Bradford Health Services: A Reprieve for Men Based in Opelika, AL

Zach Ludwig, LPC, MHSP. Zach is Bradford’s Vice President of Clinical Services and Accreditation. He joined Bradford 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, 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.

Mark Edwards
Chief Financial Officer

Mark joined Bradford Health Services during 2019, bringing over 25 years of health care leadership experience. Prior to joining Bradford, he was CFO of an ambulatory care management company, held leadership finance positions in an academic medical center as well as Senior Vice President of a national healthcare company.

Mark has an extensive background in many areas of the healthcare industry. He is proud to join operational and clinical leadership with focuses on superior patient care, improving margins, process improvements as well as strategic company direction.

Mark earned his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Auburn University and is a CPA.

Julia Hughes
Corporate Compliance Officer

Since the summer of 2018, Julia has served as Compliance Officer for the Red Oak Recovery Division. In January 2020 her role increased to companywide Corporate Compliance Officer. In this position, she is responsible for promoting and ensuring Bradford company policies and compliance, including internal complaint reporting systems, as well as development and implementation of corrective action plans. Julia is detail oriented and passionate about creating safe environments in which healing and recovery can take place.

She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina in Asheville with a minor in Neuroscience.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.