Jody Levison-Johnson is a licensed clinical social worker with nearly 30 years of experience in the field of human services. She is a longstanding champion for systems change that results in the ability for individuals and communities to thrive. Jody is deeply committed to advancing policy that ensures equitable access to quality services and supports.

Prior to joining COA, Jody served as the Assistant Vice President of Practice Improvement at the National Council for Behavioral Health, where she oversaw the organization’s consulting portfolio and a large, privately funded adolescent mental health initiative. She has also served as the Chief Clinical Officer for a multi-state children's care management organization, as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Office of Behavioral Health, and as the Vice President of Coordinated Care Services, Inc. (CCSI), a non-profit management and consulting services organization where was responsible for all of CCSI's service quality, system development, and evaluation activities including oversight of the county administered children’s mental health system. Her experiences leading system reform efforts across the country prompted her interest in the environmental contexts that surround deep change in social and public systems.

Jody holds a Master of Social Work degree from Syracuse University and a Master of Arts and PhD in Leadership and Change from Antioch University.

Prior to joining COA in 2010, Jim held Senior Financial Officer positions most recently at Cerami & Associates, Inc. and Crossborder Exchange Corporation. He has an extensive background in financial planning and control, accounting and reporting, treasury, financial analysis, and systems development. Jim graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a BS in Accounting and an MBA in Finance.

A data-driven business development and marketing executive, Michael brings over two decades of experience to the table. Prior to joining COA, he held senior leadership roles at respected, award-winning global communications agencies, where he had the privilege of working with some of the world’s largest and most iconic companies and brands. He also has significant experience working as a senior administrator in academia and for global broadcast corporations. Michael holds his BA in European History and French, his MS in Information Science, and his MPhil in Information Studies. Currently, he is working on his PhD dissertation.  A true global citizen, he speaks seven languages and is an avid traveler.

Abe is an enthusiastic promoter of practical IT solutions and loves working with modern web and database technologies. Prior to joining COA in 2019, Abe served in IT leadership roles in nonprofit and higher education settings, and today his broad experience helps guide and advance COA's IT objectives. Abe has a BA in Psychology from Skidmore College and a MS in Information Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Ruby Goyal-Carkeek is the Senior Vice President of Programs and Services at the Council on Accreditation. Ruby has over two decades of experience in both the public and private sector. She has dedicated most of her professional career to public service, and has held several senior leadership roles with the State of New Jersey. She has expansive experience in strategic planning, policy development, operations management, quality assurance, contracting and finance, including RFP development and evaluation. Ruby has provided technical assistance nationally on Children’s System of Care, and served as a Medicaid consultant for a national foundation and a national firm. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Business Administration from Rutgers University.

Stephanie joined COA in 2001 in the Standards Development department, focusing on best practices in behavioral health. Stephanie is responsible for collaborating with subject matter experts, monitoring trends in the human services, and overseeing all standards research and development initiatives. She has been instrumental in the design and implementation of best-practice standards for non-profit, for-profit and governmental agencies. Stephanie has a background in research, grant writing, and behavioral health services and a Master’s degree in Community Psychology from Marist College.

Prior to joining COA in 1998, Joseph was a project coordinator at the Legal Action Center (LAC) in New York City, where he assisted in the development and coordination of legal conferences and trainings across the United States. LAC is the only non-profit law and policy organization in the U.S. whose sole mission is to fight discrimination against people with histories of addiction, HIV/AIDS, or criminal records, and to advocate for sound public policies in these areas. Joseph holds a BA in English from Fordham University.