Mr. Rabbito began his career in health and human services in 1973 as a social worker for the Miami-Dade County Welfare Department. He quickly rose through the ranks to Program Supervisor and District Welfare Supervisor. In 1984, he was appointed to Division Chief for Special Services in the Miami – Dade County Department of Human Services. In 1987, he entered state government as Director of the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, District XI, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Program for Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties (Florida Keys). In this capacity he contracted for and licensed state services to private non-profit agencies and local government, supervised the operations of the state forensic hospital in Miami, Florida, and all state services in Monroe County, including: child welfare, aging and adult services, child support enforcement and economic services. In 1992, he was appointed District XI Program Manager for Economic Services, supervising 1,400 state employees providing AFDC, Food Stamp, Refugee Assistance, Child Support and medical assistance services. In 1993, Mr. Rabbito returned to local government as Director of Court Services for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, Administrative Office of the Courts. He supervised programs in the circuit's Criminal, Family, and Juvenile Courts and the County Courts. He was later appointed to the Director of Court Programs and Projects. In 2004, after 30 years of public service, he retired form government and began work for the WestCare Foundation. Mr. Rabbito is currently the Sr. Vice President for WestCare Florida and Caribbean Operations and manages programs in St. Petersburg, Miami, Key Largo, Marathon, Key West, St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. Johns, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mr. Rabbito earned a Bachelor of Social Work Degree and Master of Science in Management Degree from Florida International University.

Wendy Ramos came to the WestCare Foundation/Village South in Miami from the Guidance/Care Center in the Florida Keys, where she was the Assistant to the Executive Vice President. Prior to moving to the Florida Keys in 2001, Ms. Ramos worked for Comprehensive Computer Solutions in Christiansburg, Virginia, as a Recruiter/Trainer where she was responsible for employee acquisitions, training, and overall personnel relations. Ms. Ramos earned an AAS degree in Business Management from New River Community College, Dublin, Virginia, a BS in Organizational Management and Development from Bluefield College, Bluefield, Virginia. Ms. Ramos brings over 15 years experience in Human Resources, Accounting, Marketing and Public Relations to the Florida/Virgin Islands Executive Management Team.

Frank A. Scafidi, Ph.D is the Senior Clinical Officer for the WestCare South Florida and Caribbean Region. Dr. Scafidi earned his Bachelor's degree in Biology and Psychology in 1983 from Loyola University in Chicago. In 1984, he received his Master's degree in Applied Developmental Psychology, and in 1988 received his doctoral degree in Applied Developmental and Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami. Dr. Scafidi has over 22 years experience of progressively increasing responsibility in clinical, program, administrative, research, and evaluation practices. At the University of Miami, he was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology, Research Assistant Professor, Director of the Mother-Infant Drug Treatment Program, and Co-Director of the Touch Research Institute. Dr. Scafidi directed an intervention program funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse for depressed and drug using teenage mothers and their infants and was the Primary Investigator of numerous NIMH and NIH studies examining the effects of touch on the growth, development and medical course of high-risk pediatric and adult populations. He is widely published in the field of child development. Dr. Scafidi also currently serves as the Chairperson of the Data Safety and Monitoring Board for a NIDA funded study at Florida International University.

Diana Alvarez-Mendez has been Human Resources Director at The Village South since May 1998. She began her career in the Human Resources field in the hospitality industry in 1985. Ms. Alvarez-Mendez spent the early part of it at four and five star hotels prior to joining a Miami-based hospitality management firm; TCC/Carnival Hotels and Resorts as Director of Human Resources. Highlights of her tenure there include seven years as Director of Human Resources for two different Miami hotels with a workforce of 500+. She also traveled extensively within the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Venezuela overseeing both national and international employee acquisitions, compliance with labor regulations, annual monitoring, and training for mid and upper level management. In 1996 she moved to the Human Resources Management team at Vincam, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) where she managed the human resources administration for clients to include but not limited to developing and facilitating training programs for paraprofessional and professional personnel, administering employee benefits, ensuring compliance with Federal and respective Sate regulations with an employee base of over 2,000. Today, Ms. Alvarez-Mendez is responsible for the Human Resources functions for The Village South in Miami and the Florida Keys agencies in Key Largo, Marathon and Key West.

