Our Team

  • John Peloquin, Ph.D., MBAPresident & Chief Executive Officer

    John Peloquin’s career spans more than 20 years of achievement in successfully building and leading behavioral healthcare organizations.

    During the late 1990s, as Chief Administrative Officer/Director of Operations for Vital Imaging, Mr. Peloquin developed and executed organizational growth initiatives, including strategic partnerships and alliances to expand preventive medical treatment throughout the western United States.

    He then became Division President of CRC Health Group, one of the nation’s largest behavioral healthcare providers. He joined the firm in 2004 and was responsible for multiple service lines integrally involved with the growth of company facilities which included a portfolio of premium and low-cost residential facilities treating substance abuse, mental health, eating disorders, and providing an array of ancillary services. A Bain Capital sponsored company, CRC was sold to Acadia Healthcare in 2015 for $1.3B. At that time, this deal constituted the largest organizational sale in the history of the behavioral healthcare field.

    Mr. Peloquin was named Division President for Acadia Healthcare, heading up Acadia’s national outpatient division, charged with servicing more than 58,000 patients per day across 27 states. In this capacity, he helped the division to nearly double in size through acquisition, de novo, and organic growth methods. As a result, the organization became the national market leader in medication-assisted treatment.

    After great success improving clinical and organizational systems at Acadia Healthcare, Mr. Peloquin became Chief Executive Officer of Cliffside Malibu, a network of evidence-based addiction treatment centers located in Malibu, California. In 2018, he facilitated the merger of Cliffside Malibu with Center of Discovery, resulting in the formation of Discovery Behavioral Health where he currently serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer.

    Mr. Peloquin is married with three children and lives with his family in San Diego. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis in Finance and a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences.

  • Matthew Ruble, MDChief Medical Officer

    Matthew Ruble, MD is the Chief Medical Officer of Discovery Behavioral Health. Dr. Ruble has a deep passion for advancing the behavioral health industry through clinical excellence and safety, publication, innovation, payer relations and collaboration. He has created a research collaboration between DBH and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a health system affiliated with Harvard Medical School.   Prior to his role with DBH, he spent 20 years of his career working with the Cambridge Health Alliance, a health system affiliated with Harvard Medical School.  He was the Associate Training Director for Adult Psychiatry.  He was responsible for integrating Primary Care and Behavioral Health services.  To achieve this, he implemented training of clinicians, residents and medical staff in core evidence-based practices including:

    • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)• Psychiatric curriculum development• Research• Publications• Speaking nationally on evidence-based practices• Integrated behavioral and physical health care delivery

    As Lead Medical Director overseeing Clinical Behavioral Health Strategy, Innovation and Utilization Management for Humana, he was part of the team that reviewed and advised on all behavioral health technology innovations for investment and implementation. His expertise spans consistent delivery of innovative and value-based, industry-leading, and integrated behavioral health programs and services.

    Dr. Ruble earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. From there, he attended the Carver School of Medicine at the University of Iowa, earning his Doctor of Medicine degree. He then attended the Cambridge Health Alliance, an affiliate healthcare system of Harvard Medical School for his Internship, Residency, Chief Residency and Medical Education Fellowship.  Dr. Ruble has academic articles in JAMA,  Academic Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, Population Health Management, Value in Health, J. of Child Adol. Psychopharm, and BMC Geriatrics.

  • Mark Nelson, MBAChief Financial Officer

    Mark Nelson brings nearly 30 years of financial leadership in industries including technology, healthcare and consumer products. He has broad financial management experience but has carved out a niche in leading the financial activities for high growth companies. Mark has developed and directed financial strategies, including working closely with boards, equity shareholders, lenders and transaction process management that drives solid enterprise value through process and business improvements. As a partner with management, he works closely with operations, including IT, building and improving finance and accounting teams, systems and processes for efficiency, accuracy and information.

