Podcasts

Way Brunson
Information Technology Director

Way Brunson is Bradford’s Information Technology Director and brings over 20 years of Information Technology experience to the company. Way joined the company in 2019 and is responsible for Information Technology strategy, management, and security for all of Bradford Health’s technology needs.

Prior to joining Bradford, Way worked in IT leadership roles with Acuity Brands, Walter Energy, and most recently Alacare Home Health and Hospice.

Way earned a degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Alabama’s school of Commerce and Business Administration and an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.

JR Curbow
VP of Patient Admissions

JR Curbow is the VP of Admissions for Bradford. JR worked for many years in the banking industry specializing in IT. He spent 15 years working as the Director of Admissions at Bradford’s Warrior Lodge. He left Bradford for nearly ten years to pursue entrepreneur interests. While separated from Bradford JR longed to come back to impact lives. He joined Bradford again in 2018 and leads all aspects of Bradford’s Admissions process.

Scott Beatty
VP of Human Resources

Scott Beatty is Bradford’s Vice President of Human Resources. Scott joined the company in 2018 and brings over 20 years of Human Resources experience to the company. In his role, Scott oversees the HR leadership and vision of the company and supports all aspects of human capital including Benefits, Payroll, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, and Employee Relations.

Prior to joining Bradford, Scott worked in HR leadership roles with such companies as GEICO, TeleTech Holdings, DST Health Solutions, and most recently Books-A-Million.

Scott earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor University and a MBA from the University of North Texas. He also holds both the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications in Human Resources.

Valeta Neal
VP of Outpatient Division

Valeta Neal has more than 30 years in the healthcare field and comes to Bradford from Brookwood Baptist Health Primary and Specialty Care Network as their chief executive officer. Responsible for developing outpatient programs, Valeta worked closely with the physician and operations staff. Her experience as a strategic and operational leader is instrumental in her role as VP of the Outpatient Division. Early in her career, she found that she enjoyed the healthcare culture, which offered the opportunity to focus on financial performance, planning and operations in an industry whose mission is to promote health, quality and service. Valeta received her Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

Mikal Bierley – For the past 15 years, Mikal has led and managed a range of Bradford’s technology areas. Earlier in her Bradford career, she developed deep experience in our revenue-cycle operations … which include information systems, telecommunications, and clinical/health information systems.

Mikal takes pride in helping Bradford use our many technology assets in the service of our patients, their families and our many communities.

She’s a member of both the national and Alabama chapters of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Howard Bayless-Bonventre is Bradford’s Corporate Director of Development, a role he’s held since 2006. He’s responsible for managed-care relationships, contracting and contract compliance, utilization review, lease management, contract-unit operations and more.

Before taking on his current post, Howard was assistant administrator of our Warrior facility and, before then, manager of Warrior’s business office. He’s been a member of our team since 1989.

Howard strongly advocates for people suffering from the disease of addiction. Active in the Birmingham area and far beyond, he volunteers for numerous causes that promote the civil rights of all individuals.

Raised in Birmingham, Howard holds Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Montevallo (AL), where he majored in psychology and minored in counseling and guidance. He later earned his M.S. degree in Health Services Administration, from Saint Francis University.

Bradford mourns the loss of a devoted colleague and friend.

Jason Scoggins was Bradford’s Director of Patient Financial Services, and has been with us since 2006. He managed the broad range of revenue-cycle activities across Bradford’s extensive continuum of care. Jason’s goal was to optimize each patient’s experience in dealing with today’s varied and often complicated insurance requirements.

He worked closely with Patient Financial Services staff in each of our locations … to make sure that Bradford’s patients and their family members received the best possible service.

Jason earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and MBA degrees from the Collat School of Business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Angie McCord, MPPM
VP of Sales and Marketing

Angie McCord has spent nearly two decades in the field of sales and marketing. She has managed local, regional and national accounts and supervised staff in all areas of customer engagement. Angie has worked with Bradford for more than 20 years in various roles. Her passion is people and helping them reach their personal and professional goals. She has a BA in Journalism and a BA in Broadcasting from Eastern Kentucky University. Angie has a Master’s Degree in Public and Private Management from Birmingham Southern College.

