication, and grant management for the cooperative agreements. Her responsibilities also include technical assistance to staff and participants on virtual platforms as well as providing assistance to key staff on budgeting.

Duties:

Tamara provides day-to-day oversight of current grants/contracts and assists the Executive Director in ensuring all project deliverables and reports are completed on time. She is responsible for human resource management and works with the accountant to process accounts payable for the Institute. She supports senior staff to ensure development and production of required projects and is responsible for handling the coordination, logistics, development of registration, conference brochures, and educational materials for all meetings, trainings, and conferences. She oversees the marketing system to support the internal and external marketing of the Institute’s products and services using various social media techniques and works with senior staff on completing closeout on all administrative, operational and fiscal aspects on all contracts.

ORN Regional Coordinator for HHS Region 3, and Senior Communications, Central East ATTC & The Danya Institute

Debbie is a senior communications specialist with leadership experience in healthcare and education. She has more than 25 years’ experience providing communications expertise in an effort to reduce health disparities nationwide in such conditions as behavioral health and addictions, HIV, hepatitis, STDs, and TB. Her experience includes outreach, marketing, writing, editing, and proofreading all forms of communications, including social media posts and web content. Her career has spanned international lines and she maintains demonstrated expertise implementing knowledge management, developing partnerships, teaching, and training. When not working, she enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her family, which now includes five beautiful grandchildren.

Duties:

Debbie is the Regional Coordinator for the Opioid Response Network (ORN), where she provides supervision and management for the ORN team in SAMHSA Region 3. She and her team respond to and identifies the technical assistance needs of requests received in a multi-state area (District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia). She develops technical assistance plans and coordinates local consultants who provide the delivery of technical assistance in the areas of prevention, treatment and recovery of opioid use disorders and stimulant use. Technical assistance may include disseminating evidence-based resources and materials; coordinating education and training events; and/or coordinating evidence-based consultation.

Technology Transfer Specialist

Teece has a professional background in human development and family studies with a concentration on family policy and sexual and gender minority individuals and their families. Teece is passionate about the intersection of substance use disorder, mental health, gender identity and sexual orientation, and parenting. In their spare time, they enjoy reading middle grade and YA novels, non-fiction, and poetry. He also enjoys walking his dog, yoga, and other physical activities.

Duties:

Teece is a Technology Transfer Specialist (TTS) for the Opioid Response Network (ORN) in SAMHSA Region 3, where he provides coordination on ORN technical assistance requests to develop strategies and programming to address the opioid crisis. In his role as a TTS, he responds to and identifies the technical assistance needs of requests received in a multi-state area (District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia). He develops technical assistance plans and coordinates local consultants who provide the delivery of technical assistance in the areas of harm reduction, recovery, prevention, and treatment of opioid use disorders and stimulant use. Technical assistance may include disseminating evidence-based resources and materials, coordinating education and training events, and/or coordinating evidence-based consultation.

Prevention Fellow

Imani Conway is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health, a Minor in Sociology, and a Social Dimensions of Health Certificate. She has a deep passion for helping people, driven by a commitment to improving lives and making a positive impact in her community. Her career goals are centered around leveraging evidence-based research to inform and implement health interventions. She is focused on addressing disparities in underserved communities. She aspires to contribute to the development of public health policies and programs which promote equitable access to healthcare and improve overall population health outcomes.

Duties:

As a public health graduate with a focus on research and community health, she joins the 2024/2025 Building Our Leadership and Diversity (BOLD) Fellowship program appointed by the SAMSHA-funded Region 3 Prevention Technology Transfer Center (Central East PTTC). The BOLD program is designed to increase the number of prevention scientists working within historically marginalized communities. This 2024/2025 cohort will focus on meeting the prevention needs of the Black/African American community. She will conduct research on best practices related to substance use disorder prevention; work with mentors from the prevention and public health field; and represent the Central East PTTC at prevention science seminars, meetings, and conference.

Central East ATTC Project Coordinator

She spent the summer of 2021 partnering with the University of Miami's Minority Health Research Training (MHRT) program, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to research health disparities in the Dominican Republic. Her interests are public health research focusing on economic stability and public health among underserved populations.

Duties:

De'Asia Harris is currently the Project Coordinator for the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) and a research assistant for the Central East Region Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC). She earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and a Master of Public Health, Public Health Practice and Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park December.

Charmaine Smith, Administrative Assistant

Charmaine worked two years as an office assistant and 18 years in the stress-filled world of tax preparation, after which time she decided she needed a career change to something less stressful, so she decided to join the Danya team. Boy did she miss the mark – Ha! Charmaine graduated from Strayer University in 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting. Hobbies are watching the HGTV and Hallmark channels and exercising.

Duties:

Sr Technical Assistance Coordinator, MHTTC

Michael Thompson brings a multi-faceted background with 20 years of experience in information dissemination, technical assistance, data analysis and reporting, marketing, and inventory management services. Over this period, he has supported the planning and organization of strategic activities and initiatives focused on prevention, treatment, health equity, and crime victim assistance. He has done work on behalf of SAMHSA, the Department of Justice, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Duties:

Michael will work closely with the Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Project Manager to plan, coordinate, design, and deliver T/TA in support of strengthening the skills and knowledge of the behavioral health and primary care workforce that provides prevention, treatment and recovery support service to individuals who have or are at risk of developing a serious emotional disturbance, a serious mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorder.

Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator

Adrian's experience includes working for more than a decade in behavioral health, particularly in areas related to helping individuals with disabilities to understand the impact of employment on their state and federal benefits so that they can achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Duties:

Adrian is a Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Coordinator who performs various duties to increase operational efficiency of T/TA activities for the programs of The Danya Institute. Adrian works closely with Directors to lead large-scale and specialized consultation, training, and coaching efforts for the behavioral healthcare and primary healthcare workforce that provides prevention, treatment and recovery support services for substance use disorder (SUD) and mental illness. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: implementing quality assurance processes to ensure the provision of training and technical assistance and contract deliverables; identify key trainings to implement, design the most complex curricula, evaluate, and develop tools to better assess training and other workforce development activities; and assisting with wide-ranging project activities including, research, manage data collection, and virtual hosting. Additionally, the TAC coordinates the flow of information from multiple sources, prioritizes activities, coordinates responses and ensures appropriate follow-up of assigned tasks.