David Guth is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Centerstone, one of the nation’s largest behavioral healthcare providers. The non-profit organization, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, serves nearly 180,000 individuals in communities in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, and nationwide through its national provider network.
Guth has served in the capacity of chief executive for Centerstone since 1991. With over 40 years of behavioral healthcare experience, 33 in executive leadership, his experience and expertise comprise a vast number of areas, both business and clinical. He has presented extensively before national and international audiences on the adoption of information technology in the healthcare industry, the integration of behavioral and primary healthcare, and the importance of improving the field of behavioral health through research-driven protocols. His insights on these topics and others have been featured in numerous professional journals. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from $6M in revenues and 300 staff serving 2,000 individuals to revenues of $327M and 5,200 staff serving nearly 180,000 people each year through 1,250 partnership locations and 211 facilities. In addition, Centerstone contracts with over 700 specialty credentialed clinicians nationwide.
The National Council for Behavioral Health publishes Guth’s first book on mergers entitled, “Strategic Unions: A Marriage Guide to Healthy Not-for-Profit Mergers. He has provided merger presentations through both the National Council and state trade associations and has consulted extensively with not-for-profits exploring mergers and with both for-profits and not-for profits in the areas of managing growth and business development. He is currently working on his second book on non-profit mergers.
Under Mr. Guth’s guidance, in 2013 Centerstone announced a joint venture with Unity Physician Partners to improve patient care and enhance the quality of healthcare across the U.S., by creating an environment in which primary care and mental health providers operate within a collaborative and co-located clinical model. Unity Medical Clinics are embedded within select Centerstone facilities today offering coordinated, whole-health care.
He is the recipient of numerous recognitions including the National Council 2010 Visionary Leadership award, and is recognized as one of Health Care’s Power Leaders in the March 2013 Nashville Business Journal. As well, David recently received the 2016 Douglas Henry Award for Service to Children and Families at Risk from the University of Tennessee’s College of Social Work.
Cory began his career at a Fortune 500 electronics manufacturing services provider, holding several operational and business development leadership positions, including managing the transition of multiple international acquisitions across Europe, South America and Mexico. In 2006, Cory started his M&A career focusing solely on healthcare services businesses. Since then, Cory has had the opportunity to forge relationships with industry leaders and private equity groups throughout the country, having closed over 50 healthcare transactions, nationally.
Jessica Hulsey Nickel is the President and CEO of the Addiction Policy Forum, a diverse partnership of organizations, policymakers and stakeholders committed to working together to elevate awareness around addiction and to improve national policy through a comprehensive response. Jessica has a reputation for getting things done and working with both sides of the aisle on complicated policy issues, including recent work on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) and the House Opioid package.
After 20 years in Washington, Jessica has substantial experience in designing and implementing legislative and appropriations strategies. Her experience includes criminal justice policy and health policy, as well as developing national issue-based campaigns and grassroots initiatives. She works closely with officials on the Hill, in the White House, the Justice Department, the Department of Labor, and state and local governments.
In addition to founding the Addiction Policy Forum, Jessica is the President of Brimley Group, and previously served as the Director of Government Affairs for the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG). Jessica has worked to pass and fund the Second Chance Act, increase funding and reauthorize the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, and other legislative measures such as Drug-Free Communities, Access to Recovery initiative, and other criminal justice and addiction policy priorities.
Previously, Jessica worked as a legislative aide for Senator Rob Portman while he was in the House, developing policy strategies in several issue areas including substance abuse and crime.
In 1998, Jessica was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve on the Drug-Free Communities Commission that helped guide the implementation of the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, where she also went on to serve as co-chair.
Kerry sold Hanblaceya in March 2017 to Constellation Behavioral Health, a portfolio company of New Mainstream Capital, a private equity group based in New York. He remains active in the company, serving as its CEO.
Dr. Schramski is a Certified Merger and Acquisition Advisor (CMAA), consultant, and Licensed Psychologist with over 35 years of very successful national experience in the healthcare marketplace, including co-founding and building a $25 million behavioral health/disabilities services company. His M&A background has incorporated national seller and buyer representation across the healthcare spectrum and he was recognized for his executive leadership in the 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year issue of Inc., as well as the Harvard Business School Press publication, Equity. As the Founder of Vertess, Mr. Schramski’s focus is on helping behavioral healthcare business owners build remarkable value in their companies and maximizing value in the transaction process. In addition, Mr. Schramski is the Editor of the Vertess bi-weekly publication, Salient Value, and the author of Selling Your Baby (2nd Edition).
A 20-year veteran manager and owner of behavioral health hospitals and services, Andrew Spanswick began his career in New Orleans, Louisiana. After receiving his MSW in Clinical Mental Health from Tulane University in Louisiana and working for five years in multiple inpatient psychiatric settings as a Director of Social Services, Mr. Spanswick entered the Master of Hospital Administration Program at Tulane while simultaneously founding Paradym Health Systems, Inc., a psychiatric hospital management company, with Dr. Alan Jason Coe as partner.
PHS engaged in the development, operation and oversight of “distinct part” inpatient and outpatient psychiatric units placed in community and private hospitals throughout the Gulf South. Andrew Spanswick managed the operations of the company and all of the business development. In five years, PHS grew from two to nine psychiatric units and over 200 managed beds. As CEO, Mr. Spanswick designed the company’s operation and managed its growth, adding key personnel to ensure clinical, fiscal and regulatory oversight. Systems were set up to work directly with the billing Fiscal Intermediaries, JCAHO and the Federal and State’s regulatory bodies. Each hospital unit passed all JCAHO and State surveys with 100% compliance.
Andrew Spanswick also has extensive experience in finance. He has participated in several major technology and entertainment projects, arranging over $500 million in equity and senior debt through private equity and institutional financing entities. Mr. Spanswick is 42, and proud to call West Hollywood, California his home for the last ten years.
Kevin started his career working for large enterprise software companies selling multi-million dollar software applications to midsize organizations and large multi-national firms. After ten years of working in the technology industry, Kevin founded a land development and home building company. He gained invaluable experience running all aspects of the business; including raising money, negotiating and purchasing land, planning & rezoning, permitting and building infrastructure (roads, sewers, water, pool, clubhouse, etc.), building houses, and putting together and executing a marketing plan.
After successfully selling that company to a large publicly traded company in 2010, Kevin has been selling healthcare companies. Kevin has been invited to speak at several national and regional healthcare conferences with topics ranging from the process of selling a healthcare company to maximizing value prior to a sale.
Moises Worthalter currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Serenity House Detox.
As a founder and the CFO of Serenity House Detox, Moises is constantly involved in developing the agency and ensuring that all financial protocols and statutory rules and regulations are adhered to.
In his 20 years of professional experience, Moises has had the opportunity to work in a number of sectors including distribution, manufacturing, health care, hospitality, professional placement, and real estate. Within these entities, Moises has held the position of Director of Marketing, National Sales Manager, VP of Sales & Marketing, and CFO. With his wide breadth of knowledge and skill, Moises is a guiding light and visionary in shaping the direction of the agency.
Moises enjoys developing the home-like relaxing atmosphere of our facilities and feels that this sets us apart from the larger more hospital-like agencies. Moises believes in fostering a home and family like atmosphere so that our clients feel more at ease during their stay with us. “Their road to recovery is tough enough. We try to make that first step all the more comfortable.”