Kathleen Kelley, LCSW, MSW, is Chief Operating Officer of our Warrior Lodge facility. With more than 30 years’ experience in behavioral health, she’s held leadership posts at residential addiction-treatment centers and behavioral healthcare hospitals.

Since 1991, Kathleen has served our patients by leading a number of our clinical programs. Her roles have included Clinical Director for adult and adolescent programs, in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and Assistant Administrator of our Warrior residential addiction-treatment center.

In 2013, she became chief operating officer of Crescent Pines Hospital, a psychiatric hospital serving children, adolescents and adults. Three years later, Kathleen returned to Bradford to head our 84-bed residential adult and adolescent treatment center in Madison.

She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a master’s degree in social work from Florida State University.

Chip Stephens
Chief Financial Officer

A certified public accountant, Chip has been leading Bradford’s financial operations as its CFO for more than 25 years. He’s been a key part of our growth from a local Alabama treatment provider to a nationally recognized leader in innovative and effective treatment.

Chip is a strong proponent of Bradford’s philosophy, which is to make effective treatment accessible to as many people as possible. Bradford is “in-network” with all major insurance providers and is a leader in finding ways to make effective treatment affordable.

He serves on Bradford’s Board of Directors and is an Advanced Member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. He holds a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina.

Mike Rickman
President and CEO

Mike brings to Bradford a wealth of executive-management experience in health care. Before joining us in 2018, he was CEO of a hospital in the Tenet Healthcare system. Earlier, he co-founded and was chief operating officer of a company that managed ambulatory care centers. Before then, he was an executive with a national healthcare provider … serving as Senior Vice President of its ambulatory surgery-center division.

Mike’s a champion of superior patient care, which is one of many reasons we’re proud to have him on board. At Tenet, he introduced inventive methods to track the patient experience. He believes that employee satisfaction is directly linked to patient satisfaction.

He earned his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Auburn University and his MBA degree from University of West Alabama.

Zach Ludwig, LPC, MHSP. Zach is Bradford’s Corporate Director of Clinical Programs and joined us in 2011. He has strong experience working with adults and adolescents who struggle with substance-abuse disorders. He’s committed to helping their families, as well. As corporate director, he’s part of a team that develops and oversees clinical programs and services at all of Bradford’s locations.

Before taking on his current role in 2016, Zach was a primary counselor and clinical program director at one of our outpatient locations. He’s a Licensed Professional Counselor in Alabama and a Licensed Professional Counselor, with Mental Health Service Provider designation, in Tennessee.

Will Ivey, Bradford’s Corporate Controller, is in charge of all of our accounting and finance functions. Before joining us, he worked in the clinical and genetics laboratory space, where he was responsible for finance, revenue-cycle and managed-care operations. He also has substantial experience with a regional public accounting firm, where he provided audit and consulting services to healthcare organizations.

A veteran of the United States Navy, Will is a CPA and holds an MBA degree from Auburn University. He’s an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Roy Ramsey
VP of Residential Division

Roy Ramsey is Executive Director of our Warrior (AL) facility. He’s served in this role since 1993 … nine years after he joined our team as Assistant Administrator. Under Roy’s direction, Warrior has experienced major growth. Today, it is recognized as one of the leading providers of substance-abuse treatment in the country.

His professional affiliations include the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, and the Society of Human Resource Management.

Roy earned his B.S. degree in Health Services Administration from Auburn University, and his MBA from Nova Southeastern University. He and his wife have four children and four grandchildren.

Margo M Hays is Bradford’s VP of Regulatory Compliance, a position she’s held for 12 years. Before then, she coordinated our alumni and continuing-care support programs for patients and their families. As a regular contributor to regulatory projects during that period, Margo became an apprentice to Bradford’s the Compliance Officer.

She accepted the post of VP of Regulatory Compliance 12 years ago. And she’s continuing Bradford’s legacy of achieving successful survey results and high accreditation from states’ certification/licensing agencies, as well as The Joint Commission.

Margo holds a B.A. degree from Indiana University and an M.A. degree from Case Western Reserve University. In addition, she earned her Certification in Healthcare Compliance from the Health Care Compliance Association. She continues to be a strong advocate for patients and their families.