    Prior to joining Discovery, Mark held several CFO and other senior finance roles. Most relevant to Discovery, as CFO, Mark led a multi-site healthcare company through rounds of equity and debt financing as it grew 10x+ in value over 4 years, and as he prepared the company for potential future IPO. Prior to that, Mark spent nearly 10 years at VIZIO, a then $2b-$3b revenue company, holding many positions including SVP Finance and Corporate Controller. There, Mark led the company through years of explosive growth, debt financings, and acquisitions, while also working with customer, vendor, logistics, and efficiency matters. Mark prepared relevant departments for the company’s IPO and helped lead the process culminating into its IPO filing. Prior to VIZIO, Mark was VP Finance at a high growth, private equity backed multi site healthcare company where he focused primarily on acquisitions as he worked to help roll up a fragmented behavioral health landscape. Before these roles, Mark was an investment banker at Credit Suisse First Boston focusing on M&A, and prior to that, he was an auditor with Deloitte.

    Mark is a CPA and earned his MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a BA in Business Economics from The University of California, Santa Barbara. He resides in Orange County, California, with his fiancée and young son. Mark loves cooking, snowboarding, golf, and saltwater fishing.

  • Edye Bauer, Esq.General Counsel

    Edye Bauer joined Discovery in 2018 as general counsel, where she enjoys developing innovative solutions, solving problems and making a difference in people’s lives. Providing creative legal and strategic leadership at Discovery, Edye’s role includes, but is not limited to, advising on complex matters, corporate acquisitions, regulatory issues, risk management, insurance issues, compliance, licensing and employee issues.

    Bringing over 20 years of legal experience to Discovery, Edye has significant partner-level experience at top law firms and in-house counsel experience at privately-held companies. Prior to joining the leadership team at Discovery, Edye was general counsel for a privately-held behavioral health company, focused on treating substance use disorders and a broad range of mental health conditions. Edye is a graduate of Stanford Law School and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California with bachelor degrees in international relations and East Asian area studies.

    A member of the Hispanic National Bar Association, Edye is proud of her Hispanic heritage. She believes in leveraging equity and inclusion practices that attract and develop a diverse workforce and amplify the voices of the underserved and underrepresented. After serving for several years as a board member of Women of Color in Law, Inc., a San Diego-based organization focused on helping people of color, especially women, succeed in the legal field, Edye recently moved to an advisory role.

    Edye aspires to be the calm in the storm, solving challenges for the company so that staff and clinicians can focus on providing the best quality care to patients. In her spare time, Edye enjoys spending time with her family and her pets.

  • Celeste N. Jupinko, Ph.D.Senior Vice President of CSQM & Compliance Officer

    With more than 25 years of experience working within the behavioral healthcare field, Dr. Jupinko has lent her talents in both clinical and operations roles for private and non-profit companies. Her role at Discovery prioritizes quality management, compliance monitoring and creating a culture of safety.

    This entails the administration of systems, policies, and processes to minimize risk and maximize efficiency, utilizing standards of care based on evidence-based practices, while optimizing patient care and customer satisfaction.

    Before joining Discovery Behavioral Health, Dr. Jupinko was vice president of clinical services for Acadia Healthcare’s national outpatient division and previously held the same role for CRC Health Group.

    She is most noted for her success in elevating clinical quality, maintaining regulatory compliance, overseeing policy management and sustaining performance improvement efforts. Dr. Jupinko has also worked as a behavioral healthcare consultant, was owner of a private clinical practice and led a behavioral health hospital as CEO.

    Dr. Jupinko earned her doctorate degree from the University of Arizona and her master’s degree from Duquesne University. When she is not developing guidelines that ensure an optimal patient experience, she can be found spending quality time with family, reading the latest national bestseller, working out and doting on her beloved dogs.

  • Sandra Sellani, MBASenior Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations

    Sandra and her team oversee all elements of marketing, sales, and communications, including traditional and digital advertising, social media, public relations, collateral development, and alumni services. Prior to joining Discovery Behavioral Health, she served as Vice President of Marketing for Newport Beach, California-based NVISION Eye Centers, and Vice President of Marketing for Irvine, California-based Sperry Van Ness Commercial Real Estate. She was a Regional Marketing Director for six years for Atlanta-based Charter Medical Corporation, at the time the world’s largest behavioral health organization. She has also served as Marketing Director for United Western Medical Centers Behavioral Health and CosmetiCare Plastic Surgery Specialists. Sandra is the author of the award-winning book, What’s Your BQ? (Brand Quotient®), and has spoken nationwide to CEO’s, executives and sales teams about building powerful, inimitable brands. Sandra has an executive MBA from Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, and resides in Newport Beach, California.

