William A. Aniskovich, M.A., J.D.
joined the Institute in 1995 and has been the CEO of Stonington Behavioral Health, Inc. since June 2004.
Bill has led the significant growth in Stonington’s inpatient and partial hospital programs for adults, and the establishment of adolescent services in 1999. Bill directed the creation and expansion of a community sober house program for adults with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders and then led the successful federal court litigation that protects the rights of persons with mental illness and substance abuse disorders under the Federal Fair Housing Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act (CHMC v. City of New London, et. al). Most recently, he directed the successful effort to create a Tricare-certified, co-occurring ready, residential trauma program for active duty service men and women at the North Stonington campus.
Bill received his BA from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and earned his masters and law degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. He was a state Senator in the Connecticut General Assembly from 1990 to 2004, finishing his career as the Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore. Bill is a member and former chair of the Eastern Service Network, a provider network of community-based substance abuse and mental health providers in eastern Connecticut. He is also a member of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) “Integrated Service System” planning process. In 2004, Bill was appointed by the Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to the SAMHSA Mental Health Services National Advisory Council in Washington, D.C. Bill has received numerous awards for his legislative and professional advocacy on behalf of persons with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
Jerome M Schnitt, M.D.
is the Medical Director of Stonington Institute and a board-certified psychiatrist with added qualifications in Addiction Psychiatry.
With 35 years experience in treating addictions and psychiatric disorders, Dr. Schnitt has served as Medical Director for federal, state, public and private treatment settings for civilian, veteran and active duty persons suffering addictions and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Schnitt has served on the clinical faculty at the Yale University School of Medicine for 35 years, teaching all levels of medical trainees. He has served on the Board of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, as well as the editorial boards of multiple scientific journals.
Dr. Schnitt is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a former President of the Connecticut Psychiatric Society, and has been chosen one of “America’s Top Doctors” for the last 16 years in a row.
Patricia Brigham, R.N., M.S.N., M.Ed.
is the Director of Nursing at Stonington Institute. Pat joined Stonington in 2011 and is a Colonel, Promotable, in the US Army Reserve, Army Nurse Corps.
In addition to serving as Stonington’s Director of Nursing, Pat serves as Director of Operations and Instruction, US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, for the 10th BN, 97th BDE, 80 Training Command, Owings Mills, MD.
During her nursing career, she has held roles in areas of staff education, educational materials and program development, leadership/management and process improvement. She has extensive experience with credentialing and accreditation through her volunteer and staff activities with the American Nurses Association including service as the Chair of the ANA Board on Accreditation and the ANCC Commission on Accreditation Appeal Committee. She is a certified Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) administrator, is the author of numerous published articles and abstracts in the health and safety fields and has consulted to several health and nursing organizations during her career.
As Director of Nursing, Pat functions as the chief nurse executive with 24/7 responsibility for nursing treatment services provided for adult detoxification and military rehab programs. She serves as key member of facility leadership and is responsible for promoting client care consistent with the philosophy, mission and objectives of Stonington Behavioral Health. In her role, she is a resource to staff on nursing aspects of treatment planning, collaborates with Medical Director/Physician for client care coordination and is responsible for establishing, reviewing and updating policies and procedures that govern nursing practice.
William Savinelli, M.S., LPC, LADC
is the Director of PHP/IOP and Off Campus Housing. Bill holds a Master of Science degree from S.C.S.U. and holds 2 clinical Licenses LPC, LADC. He has extensive experience working with various populations which include Addictions, Mental Health Co-Occurring and Child and Adolescence.
Bill had served in the Connecticut Army National Guard before beginning his career in Social Services in 1993. Since 1997 Bill has worked for Rushford Center in various direct care and management positions. Bill most recently held the position of Clinical Director of Addictions Services. Since 2007 services under his leadership included Child and Adolescence Residential and Outpatient, Adult Intensive Residential, Partial Hospital, Dual Diagnosis Partial Hospital, Intensive outpatient and Outpatient services. Bill had taken an active role throughout the Hartford Health Care system participating in several strategic steering committees. Bill had been nominated and completed DMHAS’s Leadership Institute and received the Emergent Leader Award 2007. Bill has extensive experience working with DPH, DMHAS and The Joint Commission.
