Gayle A. Dakof, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Dr. Dakof is the Executive Director of MDFT-International, a 501(c)(3) public charity that facilitates the dissemination and implementation of two evidence-based intervention programs: Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) and Multidimensional Family Recovery (MDFR). She is also a Voluntary Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She received her doctorate in psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and is a licensed clinical psychologist in the states of Florida and California. Dr. Dakof is a scientist-practitioner specializing in the development and testing of family-based interventions directed toward preventing and treating substance misuse, mental health challenges, child maltreatment, delinquency and criminality. Instrumental in the research and clinical development of MDFT, she is a Master Trainer of Multidimensional Family Therapy and along with Dr. Cindy Rowe the architect of the MDFT training program and implementation approach. Dr. Dakof has been a principal investigator or co-investigator on numerous NIH-funded research projects and has authored over sixty publications. Gayle’s great passion is to improve the lives of children and families by increasing access to science-based behavioral health interventions.

Cindy Rowe, Ph.D.
Associate Director

Dr. Rowe is Associate Director of MDFT International and serves in the role of Director of Training, as well as a member of the Board of Directors. She is also Clinical Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she has been a faculty member since 2000. She was mentored by Drs. Liddle and Dakof as a graduate student at Temple University beginning in 1994, and since that time her career has focused on refining, testing, and disseminating family-based interventions for adolescents with substance misuse and related problems. She has worked with her colleagues to promote the translation of research findings into practice and to train providers to implement Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). She has been PI and Co-PI of several NIH grants examining the effects of MDFT with different clinical populations in a range of settings. She was also Co-PI of a multisite randomized controlled trial of MDFT in 5 countries in Europe. She has been a peer reviewer of health services research grants for NIH and has contributed research and clinical publications, as well as a comprehensive volume on adolescent substance misuse treatment research. Her greatest passion is helping providers implement MDFT in diverse practice settings in the U.S. and Europe. 

Doris Perdomo-Johnson
MA, LMFT
Assistant Training Director

Doris is a bilingual, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Florida and California, with over 25 years of experience in the field. She is originally from Bogota, Colombia and holds her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from Antioch University-San Francisco. She is a certified Trainer and Supervisor of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). She has vast experience working with high-risk adolescents and families in a variety of settings and circumstances: out-patient, crisis intervention clinics, military settings, schools, residential/in-patient, home-based, and court-involved.  Her experience has also led her to serve as a Mental Health Director of a Juvenile Justice residential program for adolescent males.

Dalia I. Garcia, MA
Assistant Director, Research & Operations

Dalia Garcia is the Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation at MDFT International. She obtained her Master’s degree in Community and Prevention Research from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology. Dalia is an experienced professional with over 20 years working in non-profit, academia, and government, holding management and senior leadership roles. She has also worked as an independent consultant at various points throughout her career, conducting needs assessments, developing measurement tools, completing program evaluations, and writing and reviewing grants. She is skilled in project management, program evaluation, quantitative and qualitative research, data analysis, reporting data results for stakeholders, and strategic planning.

Jill Cadman, BBA, MHSA
Assistant Director, Finance & Human Resources

Jill Cadman holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami in Business Administration with a double major in Finance and Entrepreneurship and a Master’s degree from Florida International University in Health Services Administration with a concentration in long-term care. She enjoys the business and financial side of health care and works closely with the directors to manage the financial operations and human resources of MDFT, including contract renewals, accounting, and general business administration. Jill enjoys the challenge of creating the financial and business infrastructure that is needed as MDFT experiences such positive growth. 

Madison Liddle, LMHC
Senior Research Associate

Madison earned a dual master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Columbia University where she also completed an advanced certificate in Sexuality, Women, and Gender, specializing in LGBTQIA+ mental health.  Madison is a licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of New York and has a private practice in New York City. Madison’s work with MDFT is primarily on the research side, serving as MDFT’s senior research associate. Madison has worked on various research projects over the years, most notably a collaboration with the Oregon Social Learning Center on the implementation and sustainability of MDFT.  Madison also serves as the board liaison where she works to recruit new board members and meet the needs of current members. 

