Manuel Guantez, PsyD, LCADC, is a partner with Community Healthcare Associates (CHA), President and CEO of Behavioral Health Consulting Group, and business consultant to Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (RUBHC).
Dr. Guantez recently served as Vice President of Outpatient and Addiction Services at RUBHC, where he oversaw adult acute partial hospital programs and outpatient addiction services. He was instrumental in the implementation of the Interim Managing Entity, New Jersey’s central access point for public sector care and transition to fee-for-service/managed care for substance use disorders.
From 2001 to 2015, he was CEO at Turning Point, one of New Jersey’s largest short-term residential treatment programs.
Dr. Guantez is an international speaker and consultant who has worked with the United Nations and foreign countries to target the gains in combating addiction that have been achieved in the U.S. Domestically, he has been singled out as an important contributor in shaping statewide policies and practices in mental health and substance abuse.
Former Gov. Chris Christie appointed him to the NJ SAFE Task Force to provide recommendations on violence prevention with comprehensive review of the intersection of gun control, addiction, mental health, and school safety issues.
Dr. Guantez is currently a member of the state Professional Advisory Committee on addictions, is on the board of directors of NCADD-NJ (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence), and was appointed to the NJ Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
A former United States Marine and Presidential Honor Guard, Dr. Guantez received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Montclair State University, a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at New York University.