Adam B. Downs, Ph.D, LMFT, is Bradford’s Chief Clinical Officer. He joined us in 2016 to develop and oversee our programs for teens and young adults … including primary care, intensive outpatient programs, long-term recovery, and education for college students and student athletes.

Earlier, he was Director of Substance-Abuse Services at the University of Alabama. He’s a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the State of Alabama and a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and the Alabama Association of Marriage and Family.

Dr. Adam’s recent publications focus on addiction studies, resiliency in the brain, and juvenile delinquency. His specializations include developing substance-abuse resources on college campuses, enhancing resilience in young adults, substance abuse/dependency among young adults, and parental and young-adult relationships in addicted families.

Clay Simmons
Chairman of the Board

Since 1977, Clay has worked to improve addiction treatment in the public, non-profit and private sectors. He came to Bradford in 1986 from Charter Medical Corporation, where he administered the adult and adolescent treatment units. Thanks to his leadership, Bradford today is one of the premier providers of treatment for addiction in adults and adolescents.

Clay has long advocated for care that’s effective, more affordable and easier for people to access. He’s been a member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Programs since its inception and serves on its Board of Directors. Other initiatives he’s part of include Anonymous Hands for Recovery, a non-profit that provides financial help to people who can’t afford treatment, and the Alabama Statewide Healthcare Coordinating Council.

A member of Bradford’s Board of Directors, Clay is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Georgia. He earned his master’s degree from Georgia Southern University.

Jackie Fazeli, RN, MSW, has served Bradford and our patients in various capacities for more than 20 years. Since 2000, she’s held the key role of Healthcare Professional Advocate in our Healthcare Professional Program (HCP), located in Warrior, Alabama.

Drawing on her expertise as both a registered nurse and a social worker, Jackie manages the evaluation of all patients. She and her three-member team make sure that the complex needs of health professionals in our care are being met.

Since 1998, Jackie has developed and presented workshops on addiction issues. Her focus for the past 15 years has been on women’s issues and health professionals with substance-use disorders.

Joel Schumacher, Ph.D., joined us in 2015 and is Chief Psychologist for our Extended Care Program in Warrior, Alabama. Internationally respected as an addiction researcher and clinician, he developed and leads the clinical addiction psychological evaluation (CAPE) for healthcare and other professionals. He’s spent much of his career researching evidence-based behavioral treatments for drug addiction.

Earlier, Dr. Joel was Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. There, he was principal investigator or co-investigator for more than $58 million in federally funded addiction-related grants. He’s co-authored more than 100 scientific publications, chiefly about addiction.

A treatment approach he helped introduce in the U.S. and Ukraine is listed in the national register of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMSA], part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Don Cornelius, M.D. has 30-plus years of international experience treating alcohol and drug addiction. His expertise includes creating and monitoring adult-treatment and partial-hospitalization programs that address these addictions. He’s Board Certified in Addiction Medicine and Pain Medicine.

Bradford first worked with Dr. Don from 1996 until 1998, when he was Medical Director and Psychiatrist for our Warrior Lodge facility. He then joined Hutt Valley Health Corporation in New Zealand as a Consultant Psychiatrist. There, he oversaw mental-health services and was a consultant to the alcohol and drug treatment program. Later, he was appointed Acting Clinical Head of the Department of Psychiatry.

When he returned to the United States, we were glad to welcome back Dr. Don … as Staff Psychiatrist and Pain Management Specialist.

Michael Wilkerson, M.D., FASAM
Medical Director

Dr. Mike is Medical Director of Bradford’s large facility in Warrior, Alabama. He’s been a member of our team since 2006, after serving as medical director for two other healthcare providers.

Renowned for his work in addiction treatment, he is a specialist in treating addiction in healthcare professionals. At Bradford, he directs one of the leading addiction-recovery programs for people in the healing professions … in the U.S. and beyond.

Dr. Mike earned his undergraduate degree from Furman University and his M.D. degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed his internship and residency at New Hanover Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, N.C. In addition to holding many professional licenses and certifications, Dr. Mike is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.