Michele Williams, MS
Research Support / Executive Assistant

Michele Wimsatt is the Research Support/Executive Assistant for MDFT International. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Research from Campbell University. Her professional background spans over 6 years within research roles in military/government, non-profit, academic, and hospital settings. She coordinated studies focused on behavioral health interventions in populations with PTSD, insomnia, cancer, and substance use. She has experience in scientific writing, literature review, phone screening, recruiting and engaging target populations, data entry and analysis, publications, presentations, and developing regulatory documents. In addition, she is experienced with administrative tasks such as scheduling, developing meeting agendas and notes, organizing files, email correspondence, and office management.

Sandra Arguelles
MA, MFT

Sandra is a bilingual Marriage and Family Therapist in Connecticut. She holds her Master’s degree from Central Connecticut State University. Sandra has worked with both the adolescent and adult population with substance misuse and co-occurring disorders, military families specifically dealing with pre and post deployment and couples’ therapy. She has also worked with the homeless population in local community shelters as well as domestic violence shelters with woman who were seeking safety. She has had several positions in Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) since 2012 as a therapist, supervisor and currently a trainer.  

Adriana Bugarin
MSW, LCSW

Adriana Bugarin has been a social worker for over 25 years. She is a founding LCSW at Pair Team, a virtual clinic transforming health care and health equity in communities, and former Chief Clinical Officer at D’Veal Family and Youth Services, a community based non-profit organization in Pasadena, CA. Adriana has a background in child welfare, community, and school based mental health. Adriana is also the owner of Bugarin & Affiliates, LLC, offering mental health consulting, life coaching, clinical supervision and is in private practice with The Healing Collective, LLC. She is a bilingual (English/Spanish) certified MDFT therapist, supervisor, and national trainer. 

Stephanie DiPaola LMFT

Stephanie is a national trainer with MDFT International.  She has over 20 years of experience providing mental health, substance misuse, trauma counseling to adolescents and families for various non-profit organizations in CT. She has training in several evidenced based practices including MDFT, and has provided management and clinical supervision for over 10 years. In 2016 she was nominated to participate in the first cohort at the University of New Haven and Tow Youth Justice Institute receiving a certificate of fellowship for Transforming Youth Justice: A Leadership Development Program. Stephanie trains in both MDFT (including HYPE programs for youth with opioid use disorder) and MDFR.

Alison Gensic
MS, LPCC-S

Alison is a national trainer with MDFT International. She works in the State of Ohio as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and clinical supervisor. Alison has worked over the past 10 years in the mental health field with high-risk youth and families by providing mental health and trauma therapy with youth and families in treatment foster care and residential/inpatient care settings. In 2015, she became a MDFT certified therapist and then MDFT supervisor, providing intensive home-based services for at-risk youth and families ordered to treatment by Juvenile Court in the greater Cincinnati area.  

Tahana Jean-Marie
MHC

Tahana holds a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling earned in 2010. Fluent in both Haitian Creole and English, she excels in connecting with diverse populations, specializing in supporting children and families facing various mental health challenges. Her journey into MDFT began in 2010 when she joined Children's Aid in New York. She became certified as a therapist in 2011 and as a supervisor in 2014. Building on her passion for MDFT, Tahana became a certified trainer in 2016.

With 14 years of experience in the field of social services, including extensive clinical work and significant contributions to the Harlem Children’s Zone program in New York. Tahana has been instrumental in helping children in poverty succeed and thrive by providing comprehensive support to families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods. Currently, Tahana serves as a Supporting Knowledge into Practice (SKIP) Coach with the Administration for Children Services (ACS) Workforce Institute in New York, and as an MDFT National Trainer.

Regina Kijewski
PhD, LMFT

Dr. Kijewski is a national trainer with MDFT International. She received her doctorate in psychology in 2013 and has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Connecticut since 2004. She has worked in various capacities in the field of psychology for more than 20 years.  Dr. Kijewski is the owner of Bright Futures Consulting, LLC where she specializes in couples and family therapeutic work and provides clinical supervision to therapists.  Dr. Kijewski is also an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at both Naugatuck Valley Community College and Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Connecticut where she has been teaching since 2009.