Mr. Leonardo Martinez was originally from Colombia and arrived to the United States in 1992 to New Jersey where he obtained his Degree in Management of Information Systems, Computer Technician at Dover Business College. After graduating, he moved to Miami, Florida. His career started at TDK computers as a Computer Engineer; then he worked at Davocom as a Network Consultant. After this position, he was hired by Knight Rider Publications until they relocated to San Jose, California in 1998. At the beginning of 1999, he began his career at The Village South as a System Administrator/Help Desk Coordinator, helping centralize all the data from different locations into one. Currently, he is the IT Director for all locations in Florida and the Virgin Islands.

Ms. De Cardenas began her career in healthcare in 1986 where she held several positions of increasing responsibility at Cedars Medical Center and Hospital, now University of Miami. In 1998 she obtained her Real Estate License and is currently an active Real Estate Agent. She joined the Village South, Inc. family in 2001 and currently serves as Human Resources Coordinator responsible for all day-to-day departmental functions. Ms. De Cardenas has a Bachelor's Degree in Group and Interpersonal Communications and a Human Resources Management Certificate from The University of Miami.

Aurelio Morrell was born in Havana, Cuba and came to Miami when he was 15 years old. Mr. Morrell's path took him into Hospital Administration where he has worked for the last fifteen years in Mental Health/Substance Abuse financial management. He began his career working for Blue Cross Blue Shield auditing hospitals for the Medicare program and served in the capacity of Administrator/Chief Financial Officer at various hospitals in the South Florida area. Mr. Morrell earned his Accounting degree from Jacksonville University.

Andres Savransky lived in Buenos Aires Argentina until the age of 16, when his family relocated to South Florida. He attended Charles Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines for his senior year and is currently working on a master's degree in accounting at Florida Atlantic University. Andres has been at The Village since 2007, first as a Research Assistant and subsequently as Program Coordinator for Project STYLE – a coordinated substance abuse and HIV prevention program targeting young adults.

A native of Mobile, Alabama, Eric Dominic Singleton began his career with the Radisson Admiral Semmes Hotel, The Gathering, Franco's Italian Restaurant and many other Hotels and restaurants. He then moved to South Florida to attend Johnson & Wales University in the summer of 1996. While at JWU, Mr. Singleton worked in many departments from Residential Life and Admissions to Advancement; where he was part of the inguinal session of the university's "CETARY" Program. After graduating with his Bachelors of Science in Culinary Arts, he worked for Ready Maid Professional Domestics as a private chef. In 1999, Mr. Singleton accepted a position with the Holiday Inn as the Food and Beverage Director. Mr. Singleton worked as the Head Culinary Instructor/Food Program Supervisor for Easter Seals of South Florida where he over saw the organization's Food Program and taught culinary to special needs kids; preparing them to enter the work force. In 2004, he accepted a position with the WestCare Foundation as the Director of Food Service. Since then, Mr. Singleton's responsibilities have increased to include Environment of Care, Infection and Prevention Programs. Mr. Singleton recently became the President Emeritus of the Johnson & Wales Alumni's Miami Chapter.

Dr. Miller came to the Village 30 years ago, escaping the winters of Pittsburgh where, while completing his doctorate at Duquesne University, he was employed by the Veterans Administration Hospital, providing psychological services to veterans with alcohol dependency and severe and persistent mental illness. At the Village, Dr. Miller has served in a variety of capacities, first responsible for JCAHO accreditation, contract compliance, and licensing; and then, during the Village's expansion, as Vice President for Clinical Operations and Chief Administrative Officer and now Special Projects Officer. He has been the Principal Investigator on two CSAT demonstration projects, including the initial wave of Women and Children treatment programming and Asosyé nan Rekouverman, a monolingual substance abuse residential treatment program for Kreole speaking Haitians. Dr. Miller was the site Principal Investigator for the Marijuana Research Project clinical trial, as well as two NIDA sponsored Clinical Trials Network studies, Women and Trauma, and Brief Strategic Family Therapy. He has been a leader in promoting the adoption and sustaining of science-based treatment models at the Village. Dr. Miller is currently involved in two NIDA research projects, Project HOPE, a CTN study, and Project RETAIN, both examining strategies to reduce viral load in HIV+ substance abusers. Additionally, he conducts training extensively in Motivational Interviewing Supervisory Skills (MIA-STEP).

