Leadership Team
Excel’s Leadership team helps create an environment and culture at Excel Treatment Center that has a staff retention rate measured in years, rather than in the months that you find at other leading providers for similar services locally and nationally. This has created a team of caring professionals who care about clients first, and go to any lengths to help above and beyond.
Mike Frank
Chief Executive Officer
Owner
Mike Frank
Chief Executive Officer
Owner
Nobody is more determined to make a lasting impact on the recovery community than Mike Frank. Mike has been in the industry for decades and touched countless lives. Mike founded the Milestone House in 2003 when he saw the need for a premium quality sober living facility in New Jersey. Having graduated from the Morris County Drug Court Program in 2005, Mike is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to long-term recovery. In 2012, Mike helped to co-found the Excel Treatment Center, where he has been working closely with staff and patients alike ever since. In 2016, he became a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) and has since completed his training in the Opioid Overdose Recovery Program (OORP). Adding to the offerings of the Excel Treatment Center, Mike opened The Good Bean Cafe, a coffee house dedicated to serving the recovery community, and acting as a safe space for those who are still on their recovery journey. Mike is also an advocate of spiritual growth through the process of the 12-steps, and his vision of the recovery community continues to adapt and mature through shared events and ongoing workshops.
Meg Zarnick
MSW, LCSW, LCADC, CCTP, CCS
Clinical Director
Meg Zarnick
MSW, LCSW, LCADC, CCTP, CCS
Clinical Director
Meg Zarnick joined Excel Treatment Center in 2020 as the Clinical Supervisor and was promoted to Clinical Director within the year. Meg is a dual licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor (LCADC). She has been working in the field of addictions and mental health since 2011. She received her Master’s in Social Work from Rutgers University in 2013 where she graduated with honors. Meg is dedicated to building strong therapeutic relationships with all clients. She believes being empathetic and attentive to client’s needs while setting and maintaining clear boundaries, which is important for recovery and personal growth. Meg utilizes a strength based solution focused perspective to empower clients by incorporating CBT and MI in her practice.
Stephen McNeer
Operations Director
Stephen McNeer
Operations Director
Stephen McNeer is the Director of Operations of Excel Treatment Center, ensuring community strength and safety while helping individuals acquire the resources they need for personal success. Stephen has over 15 years of experience with addiction treatment programs and sober living. He has a 5-year background in financial planning and wealth management and has also spent several years with community outreach and youth assistance in Northern New Jersey. Stephen attended Rutgers University for a BA in Business Administration, specializing in organizational behavior.
Rebecca Dwyer
Office Manager
Rebecca Dwyer
Office Manager
Rebecca Dwyer is the Excel Treatment Center’s Office Manager. As someone passionate about the recovery process, Rebecca’s goal is to assist those in ongoing recovery, as well as people still struggling with addiction. She takes pride in helping addicts and their families through the process of seeking treatment and undergoing rehabilitation. Rebecca is passionate about what the Excel Treatment Center has to offer to those who are seeking recovery. By using her own experiences to help others, Rebecca brings an exceptional level of understanding and care to everyone she works with.
Clinical Team
With six Master’s level clinicians each with multiple additional nationally accredited licensures and certifications, the Clinical Team has developed a culture of safety, trust, understanding, and compassionate care that results in higher levels of client engagement, higher client satisfaction scores, and is evidenced by the fact that almost all the clients, if they ever need help again, request specifically to come back to Excel.
Taylor Nolan
LPC
Taylor Nolan
LPC
Taylor Nolan is Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and working to become dually licensed as a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Taylor gained her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has utilized her training in various settings, including detox, acute psychiatric units and schools. Taylor is passionate about mental health and the relationship it plays in addiction and recovery. She builds relationships with clients through empathy and respect, providing a safe space for clients to heal as well as build a healthy future they envision for themselves.
David Kniffin
CADC Intern
David Kniffin
CADC Intern
Dave Kniffin is a CADC Intern and has been a Milestone House staff member since 2008 and a staff member at Excel since 2020. Dave is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS). Dave has a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Villanova University. Dave has been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous since 1993 and has a sobriety date of January 11, 1997. In his role as a Resident Assistant at Milestone House, Dave takes pride in engaging and offering a sobriety experience to all residents. Dave’s role includes work as primary nighttime staff, which entails supporting residents and holding them accountable through the evening hours.