Megan Lucas
MSW

Megan is a bilingual national trainer with MDFT International. She began her MDFT work in Connecticut in 2016 and soon after relocated to Miami. In Miami she was able to work alongside Dr. Cindy Rowe and Dr. Howard Liddle on a study focusing on Transitional Aged Youth in the Miami Dade Drug Court system. Following the study, she began teaching and supervising clinicians across various mental health clinics. Her certifications and experience with the model ensure the provision of an effective treatment for teenagers, parents and caregivers, and families. Megan trains in both MDFT and MDFR.

Jennifer Miller
MSW, LCSW, CAADC

Jennifer is a national trainer with over twenty years of experience in adolescent substance misuse treatment and family therapy. She earned her Master of Social Work degree from California University of Pennsylvania in 2000. Jennifer is an expert in the treatment of substance misuse in rural communities. Jennifer assisted with the implementation of MDFT in Pennsylvania in 2009. She is a certified MDFT national trainer and supervisor. Jennifer is currently the Project Director at Outside In, a comprehensive substance misuse treatment program located in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Tara Mitchell
MS, LMFT

Tara is a graduate from Central Connecticut State University where she earned her Masters of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy, and now holds Licenses of Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT), in both Connecticut and New York. She has experience working with high-risk adolescents and their families, who interface with various extrafamilial systems—including Child Welfare, court/probation, schools, etc.—and in her work, have supported and advocated for, affected families to better navigate said systems. Over the years, Tara has held various roles in MDFT. She began in 2016 as a certified MDFT Therapist and then in 2018 became a certified MDFT Supervisor in NY. Tara has returned back to MDFT to continue her work as a National Trainer.

Stacy Oliver
MS

Stacy Oliver has been a national trainer since 2019. In 2012, Stacy received her master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University in Psychology. She has over 15 years of experience working in the field of social services with individuals suffering from mental health, dealing with substance misuse, domestic violence, homelessness and DCF high risk families. During her work in Family Services, Stacy participated in a pilot project in Miami where Multidimensional Family Recovery (MDFR) was introduced to child welfare families. Stacy started as a Family Consultant implementing MDFR under the guidance of Dr. Gayle Dakof. She then became a supervisor, supervising therapists in the model and is now a trainer. Stacy trains in both MDFR and MDFT.

Vanessa Vaziri
MSW, LCSW

Vanessa is a national trainer for Multidimensional Family Therapy International (MDFT) and an adolescent behavioral health therapist at the University of Wisconsin – Behavioral Health Youth and Family Clinic (UW Health). She holds her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Trauma-informed, family-based mental health and substance use therapy has been the primary focus of Vanessa’s clinical work over the past 9 years. She was trained as an MDFT therapist in 2014 and went on to become a supervisor and trainer in the evidence-based model. Vanessa has experience working with high-risk adolescents and families in outpatient, crisis response, in-home and school-based settings. 

Paula Witt
MSW, LCSW

Paula is a national trainer for Multidimensional Family Therapy International (MDFT) owns her own practice, Madison Psychotherapy and Wellness LLC, in Madison WI. She treats youth, families, and has a portion of her practice dedicated to working with athletes at both the high school and collegiate levels. Family therapy has been the main focus of Paula’s clinical work over the past 14 years. She has worked closely with many clinics throughout Wisconsin, providing in-home family therapy. She was trained as an MDFT therapist in 2011 and went on to become a supervisor and trainer in the evidence-based model. Paula has extensive experience providing psychotherapy to youth and parents, as well as training and supervising therapists both through the University of Wisconsin and as a national trainer for MDFT. In addition to clinical work, Paula is a certified yoga teacher and stays active playing volleyball and soccer.

Howard A. Liddle, Ed.D, ABPP
Board Chair

Dr. Liddle, an internationally recognized scholar, is the developer of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). Dr. Liddle is a Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine where he has been since 1996. Dr. Liddle was a Professor at Temple University and the University of California, San Francisco; and the Director of the Family Systems Program at the Institute for Juvenile Research in Chicago, and Director of Training at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA. He was PI of the NIH-funded Center for Treatment Research on Adolescent Drug Abuse at Temple University and University of Miami.

