Dr. James DiReda, LICSW, PhD holds a dual Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Work from Boston University, and a Masters’ degree in Social Work from the University of Connecticut. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with over thirty years of direct clinical experience and consulting in the field of addictions. He has served as an advocate, treatment provider, researcher, and educator, working with individuals and families, hospitals, corrections facilities, and treatment programs, and private organizations on addiction. Dr. DiReda is an Associate Professor in the School of Professional Studies at Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA and a Partner at Lake Ave Recovery in Worcester, MA.  He is a person in long-term recovery (37 years), and has published books and articles on addiction, speaks publicly on the topic, and has presented at local and international professional conferences.

Dr. Coleen Cicale has focused her social work practice and scholarship within the policy areas of substance use and family violence.  Specific focus has been centered on abuse perpetrated by an adolescent towards a parent and the risk factors associated with this piece of family violence.  Dr. Cicale coordinated an SBIRT training grant at the University of Central Florida that trained social work students, social workers, and hospital nurses in the Central Florida area. Currently, Dr. Cicale is part of the faculty at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana where she focuses on teaching policy related courses and helping create new social work advocates. 

Nick Szubiak brings more than 20 years of experience in direct service, administration, and clinical experience to the healthcare field. He is the founder of NSI Strategies, an organization that provides support to integrated healthcare environments and currently serves as an Advanced Implementation Specialist for SAMHSA's Opioid Response Network. Nick is the former Assistant Vice-President of Addiction and Recovery at the National Council on Behavioral Health and Director at the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions. Prior, he served as the Director of Behavioral Health for a rural FQHC. Nick provides technical assistance, consultation and training toward bi-directional integration of behavioral health and primary care, substance use disorders, medication assisted treatment (MAT), SBIRT, measurement-based care, population health management and utilizing implementation science to maximize clinical pathways to better care. His experience includes MAT implementation, FQHC integration models and partnerships, trauma informed care, recovery-oriented systems of care, health homes, and developing high functioning teams to provide integrated care to the communities they serve. His expertise also involves systems change management, leadership development and supervisory skills. Nick is known for his heartfelt presentations, keynote speeches, and has sat on various expert panels, partnering with many organizations as a behavioral health subject matter expert. He earned his master's degree in Social Work from Rutgers University.

Maureen’s first book, a gripping memoir, If You Love Me: A Mother’s Journey through Her Daughter’s Opioid Addiction, is a story of a mother who suddenly finds herself on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic as her daughter battles—and ultimately reckons with—substance use disorder. The memoir was published by Henry Holt/MacMillan in 2018. If You Love Me was favorably reviewed by the NY Times, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and the audiobook was named a rumrunner-upor Amazon/Audibles 2018 Memoir of the Year.

Maureen is an alcohol and drug counselor, educator, family-focused interventionist and support system recovery coach in private practice in Massachusetts. She holds a B.S. in Communications from Weber State University, an MPA in Public Administration/Nonprofit Management from Suffolk University, an M.Ed in Special Education/ESOL from Salem State University and speaks nationally on the impact of substance use disorder on the family perspective and the power of hope.  Maureen's unforgettable story, told with love and humor, brings the opioid crisis out of the shadows and into the house next door. Her real-life account is inspiring and harrowing, and ultimately a story of recovery and renewal. She was appointed to the Massachusetts Opioid Remediation and Trust Fund Council in 2020. 

Dr. Taylor Hall, Assistant Professor (Social Work) at Bridgewater State University joined the CSWE Prac-Ed project with the second-year cohort. Dr. Hall teaches in the human behavior and social environment track as well as the policy track as BSU SSW, also teaching clinical and macro focused elective courses on substance use. One area in which Dr. Hall focuses her work relates to social workers practicing from a harm reduction lens when working with persons who use and misuse substances. In her free time, she enjoys Olympic weightlifting, hanging with her family and pets, and sunshine.