Sam Baron
CADC Intern
Sam Baron
CADC Intern
Sam Baron is a CADC Intern who comes to Excel Treatment Center with a passion for helping those in recovery navigate through treatment and beyond. By interacting with compassion, understanding, and honesty toward clients, he hopes to help guide clients in their journey to lead an honest, open, willing, and sober lifestyle. As a lifelong resident of the area, he understands the nuances of sober lifestyles in North Jersey. With a background in education and community outreach, he brings skills used to work with students and community members into the recovery world. Sam is in the process of obtaining his certification as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and is completing his required clinical internship hours at Excel Treatment Center while attending school for certification.
Priscilla Ortiz
MA, LAC, NCC
Priscilla Ortiz
MA, LAC, NCC
Priscilla Ortiz is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) who is also working to become dually licensed as a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC). Priscilla earned her Master’s Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University where she focused on Clinical Mental Health and Counseling. Priscilla has experience working with families, individuals, and children who are seeking mental health support and education on addiction and relapse prevention. Priscilla describes herself as a lifelong learner who supports her clients in changing their narrative. Priscilla understands the importance of growth and self-understanding and is here to help guide her clients through their personal recovery journey.
Jodi Weston
LCSW, LCADC
Jodi Weston
LCSW, LCADC
Jodi Weston, LCSW, LCADC, is Excel Treatment Center’s dual diagnosis clinician. Jodi specializes in the treatment of substance use disorders and mental health disorders, holding a master’s degree in Social Work with an Addiction Studies concentration from Rutgers University. She chose this specialty because she identified a stigma and gap in service for people who had addiction and mental health issues. Jodi has worked extensively with adults, adolescents, families and couples within the mental health and substance abuse treatment system.
Patrick Kelly
MA, LAC, NCC
Patrick Kelly
MA, LAC, NCC
Patrick Kelly is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) working toward dual licensure as a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC). Pat earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Fairleigh Dickinson University and prefers an integrated approach using Person-Centered Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy. Helping clients to unlock their prisons of addiction, Pat enjoys seeing them achieve greater control of their lives through the freedoms of sober living. With the goal toward embracing their future, Pat encourages and supports his client’s journeys of self-discovery by helping them draw on their strengths and resources to solve their own problems.
Noah Deutsch
CADC Intern
Noah Deutsch
CADC Intern
Noah Deutsch is a CADC Intern preparing his licensure as an LPC soon. Noah has come to Excel with a sense of vigor and enthusiasm necessary to help those suffering from addiction. Having his own experience and background in this field has allowed him to incorporate both empathy and compassion into his work. A NY native, Noah made his way to The University of Maryland where he achieved his undergraduate degree in psychology. Noah’s goal as CADC Intern and then an LPC, is to help those suffering from addiction find their way out of pain and to feel content without the use of drugs and alcohol.
Angelina DeRoide
Client Care Coordinator
Angelina DeRoide
Client Care Coordinator
Angelina has been in recovery since 2016 and is an attentive member of a 12 step fellowship. She is loving, caring, and understanding which makes her very easy to talk to. She understands the problems and feelings that come along with getting clean and sober and will do whatever she can to help clients through it. One day, or even just one moment at a time. When she’s not devoting her time to Client needs at Excel, she is an amazing mother and loves to spend time with her family.
Medical Team
With deep expertise and experience, the Medical Team provides evidence based practice-informed care at the highest standards. Excel Treatment Center recognizes the value of responsive integrated medical and clinical care, producing a more comprehensive treatment experience with integrity of service as the driver for impactful outcomes.
Dr. Michael Ganon
DO – Medical Doctor
Dr. Michael Ganon
DO - Medical Doctor
A 1982 graduate Of UMDNJ/SOM, Dr. Ganon is board certified in Family Medicine. In a busy career spanning over 30 years, Dr. Ganon has taken on many clinical and leadership roles. Dividing his primary care between Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, he has been an Emergency Department Director and a Paramedic Medical Director. With an early interest in Addiction Medicine, Dr. Ganon directed an active detox and rehab center in Delaware in the early 1990s.
