Leadership with Lived Experience
The people behind SUD Voices for Change are here because they've lived it. They've navigated systems that weren't built for them, advocated for loved ones in crisis, worked inside county programs and state agencies, and shown up for their communities long before this organization existed.
Our leadership spans advocates, clinicians, policy experts, and consumers united by a single conviction: that people with lived experience of substance use disorder deserve a real seat at the table where decisions get made. Not a token mention. A real seat. That's what we're building, and this is the team doing it.
Robb Layne
Robb Layne is the Executive Director of the California’s Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives (CAADPE), the only state-wide association representing all types of substance use disorder services. In this role, Robb transformed the association into a vital player in the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) policy arena, grew the association’s financial position and created a wider political footprint for his members.
Robb graduated from the University of California, Davis, and began a career bridging multiple industries. Bookending where he started to where he is now, Robb spent over ten years in the California State Assembly and California State Senate as legislative and committee staff. After leaving the Capitol, he was recruited to work as an executive team member at Partnership HealthPlan of California. After three years with Partnership, he was asked to join the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California. He rebranded the organization, increased its exposure, and enhanced its reputation at the State Capitol.
Both in his role as the Executive Director of CAADPE and as a parent of a son with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), Robb currently sits on the California Health & Human Services Agency Behavioral Health Task Force (BHTF), the 988-Crisis Policy Advisory Commission, the California Behavioral Health Planning Council (CBHPC) Workforce Committee and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation/ Council on Criminal Justice California Juvenile Justice Compendium and Toolkit Advisory Board.
Robb has sat on various boards including the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and the Treatment Communities of America. He currently is the president of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region. He lives in Sacramento with his husband Marc Koenigsberg and their dog Riley.
Lauren Anderson
Lauren Anderson serves as Deputy Director of the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives (CAADPE), bringing a strong foundation in organizational leadership and communications. She holds a degree in Organizational Communications from California State University, Sacramento, along with additional education in Alcohol and Other Drug Counseling and Human Services.
Prior to joining CAADPE, Lauren served as a Director at Wind Youth Services, a Sacramento-based nonprofit dedicated to serving unhoused transitional age youth, where she gained firsthand experience in homeless services and community-based care. Her work was grounded in data-driven approaches and grant writing, securing critical resources to support vulnerable populations.
Lauren is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education, continuing a lifelong dedication to learning and growth. Outside of work, she can be found on the yoga mat, the soccer field, or enjoying Sacramento's rivers with her dog, Vegas.
Dr. Vitka Eisen
Vitka is the President and Chief Executive Officer of HealthRIGHT 360, a healthcare provider for very low income and otherwise marginalized Californians. With over 40 years of experience in human services, Vitka has dedicated her career to supporting people and communities struggling with addiction and incarceration through the provision of integrated, compassionate, and relevant care.
Since being appointed to her current role in 2010, Vitka has led HealthRIGHT 360 through a series of mergers, growing the organization to serve over 40,000 people annually.
Brian Hurley
Brian Hurley is an addiction physician and the Interim Director and Medical Director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and he is the Immediate Past President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Hurley facilitates projects expanding access to prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services across Los Angeles County.
Albert M. Senella
For over 21 years, Albert M. Senella (President and Chief Executive Officer) has guided a progressive range of integrated behavioral healthcare services at Tarzana Treatment Center. In this capacity, he has developed a range of drug/alcohol treatment* and integrated health, mental health, and primary care services responsive to the needs of uninsured, low income Los Angeles residents as well as persons with private resources. In response to the growing HIV epidemic, these services were interwoven with comprehensive HIV prevention, intervention and treatment services, creating a nationally recognized model of HIV services for drug users. Under Mr. Senella’s leadership, Tarzana’s services have more recently expanded to include two family primary care clinics (San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley), and case management and treatment programs tailored specifically for prison parolees. Mr. Senella has primary oversight of the agency’s budget comprised of government and private funding.
As President of the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives (CAADPE), California’s largest and most diverse association, Mr. Senella is an active member of many state and local advisory bodies. Most recently, his advocacy has served to assist State legislators, policymakers and other leaders to recognize the contribution and potential of behavioral healthcare and drug/alcohol treatment agencies in major new initiatives such as Welfare and Healthcare Reform. In addition to his role at Tarzana Treatment Center, Mr. Senella has administered services at the Erikson Center for Adolescent Advancement and San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Centers, Inc.
Dr. Gary Tsai
Dr. Gary Tsai is a board-certified psychiatrist and addiction medicine physician whose career has been shaped by both clinical expertise and lived experience navigating a loved one through the behavioral health system. He spent 12 years as Director of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, leading first-in-the-nation federal waivers and system-wide transformation through data-informed and value-based care models. He currently serves on California's Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, has authored a book to support families navigating serious mental illness, and produced a documentary on psychosis. Dr. Tsai brings to SUD Voices for Change a rare combination of clinical depth, systems-level policy experience, and genuine personal investment in the communities this work serves.