Aware Recovery Care, a leading in-home addiction treatment provider, is undergoing a significant transformation in its executive leadership as it continues an aggressive expansion strategy. Since the beginning of the year, the company has experienced substantial movement in its C-suite, with seven executives departing and five new leaders joining, highlighting a series of behavioral health executive changes. By the end of 2023, Aware Recovery Care will have cycled through three different chief operating officers alone.
CEO Brian Holzer, who joined the company in April, explained that the leadership shakeup is a natural response to the organization’s evolving needs. “The company is growing, and we need different things. In many cases, we are adding, not replacing,” Holzer told Behavioral Health Business. Holzer succeeded co-founder Stephen Randazzo, who transitioned to chairman of the board. Holzer brings experience from Kindred Healthcare, a national post-acute and specialty hospital provider, positioning him to guide the company through its next phase of hyper-growth and technology integration.
New Additions to the Executive Team
In October, Aware Recovery Care announced three significant additions to its C-suite. Jennifer Lohse joined as Chief Legal Officer, Roy Day as Chief People Officer, and Mark Tumblin as Chief Information Officer. The Chief Legal Officer and Chief People Officer positions are new to the leadership team, signaling the organization’s commitment to building a robust executive structure that aligns with its current scale and trajectory.
Holzer emphasized that these new roles are designed to support the company’s evolving operational needs. While Aware Recovery Care has previously had IT and HR leadership, the addition of Day and Tumblin ensures that the organization has strategic, executive-level oversight in these critical areas. Tumblin, with 40 years of experience in health information technology and expertise in machine learning and artificial intelligence, is expected to play a pivotal role in transforming the organization into a more tech-enabled service. Holzer noted, “Mark just brings 40 years of health information technology expertise, a lot of expertise in the area of machine learning and artificial intelligence that will really help us evolve into a tech-enabled service.”
Other significant leadership changes include Dennis Fitzpatrick’s appointment as Chief Financial Officer in August, succeeding Lee Tuveson, and the turnover in the Chief Operating Officer role. Matt Eacott, a co-founder and former COO, transitioned to an advisory role in January. Erin Scraper assumed the COO position in May but will depart at the end of the month. Holzer confirmed that a new COO has been hired but will not be announced until December.
Clinical Leadership and Interim Management
Aware Recovery Care currently lacks a permanent C-suite leader dedicated exclusively to clinical care. The company previously elevated a state medical director to Chief Medical Officer, but the dual role proved untenable. Jonathan Muther was appointed Chief Clinical Officer in April but has since departed. Currently, Shelley Halligan, Head of Medical Affairs, is serving as interim chief clinical officer until a new Chief Medical Officer is hired by year-end. Halligan will report directly to the incoming CMO.
President Andrea Auxier, who joined the C-suite in May 2021 and became president in February 2022, left in late September to become the founding CEO of a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy startup backed by Redesign Health. Holzer confirmed that the company will not fill the president role.
Understanding Behavioral Health Executive Changes
Frequent C-suite transitions are not uncommon in fast-growing companies. Tim Gordon, founder and managing partner of executive search firm Aequitas Partners, explained that growth often drives behavioral health executive changes because the skill sets required evolve with company size. “If you lump it all together, the odds that your C-suite folks are the same when you’re at $2 million in revenue as you are when you’re at $20 million is low,” Gordon said.
Holzer’s approach to managing these changes is deliberate. The company views behavioral health executive changes as opportunities to bring in talent with the expertise required to scale operations and integrate technology effectively. While some departures were expected as the company grew, new appointments reflect the company’s focus on long-term stability and innovation.
Executive turnover can also reveal gaps in leadership or the need for new perspectives. Gordon noted that behavioral health executive changes often occur as companies transition from smaller teams to larger organizations, rather than signaling underlying problems. “Growth exposes cracks in the foundation if it’s not properly laid, and that’s normal,” he said.
Growth Trajectory and Expansion
Founded in 2011 and based in Wallingford, Connecticut, Aware Recovery Care has grown from a private-pay provider operating in a few states into the only scaled in-home addiction treatment provider in the nation. The company secured $22 million in a Series A round led by Health Enterprise Partners in January 2021. Employee count has grown from 300 in 2020 to around 750 today, with 175 new hires added since April.
Aware Recovery Care currently operates in nine states and plans to expand to 12, with Kentucky launching in early December, and New York and Georgia scheduled for the first quarter of 2023. The company holds 16 value-based care contracts, delivering year-long, in-home programs that connect patients to local providers as needed. Holzer noted that payer recognition of Aware Recovery Care’s outcomes has helped accelerate the company’s growth trajectory.
The recent behavioral health executive changes reflect the organization’s readiness to scale nationally while maintaining high-quality in-home treatment. Holzer emphasized that the newly appointed leaders bring “a sense of calmness and competency to the organization,” helping ensure a smooth expansion process.
Integrating Technology While Maintaining a People-First Approach
While the core care model remains people-focused, Holzer highlighted the company’s push to integrate technology in ways that enhance efficiency and outcomes. Aware Recovery Care is piloting wearable technology paired with self-report data to monitor stress levels and identify potential relapse risks. Additionally, the company uses Bamboo Health’s cross-setting tracking system to intervene when patients seek higher levels of care.
This approach demonstrates how behavioral health executive changes can directly influence innovation. By bringing in leaders with expertise in IT, analytics, and AI, Aware Recovery Care ensures that its operations remain data-driven while preserving the personal, in-home interactions that define its care model.
Holzer summed it up: “We’re not a technology company; our DNA is people. But embracing technology helps make our employees and caregivers even more effective.” These strategic moves aim to strengthen patient outcomes and operational efficiency simultaneously.
Looking Ahead
With a refreshed leadership team, ongoing technological innovation, and a focus on delivering high-quality in-home care, Aware Recovery Care is well-positioned for continued national growth. Holzer believes that the combination of human-centered care and tech-enabled operations will allow the company to scale successfully while maintaining strong patient outcomes. The recent behavioral health executive changes have laid the foundation for a sustainable and innovative future in addiction treatment.
