Rutgers Youth Behavioral Health Initiative Leadership

Marlene Brandt graduated from Rutgers in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earned her MBA at Boston University in 1982. She built a successful career in the information technology industry before dedicating herself full time to raising her family and to her philanthropic interests. A New Jersey resident and longtime supporter of Rutgers, Brandt is an emerita member of Rutgers University Foundation Board of Directors. In 2019, inspired by her growing familiarity with the mental health crisis among America’s youth, Brandt made a gift of $30 million to launch the Rutgers Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and create the Brandt Behavioral Health Treatment Center and Retreat.

Francine Conway, Ph.D., an accomplished scholar and clinical psychologist recognized for her work in child psychopathology, is chancellor of academic affairs at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. She previously was dean of Rutgers’ Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Conway has treated children with a range of behavioral problems in hospital settings and private practice for more than 20 years. Nationally and internationally recognized for her work on the treatment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, she has collaborated with colleagues in Sweden, Germany, and London.

Frank A. Ghinassi, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, is president and CEO of Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. He leads a statewide system of academically based mental health and addiction services, training, and research. He is also a professor at Rutgers’ Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology; an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He has published scholarly articles on mood and anxiety disorders, cognitive functioning, and health care performance measurement.

Joshua M. Langberg, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor of psychology in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, and inaugural director of the Center for Youth Social Emotional Wellness at Rutgers. He previously worked at Virginia Commonwealth University where he served as associate dean for research and operations for the College of Humanities and Sciences and as associate director of the Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development. He received his doctorate in clinical-community psychology from the University of South Carolina and completed his pre-doctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Langberg is editor-in-chief of the journal Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (formerly Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology), author or co-author of over 130 peer-reviewed publications and three books, and principal investigator on several grant awards from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. His clinical and research interests focus on reducing barriers to evidence-based mental health care by embedding brief and resource efficient prevention and intervention services in school and community-based pediatric settings.