Dr. Stark-Bloom, a native of South Africa who immigrated to the United States more than 25 years ago, is the holder of a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D., specialty: Pediatric Neuropsychology), as well as a Masters in Mental Health Counseling (Florida Certified Licensed Mental Health Counselor). Dr. Stark-Bloom began her career in healthcare in 1993 as a Mental Health Counselor at the South Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center. Since then she has held positions at South Shore Hospital/United Foundation for AIDS (Organizer and Program Coordinator for a comprehensive AIDS/HIV community program), The University of Miami Department of Pediatrics ("Project Cradle", then the largest publicly assisted pediatric AIDS/HIV program in Dade County), and The Neuropsychological Institute of Coral Gables (Clinical Counselor/Evaluator working under the auspices of Dr. Jorge Herrera, a leader in the field of Neuropsychology). In 1998 she joined The Village South as a Psychological Evaluator at the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Detention Center, conducting testing on dually diagnosed adolescents at the facility, and also worked as a Counselor for The Village South's Women's and Children's Program. In 2004 she was appointed Director of the Mental Health Unit at the Juvenile Detention Center, responsible for all Clinical and Administrative functions for this Unit, as well as liaison between The Village South and the Juvenile Detention Center, and was the recipient of The Village's "Manager of the Year" award for 2004. After briefly leaving The Village to pursue her academic career and other endeavors, Dr. Stark-Bloom returned to The Village South as a Consultant in 2005 and has since returned to her primary passion, that of helping children as Director of the Children's Center . Dr. Stark won the Leadership Team Member of the Year in 2008 and became Clinical Director of Children, Adolescent and Prevention Services in 2010. Dr. Stark-Bloom is also active in the community, supporting organizations such as The United Foundation for AIDS, The Unicorn Children's Foundation, Best Buddies and The Viscayans.

Jose Rodriguez began his career at The Village South in 1981 as the Director of Acquisitions acquiring almost a million dollars in goods and services for The Village. Soon after, he became Director of Purchasing specializing in negotiating with vendors, contractors, and sub contractors to reduce Village expenses. The role of Director of Facilities was added to his other responsibilities, and in this role he is responsible for all Health, Fire, and Safety inspections. He also oversees a maintenance department that is constantly making renovations and repairs throughout our main campus, and all other facilities. During the years that The Village has been accredited by JCAHO, Jose has assured the Village facilities have always met accreditation standards. He is also a member is good standing of the International Facility Management Association.

Ms. Kempa is originally from Chicago and moved to Key West in 2004. She began working for the Guidance/Care Center, Inc. in 2006 as a Therapeutic Behavioral On-Site Services Therapist working with children and their families. In 2008, she was recognized by the 16th Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Program as Outstanding Community Advocate of the Year. In her current position, she administers leads, directs and supervises all aspects of outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment programs including therapy, family intervention services, case management, and prevention for Monroe County. Ms. Kempa has been serving as the Designated Mental Health Authority (DMHA) at the Monroe Regional Juvenile Detention Center since 2006 and acts as a liaison to various community boards, planning committees and interagency meetings. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Qualified Supervisor for those seeking licensure in Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy in the state of Florida. Ms. Kempa earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 1992 from Northern Illinois University. In 1998, she received her Master's degree in Community Counseling and became a National Board Certified Counselor. Ms. Kempa has worked in community behavioral health for more than 15 years and has held positions progressively increasing responsibility in clinical programs and administration. She is published in the field of Eating Disorders and has participated in several community panel presentations on children and mental health issues.

Debra's work history prior to coming to the fabulous Florida Keys included working within the Florida Department of Revenue and a non for profit community hospital, where the passion for working for agency's that served those less fortunate began. Her employment with this agency began 22 years ago, as the medical file clerk. Her work ethics and abilities were recognized with promotions that eventually led to her position as the Chief Operations Officer. Her current position as Data Manager is responsible for ensuring the agency's database collects and gathers the information necessary for billing, quality assurance, and external and internal reporting needs.

Maureen Grynewicz has been with G/CC since 1999 when she performed the duties of Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director. She has since fulfilled a number of roles at G/CC with such competence and professionalism that she now performs dual roles for the agency - Director of Transportation Services, which she has held since 2002, and Site Director for the Key Largo Facility where she has provided program oversight and management of staff since 2008. As the Director of Transportation, she is responsible for the daily operations and oversight of staff responsible for coordinating the services provided by the Middle Keys Transportation program, including scheduling and route development. She also performs the duties of the Community Transportation Coordinator for transportation for the disadvantaged (persons who, because of physical or mental disability, income status, or age are unable to transport themselves or to purchase transportation). As the Site Director in Key Largo, Ms. Grynewicz supervises staff to promote regulatory compliance, client centered approaches, and customer satisfaction, conducting and participating in activities that promote and ensure compliance with G/CC policies, licensing requirements, grants and contractual obligations. Ms. Grynewicz also is the Program Coordinator for G/CC's FQHC planning grant from HRSA, the Safety Officer for G/CC, and the Chairperson of the Environment of Care Committee.

