Executive Director, VP Behavioral Health

MATTHEW T. CLUNE Gaithersburg, MD 240-***-**** **********@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/mtclune/

SENIOR EXECUTIVE & CONSULTANT

GOVERNMENT & MISSION DRIVEN NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Mission-Driven Leadership • Executive-Level Consultation • Organizational Optimization

Public & Behavioral Health Administration • Program Development & Transformation

Innovative executive leader with 20+ years of experience advancing substance use and behavioral health services across nonprofit, government, and consulting sectors.

Proven executive leader and strategic advisor transforming behavioral health systems through recovery-oriented, culturally responsive program design and enterprise operations. Directs multimillion-dollar residential and outpatient care portfolios, aligning clinical integrity with financial performance, regulatory compliance, and strategic growth. Advises public and private sector partners on federal grant optimization, managed care integration, opioid and other substance use disorder treatment, peer workforce development, and performance-based contracting. Has served as an Executive Director and held other leadership positions in the nonprofit human development arena. Specializes in cross-functional team leadership, stakeholder alignment, and system-wide policy reform to scale sustainable outcomes across the prevention, treatment and recovery continuum.

Career Highlights

Organizational Leadership & Compliance: Directed cross-agency development and regulatory initiatives at HHS and SAMHSA, supervising federal project officers and deploying national trainings, webinars, and field-based technical assistance to improve behavioral health compliance and system performance.

Behavioral Health Consulting & Technical Advisement: Delivered high-impact consulting and evaluation services across all fifty states, tribal nations, and territories—supporting providers, state agencies, and philanthropic foundations in system transformation, capacity-building, and strategic planning.

Statewide Program Development & Recovery Services: Administered $10M in annual funding to launch and scale Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) across all 24 Maryland counties, implementing initiatives such as peer workforce development, youth recovery centers, and recovery housing infrastructure.

Program Start-up and Strategic Operations: Built Maryland’s largest treatment center from the ground up, serving 1,000+ patients annually in a 135-bed facility. Launched 6 licensed programs along the continuum of care, secured $5M+ in grant funding, recruited 60+ staff, of which 9 were direct reports, and achieved JCAHO accreditation within 12 months.

Areas of Excellence

Program Innovation & Scalable Growth Strategy Enterprise Operations & Clinical Oversight ROSC, recovery support services System Leadership Residential & Outpatient Care Optimization Medicaid & Managed Care Contracting Regulatory Excellence

Federal and State Grant Stewardship Social Determinants of Health Workforce Development & Organizational Leadership

Professional Experience

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Washington, DC

Project Lead – Management Analyst July 2024 – Present

Federal agency advancing national public health and service delivery through strategic innovation and oversight.

•Tasked with supporting the transition and consolidation of the agency’s budgetary functions, with emphasis on establishing and institutionalizing efficient internal controls and governance frameworks.

•Spearheaded development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and internal control mechanisms to enhance the newly consolidated Budget Office’s operational alignment and regulatory adherence.

•Focused on risk mitigation by identifying systemic gaps and implementing controls to reduce exposure and improve performance outcomes.

Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) Sudbury, MD

Director, Federal Business Development – Health and Human Services October 2023 – April 2024

National consulting organization supporting the design, development, and delivery of behavioral health and human services solutions.

•Charged with developing new federal business strategies and cultivating internal subject matter team collaboration to align with AHP’s business development approach and strategic partnerships.

•Cultivated relationships with key federal agencies such as SAMHSA, HRSA, CDC, HUD, and DOJ to advance new behavioral health/justice initiatives.

•Designed an internal pipeline of federal opportunities and aligned them with agency priorities to support sustainable business growth.

•Provided hands-on technical assistance to AHP’s Illinois initiative managing an IL Proposal review process in substance use prevention

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Rockville, MD

Branch Chief, Division of Targeted Prevention West, CSAP September 2021 – October 2023

Agency dedicated to improving the quality and availability of treatment and support services for individuals with mental health/substance use disorders.

•Directed CSAP’s West Coast Division program operations and led a team of 10 government project officers overseeing multiple national prevention grant programs, with a strategic focus on opioid overdose prevention, harm reduction, tribal health, and HIV prevention in underserved communities—ensuring fiscal integrity, compliance, and programmatic excellence.

•Spearheaded workforce development efforts across CSAP by leading learning collaboratives, modernizing onboarding processes, launching mentorship programs, and supporting recruitment strategy to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of the Center.

•Contributed to interagency and cross-SAMHSA work groups targeted towards alternative financing, recovery challenge and opioid overdose reduction.