  • Corey Procuniar, SHRM-CPSenior Vice President of Human Resources

    Corey oversees all human resource functions for Discovery Behavioral Health, which has nearly 3,000 employees across 12 states. Prior to joining DBH, Corey was head of human resources for Cambridge Healthcare Services in Orange County, California, where he worked for 10 years. He holds a B.A. degree in pre-med, chemistry, from Brigham Young University.

    With DBH’s ongoing expansion plans, including the addition of several hundred employees, Corey will utilize the latest in human capital management systems (HCMS), a comprehensive and strategic approach to building and developing effective staffing in organizations. The HCMS, coupled with Corey’s vast experience as a human resource expert in the healthcare space, will help drive other key HR initiatives, including: improved employee satisfaction, engagement and retention; continuous improvements in effective staff communication; development of  best-in-class hiring, onboarding and training practices for qualified candidates; and establishment of  an employee benefits program .

    When Corey is not exploring the most optimal ways to improve the staff experience at DBH, you can find him enjoying hobbies such as photography and videography. He loves travel photography and was able to capture amazing images on recent excursions to Iceland and Ecuador. Though, his most inspiring photo subject is his family, which includes six children (five boys and one girl) and grandchildren.

  • Shalaura Soliai, MBAVice President of Diversity Equity & Inclusion

    Shalaura Soliai is a Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Leader with more than 15 years’ experience implementing employee relations-based business solutions in multi-state, start-up, legacy healthcare, and hospitality organization. She uses a conducive and collaborative approach to sustaining engagement to provide optimal employee encounters. Her philosophy is to support and mitigate risk for companies while ensuring the voice of the employee is highly regarded. She believes that diversity in a company’s leadership is tantamount to a diverse workforce and customer-base. Prior to joining Discovery Behavioral Health, Shalaura spearheaded diversity efforts for a privately held behavioral health company, contributing to the increased hiring of BIPOC Women by 15%. Most notably, Shalaura successfully developed seven inclusive Employee Resource Groups at Care1st Health Plan to include LGBTQIA+, Veterans, Women, Asian & Pacific Islander, African American, and LatinX, resulting in a 35% increase in diverse hiring, promotion, and mentorship. At St. Francis Medical Center, she established a pipeline of BIPOC Physicians through partnership enhancements with the only dually designated Historically Black Graduate Institution and Hispanic Serving Health School, Charles Drew University, to address health inequities and to develop a Medical Staff that looks like the communities served. She also Co-founded the Patient and Employee Diversity Committee which achieved St Joseph Heritage HealthCare’s value imperative to transform organizational culture and provide patient-focused cultural sensitivity training to more than 6,000 employees. Other areas of expertise include executing diversity and equity strategies through meaningful engagement with historically marginalized communities, leading complex initiatives and managing difficult conversations. Shalaura holds both a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Organizational Development from the University of La Verne. In her spare time, Shalaura enjoys attending live music and comedy shows, spinning classes, and spending time with her family. Shalaura is a member of ForbesBLK, championing a global community of Black entrepreneurs, professionals, leaders and creators that are driving systematic change in business, culture and society.

  • Deandra Christianson, MAPresident, Eating Disorder Division

    Deandra Christianson received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and her master’s degree in clinical psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology including a specialization in counseling specialization with a focus on the treatment of children and adolescents.  

    In addition to serving as COO of Alsana, a regional eating recovery treatment provider, she has also held both clinical and administrative positions at Center for Discovery from 2013 to 2021. She has been afforded many opportunities to speak at conferences and other engagements throughout the country. Deandra has worked with individuals with eating disorders, self-injurious behaviors, mood disorders, and other co-occurring issues in both residential and outpatient treatment settings. Additionally, she has worked with schools in program development and implementation that focuses on student leadership and bullying prevention and intervention. Deandra is passionate about eating disorder awareness, advocacy, and treatment. 

  • Amy C. Brown, M.A.President, Mental Health Divison

    Amy Brown began her career with Center for Discovery in 2000 as a counseling staff. She has held many positions in the organization including serving as a Program Director for six years. In 2012, she was named National Director of Operations for the Discovery Mood & Anxiety program treating teens and young adults in facilities nationwide. She has also served as Director of Operations for Eating Disorder Center of Denver. Amy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the university of Northern Colorado and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, Malibu, California.

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