Joe is currently employed by Thomas Health in South Charleston, West Virginia as Business Development Liaison for Behavioral Health Services.
Mr. Deegan received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Social Work from West Virginia University. Joe is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and is credentialed as an Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor/Supervisor (AADC-S) in West Virginia as well as Masters Addiction Counselor (MAC).
He has worked extensively in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment for over 40 years. Joe serves on the Boards of the WV Chapter of NASW, WVAADC - the Association of Addictions Professionals and the WV Medical Cannabis Advisory Board. Joe is also President-elect for the West Virginia Behavioral Health Providers Association.

Rachel Thaxton is the Interim Director of the West Virginia Department of Human Services Office of Drug Control Policy. Prior to joining DHHR, Rachel served as Director of Development and previously as Program Director for Recovery Point West Virginia. Her past experience includes serving as Support Team Leader at Harmony House. Rachel holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University.

Deb Harris is the lead transition agent with Jobs & Hope WV. In her role as the Lead Transition Agent for Jobs and Hope WV, Deb is part of a team that supports people in recovery and helps them to find employment. Her commitment to empowering others is evident as she talks about the statewide program that launched in 2019. She worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA as she attended Bridge Valley Community and Technical College, studying behavioral health addictions. Prior to her current position she worked as a peer counselor as she worked toward her Bachelor degree at West Virginia State. She continued to counsel students while finishing her Master’s degree. Her team of Transition Agents work statewide with other partners to identify people who can benefit from the Jobs & Hope program.

Physician Born December 14, 1971, in Columbus, Ohio Parents Tom Takubo, father; Sandy Colegrove, mother and Freddie Colgrove, stepfather Spouse Tori Takubo Children Maggie, Trevor and Molly Education Chapmanville High School; B.S. Marshall University, Science; West Virginia Osteopathic School, D.O.; West Virginia University, Internal Medicine 2003; East Tennessee State, Pulmonary Critical Care 2007 Legislative Service Elected to the Senate 2014-2018 Legislative Positions Held Majority Leader, 84th Legislature; Vice Chair, Committee on Confirmations, 84th Legislature; Chair, Committee on Health and Human Resources, 83rd Legislature; Chair, Committee on Economic Development, 82nd Legislature Religion Christian

Cynthia Parsons has a master’s degree Community Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions and Corrections. As a therapist Cynthia worked with adult and children with substance use disorders, serious emotional disorders, eating disorders, and veterans for over 13 years. Cynthia is the Director of Behavioral Health and Long-Term Care Services for the WV Bureau for Medical Services (also known as Medicaid) within the WV Department of Health and Human Resources

Dr. Matthew Christiansen, West Virginia First Foundation , Vice Chair
Dr. Christiansen also serves as an Associate Professor in the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Health where he practices primary care and addiction medicine. Before his appointment to the Office of Drug Control Policy, Dr. Christiansen was active in the treatment of addiction/dependence across the lifespan. He has lectured across the tri-state area on addiction issues from a public health and primary care perspective.

Dr. Christiansen earned an MD and MPH from Marshall University.

Dr. Persily’s career in West Virginia has spanned 30 years of service to the state and its citizens. She spent 20 years at West Virginia University, eventually earning the rank of tenured Professor in the School of Nursing, serving as Associate Dean of Graduate Practice Programs prior to her departure in 2013. While at WVU, Dr. Persily had a faculty practice in a rural health clinic for over 15 years providing prenatal care to rural women as a nurse practitioner and served as the Co-Director of the HRSA funded WV Rural Health Research Center. In 2013, Dr. Persily took on the role of President and CEO of Highland Hospital and other affiliated Highland companies, providing strategic leadership to this behavioral health system for 7 years. Under her leadership, the system transitioned to Medicaid managed care for inpatient and outpatient services, opened a residential psychiatric treatment facility for children, and scaled mental health services to meet demand. Dr. Persily’s research has focused on vulnerable populations, rural health, and health care workforce issues. Dr. Persily previously held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Persily holds a BSN from East Stroudsburg University, an MSN in Perinatal Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, a PhD in Nursing and Health and Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and a postgraduate certificate from West Virginia University as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Persily is a proud alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows program, a national executive leadership program. She is also a graduate of Leadership America. Dr. Persily serves her community and state through board membership with the Red Cross Appalachian Region, United Way of Central WV, and the WV Supreme Court’s Judicial Investigation Commission. Dr. Persily resides in Charleston WV, with her husband Eric, an anesthesiologist, and is a proud parent to Alexandra, a recent graduate of the medical school at the University of Virginia, and Aaron, a strategic business analyst in Richmond, Virginia.
Dr. Persily is the author of the book "Team Leadership and Partnering in Nursing and Health Care".