SAFE Project / SAFE Workplaces Arlington, VA

Senior Director, Recovery & Workforce Strategy September 2020 – August 2021

A national nonprofit initiative focused on ending addiction through strategic programs, including workplace solutions that support behavioral health.

•Led the design and national deployment of a workplace recovery support model that helped employers address substance use and mental health needs within the business environment.

•Developed implementation tools for corporate partners, such as customized wellness plans, education modules, naloxone training, and behavioral health literacy curricula.

•Worked with state leaders, corporate executives, and federal contractors to drive adoption of peer integration models, promote recovery-supportive environments, and establish ethical, inclusive hiring and retention practices.

•Contributed to national dialogue on behavioral health in the workplace through speaking engagements, coalition participation, and public-private partnerships.

SAMHSA / Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) Rockville, MD

Public Health Advisor June 2016 – August 2020

An organization leading federal efforts to improve quality of addiction treatment services, supporting recovery through evidence-based programs.

•Provided direct federal oversight of substance use treatment and recovery support initiatives across population-specific programs, including adolescent recovery, peer networks, and family treatment courts.

•Drafted RFAs and NOFOs for diverse SAMHSA treatment grant programs; coached grant review teams, led pre-application webinars, and collaborated with grants management to ensure fiscal and regulatory compliance.

•Managed portfolios of 40-75 grantees as Government Project Officer, offering technical assistance across adolescent health, recovery, and drug court programs; strengthened service delivery through evaluation oversight, capacity building, and sustainability planning.

•Recognized as CSAT's national subject matter expert on recovery, advising on peer workforce development, housing, recovery centers, and treatment strategies for opioid use disorders; collaborated across SAMHSA Centers to promote integrated behavioral health responses.

•Contributed to national working groups and expert panels to advance peer integration, forensic peer credentialing, recovery research, and treatment standards.

•Served as Contracting Officer Representative on federal contracts supporting recovery residences, national advocacy organizations, and technical assistance providers.

•Selected as SAMHSA's "Most Positive Employee" in 2017.

Center for Social Innovation Needham, MA

Senior Associate & Technical Assistance Faculty March 2015 – June 2016

A mission-driven organization that advances equitable solutions to social challenges through research, training, and technical assistance.

•Provided training, consulting, and program development support to state, tribal, and national entities focused on advancing recovery-oriented systems of care.

•Led technical assistance initiatives focused on strategic planning, peer workforce development, and organizational transformation for recovery community organizations.

•Designed and facilitated national webinar series and stakeholder convenings on behavioral health topics, including youth engagement, supported employment, and collegiate recovery programs.

JBS International, Inc. North Bethesda, MD

Senior Technical Assistance Manager June 2013 – February 2015

A global consulting firm specializing in public health and social services delivery.

•Supported federally funded adolescent treatment/recovery initiatives through the support of SAMHSAs State Youth Treatment Initiative (SYT), delivery of targeted training, policy and program guidance, and resource development.

•Assisted government project officers and grantees with program implementation through tailored consultations, site visits, and virtual learning platforms.

•Chaired evaluator learning communities to align data use, performance improvement, and EBP integration across grantee efforts.

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Catonsville, MD

Recovery Support Services Manager September 2011 – June 2013

A state agency responsible for safeguarding public health by administering statewide initiatives in healthcare, disease prevention and behavioral health.

•Directed the design, procurement, and implementation of recovery support services at the state level, working across all jurisdictions in Maryland to improve access, quality, and alignment of behavioral health services.

•Oversaw development of peer certification pathways, recovery community centers, and supportive housing initiatives.

•Developed the program model for and provided technical assistance to MDs recovery-oriented Adolescent Clubhouses across the state of MD, and was instrumental in writing the winning application for Maryland’s State Youth Treatment award in collaboration with the School of Medicine, University of MD, Baltimore (SAMHSA, 2016)

•Facilitated cross-sector planning and policy development to strengthen the continuum of care and ensure equitable access for underserved populations.

Additional Career Success

Gaudenzia, Inc., Correctional Services, Baltimore, MD, Division Director 2010 – 2011

BI Inc., Day Reporting Center, Perth Amboy, NJ, Program Director 2009

Equi-librium Inc, Director of Development 2007 – 2008

Lehigh Valley Zoo, Interim CEO/COO/Vice President 2006

County of Lehigh, Director of Grants Administration 2005 – 2006

Clune & Associates (Consultancy), Allentown, PA, President and Founder 2003 –2010

Gaudenzia, Inc., Community Services, Baltimore, MD, Division Director 2001 – 2003

Education & Professional Development

University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA, Doctoral Fellow, Public Health Policy

Northeastern University – Boston, MA, Master of Science, Criminology

State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany) – Albany, NY, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science

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