SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM
John Hamilton, LMFT, LADC
President and Chief Executive Officer
John Hamilton, President & CEO, re-joined Liberation Programs in 2018, having served as the agency’s Vice President of Clinical Services and Senior Vice President from 1996-2006. He is nationally recognized as an expert in the field of addiction treatment and prevention, and brings three decades of experience to his role as President and Chief Executive Officer. John chairs the advisory board for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and serves on the Governors Alcohol and Drug Policy Council.
John is Past Chair of the Dissemination Committee for the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network, Past Chair of the Community Treatment Providers Caucus, Past President of the Southwest Connecticut Mental Health Board, Past President of the New England Association of Drug Court Professionals, and co-Founder of the Greenwich Father’s Forum. He has consulted for NIDA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA).
In 2013, John was the recipient of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) Nyswander-Dole Award for his contributions to the field of Addiction Treatment.
203.604.1160
John.Hamilton@liberationprograms.org
Marlene Bent
Chief Operating Officer
Marlene joined Liberation programs in 2023 after working as a Vice President of Compliance for a for-profit organization. Marlene is a dedicated professional with a Master’s degree in Health Administration and over 10 years of experience in the behavioral healthcare field. Her expertise spans project management, patient advocacy, and healthcare administration. Marlene is passionate about improving access to mental health and substance use services and has a proven track record of implementing effective strategies to enhance patient care and organizational efficiency. She is committed to making a meaningful impact in the field of behavioral healthcare through innovation and compassionate leadership. She has also begun her doctorate in Healthcare Administration.
978.435.5166
Marlene.Bent@liberationprograms.org
Tracy Cramer
Chief Development Officer
Tracy joined Liberation Programs in 2023. She brings 15 years of nonprofit experience in fundraising and communications to her new role at Liberation Programs. With a focus on donor stewardship and strategic planning, she joined Liberation after serving as Chief Philanthropy Officer at Person to Person, an organization dedicated to supporting low-income families in Fairfield County with basic needs. Previously, Tracy works as Vice President of Development and Communications at Habitat for Humanity in New York City and Grants Manager in Austin, TX, as well as Director of Development at Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, where she gained extensive experience in major gift fundraising, corporate partnerships, strategic planning, board and volunteer engagement, communications, and marketing, including direct response and social media campaigns. Tracy holds master’s degrees in urban planning and historic preservation from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Penn State. Prior to her nonprofit career, she spent 13 years as an urban planner specializing in affordable housing, and three years operating a bakery in San Francisco.
203.391.7902
Tracy.Cramer@liberationprograms.org
Judith M. Martino
Comptroller
Judith Martino, Comptroller, joined Liberation Programs as Director of Finance in 2020 before being promoted to Comptroller. Judy has decades of experience in the non-profit sector including expertise with budgeting, grants and contracts, and financial reporting. She began her career as an auditor for Arthur Andersen & Company working with many non-profit organizations and municipalities. Previously, she was the Assistant Controller at Optimus Health Care, a Federally Qualified Health Center. Judy has over 30 years of experience working as the Director of Budget & Finance at Recovery Network of Programs, a non-profit behavioral health organization. Judy has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Connecticut, School of Business Administration.
203.604.1279
Judith.Martino@liberationprograms.org
Joanne Montgomery, LADC, LCSW
Chief Clinical and Outreach Officer
Joanne Montgomery, Chief Clinical and Outreach Officer, re-joined Liberation Programs in 2019 having worked for the agency from 1995-2007. Joanne has over 25 years experience working with diverse populations including persons with substance misuse and mental health disorders, HIV/AIDS, homelessness and trauma. Joanne was recognized by SAMHSA and DMHAS for her forward thinking when creating a treatment on demand model. This model was first of its kind increasing access for medication assisted treatment from a several week wait to a 90 minute start to end admission process. Joanne has extensive experience with program development and building community partnerships throughout Fairfield County. Joanne is the Board President of MFAP, Co-Chair of the Strategic planning and assessment committee of the Ryan White Planning Council and is also a founding member who sits on the board of Connecticut Alliance of Recovery Residences (CTAR).
Joanne is responsible for leading our Outpatient Programs and Men’s Inpatient Program, as well as expanding outreach and partnerships to expand access and increase revenue. Joanne leads funded implementations and outreach, such as our MAT Wellness Van, Recovery Coaching, Hospital Partnerships, and securing NIDA support to dramatically expand Suboxone/Buprenorphine.
203.953.3347
Joanne.Montgomery@liberationprograms.org
Chris Whitney, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer Chris Whitney joined Liberation Programs as the Director of Finance after a successful 20-year career in the hedge fund industry. He co-founded and managed two significant commodity hedge funds in New York City, Heritage Capital LLC and Perennial Capital LLC. Chris has also served as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Person-to-Person and has considerable experience in nonprofit accounting and finance. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy with the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant. Chris holds a BS from Cornell University and an MBA from Stanford University.
203.604.1279
Christopher.Whitney@liberationprograms.org
Maggie Young, DSW, LADC
Chief Recovery Officer
Maggie Young, DSW, LADC, has been working in addiction prevention, residential treatment, and outpatient treatment services for more than 25 years. She oversees our Inpatient Programs as well as spearheading prevention and education services which support middle and high school-aged students and their families. In addition to her local and state work, Maggie facilitated a training in Juneau and Anchorage, Alaska in 2018 for child welfare and court support services staff on the benefit of medication-assisted treatments for women with children.
Through her own personal journey, Maggie was drawn to supporting other women through the often difficult and confusing first steps of recovery. Through her efforts, she has developed collaborative relationships between the local child welfare system, local hospitals, and substance use treatment services, which has both improved outcomes for families and increased family involvement.
203.810.5202
Maggie.Young@liberationprograms.org