NNews March 2026

March 2026 31 Spring Conference Celebrates NJAMHAA’s 75th Anniversary, Provides Critical Information for Success of Providers and thoseThey Serve A s part of its 75th anniversary, NJAMHAA will be hosting its annual Spring Conference, Evolving Behavioral Health, Advancing Together for 75 Years , over two days, April 14 and 15, 2026 at the APA Hotel Woodbridge in Iselin, NJ. Speakers and attendees from across the state and country will be gathering to connect and learn about howwe as a behavioral health workforce can advance in the ever-growing technologically dependent world that we live in today. The conference will begin with a keynote presentation, Swifties, Startups, and the Singularity: Reimagining the Future of Behavioral Health , during which Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, Executive in Residence, General Catalyst and Board Chair, Teleflex, will share practical strategies for preparing behavioral health organizations and professionals for the changes ahead. Dr. Klasko will thenmoderate a panel discussion with Deborah Visconi, President and CEO, Bergen New BridgeMedical Center and Chair of the New Jersey Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees; ReginaWiddows, MA, President and CEO, SERV Behavioral Health System, Inc. and NJAMHAA BoardMember; and Bob Gold, Founder and Chief Behavioral Technologist, GoMo Health®. They will provide additional insights and recommendations to help ensure individuals’ and organizations’ success despite themany challenges that are ongoing and others that may arise in the future. Following the keynote presentation, the day will continue withmorning sessions followed by lunch and afternoonworkshops. Some of the sessions onDay 1 will include a presentation on how agencies across New Jersey are leveraging internal career pathways; Bachelor-level staff development, graduate student pipelines, and registered apprenticeships to build a sustainable counselingworkforce; and a presentation on strengthening revenue and sustainability for integrated healthcare providers by NJAMHAA’s newAssociate Executive Director Lisa Lawson, MBA, MSW, LCSW, before concludingwith the Courage and Compassion Awards Ceremony. The final presentationwill be a plenary sessionwith the newDepartment of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Dr. Stephen Cha; ValerieMielke, MSW, DHS Deputy Commissioner for Health Services; and representatives from the Department of Children and Families leadership. KEYNOTE SPEAKER Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA Executive in Residence, General Catalyst Board Chair, Teleflex PLENARY SPEAKER Dr. Stephen Cha Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Human Services THOUGHT LEADER Deborah Visconi President and CEO Bergen New Bridge Medical Center THOUGHT LEADER Bob Gold Chief Clinical Behavioral Technologist and Founder, GoMo Health® PLENARY SPEAKER Valerie Mielke, MSW Deputy Commissioner for Health Services, New Jersey Department of Human Services Representatives from the Department of Children and Families leadership THOUGHT LEADER ReginaWiddows, MA President and CEO SERV Behavioral Health System Inc. Swifties, Startups, and the Singularity: Reimagining the Future of Behavioral Health KEYNOTE ADDDRESS PLENARY ADDDRESS continued on page 32