Bill has also served a member of St. Vincent DePaul’s Board. In 2009 he was elected as the Vice Chairman. Bill continues his service to St. Vincent DePaul’s.
Desreen Dudley, Psy.D.
is a clinical psychologist and is the Director of Clinical Services at Stonington Institute.
Dr. Dudley currently oversees the Starlight Program, a co-occurring residential program dedicated to active duty service members. Dr. Dudley earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Hartford. She has specialized research and clinical experience with individuals diagnosed with substance use and psychiatric disorders.
Prior to joining the senior management team at Stonington Institute, Dr. Dudley completed a NIDA-funded post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry where she worked simultaneously on two research projects; one investigating the relationships among women’s victimization, PTSD, substance use, and their use of violence in intimate partner relationships and the other focused on developing a psychotherapeutic intervention for addressing traumatic symptoms and preventing HIV transmission through risky behaviors (unprotected sexual behavior and substance abuse) among adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse who were also living with HIV infection.
Dr. Dudley has an extensive clinical treatment background with diverse populations including treatment of veterans at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in West Haven, CT, treatment of female victims of trauma as well as male perpetrators of violence, and numerous inpatient and outpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facilities. Dr. Dudley’s research and clinical specializations include treatment of PTSD and substance use disorders in active duty military population.
Georganna “Georgie” Koppermann
is the Director of Business Development. In this role, Georgie serves as the Military Liaison and is responsible for compliance with military protocols and TRICARE standards as well as overseeing the communication between the military program staff and commands. Georgie is also the first point of contact for inquiries, admissions and referrals to the Starlight Program.
Georgie joined Stonington Institute with more than 25 years of experience in behavioral healthcare marketing and business development with senior-level positions held at both substance abuse and psychiatric hospitals across the country. Georgie’s experience was primarily in military regions where she acquired a breadth of knowledge about military culture and systems by working with military treatment facilities, commands and families.
Andrea Keeney
is the Director of Admissions for Stonington Institute. Andrea is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, MA, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with honors.
Andrea began her career at Stonington in 2001 as an Intake Coordinator in the Adolescent RTC Program. She became the Director of Admissions in 2004, with responsibility for intake operations for all civilian programs. She oversees the Assessment & Call Center and manages the day-to-day intake process.
Lori Kelly, L.C.S.W.
is the Director of Utilization Review for Stonington Institute. Lori earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT and a master’s degree in Social Work from Boston College.
Lori has worked extensively with all populations, from inpatient adolescent to geriatric to dual diagnosis – all with increasing levels of responsibility. Prior to joining the senior management team at Stonington Institute, Lori was a care manager at Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan for clients with Managed Medicaid coverage in the Boston Metro area. She also served as the Director of Utilization Review at Arbour HRI Hospital in Brookline, MA.
Jennifer Kelley
is Stonington Institute’s Director of Human Resources. Jennifer earned her management degree from Dominican College in Orangeburg, NY, and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Eastern Connecticut State University.
Prior to joining Stonington, Jennifer was the Director of Human Resources for nine years at a large, multi-location retail enterprise, and most recently, she was a computer applications trainer at a state-credentialed academy.
In addition to her Human Resources experience, Jennifer served as Administrative Director for a non-profit entity and as a fundraiser and volunteer with New York Special Olympics. Her varied background and commitment to customer service helps Stonington Institute to build a stronger base of dedicated, satisfied employees providing outstanding care to clients.
Nicole C. Gagnon, J.D.
is the Director of Risk Management for Stonington Institute. Nicole is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and the Indiana University School of Law.
Nicole practiced law in the private sector for seven years in Indiana and Connecticut, including work with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, before joining Stonington Institute as the Director of Risk Management. In addition to her legal experience, Nicole has been an active community volunteer with groups including the March of Dimes, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and CT-CCFA.