Ms. Marciniak has been with the Guidance/Care Center since 1996 where she began as a Mental Health Technician. Her exemplary skills and professionalism have enabled her to progress through various positions and she is now the Site Director for the Middle Keys facility where she oversees programming and staff, and administers the day-to-day business of the site in addition to the Personal Growth Center Director. Ms. Marciniak has extensive experience with the SMI population as both a direct-care provider and an administrator. Her experience is diverse, having worked in some capacity through the full continuum of care from Crisis through Community Integration. Her years of experience as a Case Manager have furnished her with valuable knowledge of the diverse community resources that contribute to continuous client care even outside the behavioral health arena. Ms. Marciniak developed the Community Integration Program that currently exists at G/CC, incorporating a strong emphasis on psycho-education, and consumer-driven care, and member-staff partnerships in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation setting. In addition, Ms. Marciniak has a comprehensive knowledge of state and federal entitlement programs including Social Security Disability, Medicare, Medicaid, and Florida's ACCESS program. Ms. Marciniak has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Indiana University.

Marianne began her career in healthcare finance in Michigan. After obtaining her M.B.A from the University of Michigan in 1977, she worked first at Planned Parenthood and then for the Visiting Nurse Association of Metropolitan Detroit. In 1993, Marianne first visited the Keys to run in the Seven Mile Bridge Run. She moved down six months later. In the Keys, she worked as manager of a credit union, controller in a real estate office, and self-employed accountant. She resumed her career in health care finance in March 2000 when she was hired as Chief Financial Officer of the Guidance Clinic of the Middle Keys of Marathon, Florida. Many changes have taken place in the Florida Keys operations since she started including affiliation with WestCare Foundation in 2006 and merging with the Care Center for Mental Health in 2009. Currently, Marianne's title is Regional Controller for the Guidance/Care Center, Inc. which serves the entire Florida Keys. When not working, Marianne enjoys spending time with her husband Larry. She is active in the Marathon Community Theatre, appearing in their productions and a member of their Board. She is also active in the San Pablo Catholic Church in Marathon, Florida as a Lector, Eucharistic Minister, and a member of the Parish Finance Council.

Val Candy has a bachelor's and a master's degree in business management and has earned a doctorate with specializations in strategic management, marketing, and organizational behavior. Since joining the Westcare/Guidance Care Center family in April 2012, she has coordinated efforts to ensure conformance with standards and practices for re-accreditation by CARF, the renewal of licensure for the provision of substance abuse and mental health services, as well as providing support for various day-to-day operational, programmatic, and community-relations affairs. In her role as policy development advisor and national program manager for the Department for Education and Skills, Westminster, UK, she was responsible for all phases of the Best Practice Research Scholarships Program for Teachers from pilot, evaluation, and the contract management of the national program to a public-private sector partnership to improve efficiencies. Following early retirement in 2002, she moved to Key West, Florida where she has worked as a contract manager for the State of Florida's HIV/AIDS program, and as site director for Hodges University, where she was instrumental in establishing a live management graduate program taught at the Florida Keys Community College. She has also fulfilled temporary positions with the Guardian ad Litem and Social Services for Elder Affairs, as well as serving as a Board Member for Green Living and Energy Education (GLEE). She continues to be an active member of the community in both her personal and professional endeavors.

Scott M. Burns, MD is the full time Medical Director for the Guidance/Care Center. Dr. Burns completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and his graduate studies at Wayne State University. He graduated in 1985 from the University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham. Dr. Burns completed his residency training in New York at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, Tish University Hospital, Bellevue Hospital and Manhattan VA Hospital and fellowship training at Columbus University, College of Physicians and Surgeons at the Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Burns is a member of the American Academy of Neurology. Since 2002, he has been on the medical staff at Fisherman's Hospital and has held numerous leadership positions including: Chief of Staff, Vice Chief of Staff, Department of Medicine Vice Chairman, Credential Committee Chairman, and he served as a board member on both the Board of Advisors and Board of Trustees. Since 2002, Dr. Burns has been self employed in solo neurology practice in Marathon. Since 2006, he has provided medical coverage at our inpatient Crisis and Detox Unit. Dr. Burns has served the community with distinction and has proven to be a dedicated member of our staff, committed to serving persons suffering from acute mental illness and substance abuse.