Our Leadership
Ashley Board of Directors
Ashley's mission is clear: Our sole purpose is to heal.
Ashley’s Board of Directors is a passionate and energetic group of individuals committed to sustaining the co-founders’ legacy of
healing with dignity. Our Board is led by Board Chairman David Nassef. David is an experienced business person, a passionate Ashley advocate and a skilled leader. Ashley’s Board is comprised of individuals with diverse professional backgrounds. Our Board is a working Board that focuses on governance and management issues while providing guidance and strategic oversight. Ashley’s Board consists of men and women who have been touched by addiction and recovery at a personal level. Consequently, our Board members share a love of Ashley and a passion for helping the addicted and their families heal from the devastation of chemical dependence.
Leadership Team
Mark Hushen, O.S.F.S., MA, M.Div.
President and CEO
Our President and CEO is Mark Hushen, a Catholic priest and a recovering alcoholic and addict. Father Mark brings a wealth of experience in the areas of 12-Step spirituality and alcohol and drug addiction treatment. He recently served as the Director of Clinical Pastoral Care at Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he was pastor of St. Anthony's Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Father Hushen received his BS from Penn State University, State College, his Master of Divinity from De Sales School of Theology, and a Master's in counseling from Catholic University of America.
Bernadette Solounias, M.D.
Dr. Solounias joined Ashley in 1995. She was previously associated with the Division of Drug and Alcohol Abuse at University of Maryland Hospital where she directed the Alcohol and Drug Consultation Service, and also taught medical students and psychiatric resident physicians.
Dr. Solounias is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatrists, the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the Maryland Psychiatric Society. She is a speaker on the topics of dual diagnosis and women and addictions.
She earned her M.D. at University of Connecticut School of Medicine and did her residency in psychiatry at the University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Medicine. Her undergraduate and master's degrees are in nutrition from Cornell University. She is board certified in psychiatry and also certified in the subspecialty of addiction psychiatry.
David Gerick
Vice President of Quality and Information Systems
Dave Gerick has been working at Ashley since 1988. A graduate of Towson University, Dave has served in several key positions at Ashley over the years, the most recent of which is as our Chief Quality Officer and overseeing the Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) implementation. He is responsible for the Joint Commission Accreditation, as well as the licensing for the State of Maryland.
Leslie Winters, C.P.A.
Vice President of Financial Services
Leslie Winters comes to us from Mercantile County Bank (now PNC) in Elkton, Maryland, where she worked for 14 years and most recently held the position of Chief Financial Officer. A certified public accountant, she received her BS in Accounting from Goldey Beacom College and went on to complete two certificate programs at the Maryland Banking School and Stonier Graduate School of Banking. She and her family reside in Northeast, Maryland. Leslie joined Ashley in 2007.
Dan Berardi
Vice President of Support Services
Dan has more than 30 years' experience in healthcare facilities management and came to us from Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. Dan has an Associates degree in Engineering from Ocean County College in New Jersey and a BS in Management from Goldey Beacom College in Delaware. In his role as Vice President of Support Services, Dan oversees Ashley’s maintenance, grounds, housekeeping, safety, security, communications, transportation and food services. Dan lives in Harford County with his wife and three children and joined Ashley in 2006.
David Orr
Vice President of Human Resources
Prior to joining Ashley in 2004, Dave served in various HR leadership roles at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and the Dimensions Healthcare System in Prince George’s County, MD. In addition, he worked for the General Motors Corporation for over 20 years in various Quality Management and Human Resource positions.
He has a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Baltimore. He also has a lifetime certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).