Our Team

Javier Ley

Executive Vice President of Caron's Florida Campus
MA, MS, LPC, LCAC, DPC
Florida

Areas of Expertise:
Addiction, Mental Health, Leadership, Program Design and Development, Financial Management, Strategic Planning, Value-based Care

As an experienced, passionate leader, Dr. Javier Ley believes that substance use disorder treatment is of the highest priority and must be designed to ensure that high-quality targeted treatment is available to those who need it.

Dr. Ley has worked in the substance use disorder treatment field since 2010, most recently as an executive director for the eastern region at Hazelden Betty Ford, where he oversaw operations and programs in Naples, Florida; Chicago; and New York City. In his leadership roles, Ley provided strategic and operational direction as well as clinical vision and leadership. His experience encompasses instituting programs to maintain best practices and a high-quality continuum of care while creating and overseeing financial models to ensure fiscal health.

A native of Nicaragua, Ley moved to Miami at the age of 10 and has spent a large portion of his life in Florida. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Florida and spent the early part of his career in banking, business, and financial analysis. In long-term recovery himself, he felt inspired to work in addiction treatment and earned his Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling from St. Mary’s University and his doctorate in professional counseling, with a specialization in addictions and positive psychology, from Mississippi College. Dr. Ley later earned a second master’s degree in healthcare transformation from the University of Texas at Austin.

He began his professional journey as a therapist in the behavioral health field, first in Arizona and then with Hazelden Betty Ford in Center City, Minnesota, where he was quickly promoted to program manager for residential services. He then moved into healthcare administration, working for Valley Hope Association in the Midwest U.S. as senior vice president of operations before returning to Hazelden Betty Ford in a senior leadership role.

He served as co-chair of the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee for the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), the world’s largest credentialing body of addiction professionals, from 2013 to 2015. He has also been a subject matter expert for the IC&RC in diverse capacities regarding counselor certification standards, knowledge base development, and international examinations.

Dr. Ley is a licensed clinical addiction counselor (LCAC) and a licensed professional counselor (LPC).