A board-certified diplomate in Family Psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology, ABPP), and family therapist, Dr. Liddle's research focuses on the development, testing, implementation, and dissemination of treatment for adolescent substance misuse, mental health and delinquency. Dr. Liddle’s work has been recognized with awards from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Family Therapy Association, the Hazelden Foundation, and the American Psychological Association. He has been PI of numerous NIH-funded studies since his first grant in 1985, and has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications.

Read more about Dr. Liddle in The Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy here.

Cindy Rowe, Ph.D.
Board Secretary & Treasurer

Dr. Rowe is Associate Director of MDFT International and serves in the role of Director of Training, as well as a member of the Board of Directors. She is also Clinical Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she has been a faculty member since 2000. She was mentored by Drs. Liddle and Dakof as a graduate student at Temple University beginning in 1994, and since that time her career has focused on refining, testing, and disseminating family-based interventions for adolescents with substance misuse and related problems. She has worked with her colleagues to promote the translation of research findings into practice and to train providers to implement Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). She has been PI and Co-PI of several NIH grants examining the effects of MDFT with different clinical populations in a range of settings. She was also Co-PI of a multisite randomized controlled trial of MDFT in 5 countries in Europe. She has been a peer reviewer of health services research grants for NIH and has contributed research and clinical publications, as well as a comprehensive volume on adolescent substance misuse treatment research. Her greatest passion is helping providers implement MDFT in diverse practice settings in the U.S. and Europe. 

Peter Panzarella, MA, MS, LADC, LPC
Board Member

Peter is a private consultant to federal, state, and local agencies in the behavioral health field. He is licensed as Alcohol/Drug and a Professional Counselor in Connecticut. He provides online therapy on a part time basis. He serves on the boards of Adolescent Mobile Health and Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) International.

Peter is retired from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) where was the statewide director of substance misuse services. DCF is an integrated state children’s agency with responsibility and programs for the child welfare, juvenile justice and children’s mental health and adolescent substance misuse treatment. Prior to being the Director, he has worked over 15 years in the field of addiction treatment and mental health working in various settings as a clinician, clinical supervisor, and clinical/program management. In 2007 he received special recognition awards for Collaboration from the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, and in the same year another award for Government Facilitation for implementing Evidenced Based Practices by the Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness.

He has presented at international, national, and state conferences on substance misuse, evidence-based practices and collaboration. He has written and was awarded federally competitive projects to implement evidence-based and promising practices for adolescents, families, and drug-exposed infants.

In 2009 Peter was a special consultant for the Pan American Health Organization on review and recommendations of substance misuse services to the Ministry of Health and Chronic Diseases for the country of Barbados. He holds advanced degrees in Community Psychology (MA) from Lesley University, and Administration (MS) from State University of New York College at Buffalo; and an undergraduate degree in Psychology (BS) from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. 

James Toney III, BS
Board Member

James Toney is an innovative, creative, marketing and brand strategist with proven technology expertise. He has significant experience setting vision and driving complex initiatives. Toney is currently the Chief Strategy Officer for Maximum Effort. Prior to this role, he was Senior Vice President of IMAX, and also Senior Vice President of Technology and Innovation for 20th Century Fox both in Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Toney was the Co-Founder, Chief Strategist and Head of Business Development of the Los Angeles creative agency, Sew. Sew develops digital and social marketing strategies for brands that includes OWN, Ford, Verizon, AAA, and Gap.

He has a bachelors degree from Pepperdine University in Political Science and Economics. In 2015 Mr. Toney was recognized as Forbes 30 under 30 and in 2017 he received the Bright Pink ChangeMakers Award.

Haley Weinger, BA
Board Member

Haley Weinger is a strategic problem solver who has built a reputation for operational excellence, innovative strategic thinking, and working with the highest level of integrity and compassion. Haley is currently the Chief of Staff to the CEO & COO and co-founders for Hello Alfred in New York, an end-to-end resident experience and building management platform that is transforming the real estate industry. She has been instrumental in scaling Hello Alfred’s existing products and leading the build out of new business lines. Prior to this role, she worked for BlackRock for 8 years in both New York and London, where she held various positions including VP of Talent Strategy & Executive Talent Management, as well as Chief of Staff and Business Manager to the Global Head of Alternative Investments. She currently sits on the board of NYU FACES Young Leadership.

Ms. Weinger holds a BA in Organizational Psychology with concentration in Art and Design from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.