More recently, he has worked extensively in an Outpatient Treatment Program in St. Mary’s, Georgia; overseeing the care of those seeking treatment for substance use disorders, as well as consulting for a detox here in NJ and providing Medication Assisted Treatment as a consultant for a local non-profit organization. Dr. Ganon was awarded board certification in Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and is a vital part of the Excel Treatment Center team. Dr. Ganon’s interests outside of medicine include running, fishing, and drumming.
Kelly Nussbaum
APN
Kelly Nussbaum
APN
Kelly Nussbaum is licensed by the state of New Jersey as an Advanced Practice Nurse. She has extensive experience in the area of community mental health, having worked in inpatient, outpatient, and addiction treatment settings. Kelly is passionate about substance use disorder and mental health treatment and brings that passion with her to work every day at the Excel Treatment Center.
Annemarie Schlomann
APN
Annemarie Schlomann
APN
Annemarie Schlomann, APN, received her Associate Degree in Nursing at County College of Morris in 1986 and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Excelsior College. She has over 30 years of clinical acute care nursing experience in critical care and emergency medicine. She has served in nursing education and management roles. After receiving her Advanced Practice degree in 2017, she gained experience as a Family Nurse Practitioner in both urgent care and internal medicine settings. While experiencing firsthand the devastating consequences of the opioid crisis as a nurse in the emergency department, she developed an interest in the treatment of substance use disorder. She began working with her mentor and collaborating physician, Dr. Michael Ganon, at Genesis Addiction and Behavioral Medicine, a consulting practice that provides medical treatment and medication assisted treatment at local treatment centers. She now works full time in addiction medicine and is amazed by the rewards of seeing her patients achieve stable recoveries.
Outreach Team
With deep expertise and experience, the Medical Team provides evidence based practice-informed care at the highest standards. Excel Treatment Center recognizes the value of responsive integrated medical and clinical care, producing a more comprehensive treatment experience with integrity of service as the driver for impactful outcomes.
Sean Egan
Community Outreach
Sean Egan
Community Outreach
Sean recently became Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS). Being an Excel alumni, Sean brings a level of understanding and compassion to each person he works with by utilizing his own experience of the challenges a person seeking recovery can face. He is passionate about helping each person obtain and achieve a lasting strong recovery mindset. Whether it be holding client’s accountable or working with a client through times of doubt in their recovery, Sean is there to support each person through the process.
Ancillary Services
With deep expertise and experience, the Medical Team provides evidence based practice-informed care at the highest standards. Excel Treatment Center recognizes the value of responsive integrated medical and clinical care, producing a more comprehensive treatment experience with integrity of service as the driver for impactful outcomes.
Bridget Sicsko
Yoga Instructor
Bridget Sicsko
Yoga Instructor
Bridget fell head over heels for yoga seven years ago when she realized her passion for the practice of movement, breathwork, philosophy, and the yogic lifestyle. Yoga classes with Bridget aim to engage patients in a spiritual yogic experience beyond that of the physical asana, using meditation, concentration, and pranayama techniques. Bridget’s positive outlook and open-mindedness are contagious – and her students reflect that. Regardless of the strength, flexibility, or prior yoga experience of students, Bridget is able to create a sense of ease and comfort in every student she works with.
Call (877) 331-4114 and talk to an expert to learn more about medically assisted detox, one-on-one therapy, family support, and relapse prevention programs.
Important Resources
Can I Keep My Job and Go to Day Treatment?
Realizing that you might need treatment for your addiction is a huge step in the right direction. However, many fear their life will change when they take that first step, including potentially losing their job. This is a valid concern; however, at Excel Treatment Center, we want you to know that you have options.
How Can I Support a Loved One Struggling With Addition?
Addiction not only affects those struggling with the addiction but also affects the friends and family around them. It can be just as challenging to support them as it is to watch them in active addiction. Learning to create a loving, supportive space without enabling can be difficult, but it is crucial to develop this space to help your loved ones through their recovery.
The Importance of Family Participation During Treatment
Addiction is a disease that affects the whole family. Family members often feel the impact of addiction in a very real way, which can lead to feelings of anger, resentment, and frustration. While these emotions are natural, they can also be detrimental to one’s treatment if left unchecked.