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Management

Akua Mind & Body > About Us > Meet Our Team > Management

Our Management Team

Stephen Mercurio

President

Stephen Mercurio

President

Stephen’s unwavering commitment to excellence is the hallmark of his position as the President at AKUA Mind and Body. His work in Drug and Alcohol Treatment has become a staple in the industry. His experience ranges from hands-on work with clients as a Case Manager and Director of Academic Development to Administrative positions directing programs and facilities. Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and is an Internationally Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Stephen believes that the best way to honor his commitment to quality of care for every AKUA client is to support his team of Directors, Clinicians and Technicians, so they may dedicate themselves to the work of transforming lives.

Catherine Pare

Sr. Finance Manager

Catherine Pare

Sr. Finance Manager

Cathy Pare has over eighteen years experience in Finance and Accounts. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Columban College and is responsible for managing Akua’s banking relationships. Cathy works closely with our financial partners and auditors, and utilizes her experience and professional knowledge in the preparation and presentation of Akua’s financial information. “Focus on being productive instead of Busy” – Tim Ferris

Connie Antenorcruz

Human Resources Director

Connie Antenorcruz

Human Resources Director

Connie Antenorcruz is a compassionate professional with more than fifteen years’ experience in leading operations, planning, developing and evaluating personnel and labor relations strategies including policies, programs and procedures to address the organization’s human resource and accreditation requirements. She considers herself a life-long learner, which has prepared her for the challenging position of Human Resources/Accreditation for AKUA Mind and Body. Connie has keen and innovative insights in the areas of talent management, organizational development, and building and motivating teams. Connie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management and a Master of Science in Business Administration.

Rebecca Palmer

Compliance Officer

Rebecca Palmer

Compliance Officer

Rebecca brings many years of experience to AKUA with a wide array of insight into the field of behavioral health and addiction services. Her passion for helping others lead her to behavioral health treatment, right out of college, where she has operated in the capacity of Supervisor, Administrator, Project Specialist and Executive Trainer. Rebecca’s strengths include best practice implementation, workflow enhancement and data management, which help her to excel in various quality improvement and compliance efforts. Rebecca is deeply invested in improving the quality of AKUA’s team through project planning, comprehensive root cause analysis, corrective action planning and organization wide training. She is passionate about the behavioral health industry and is consistently looking for ways to improve upon AKUA’s internal practices.

Board & Advisors

Kenny Dewan

Founder & Number ONE Fan of the Best Clinical Team in California

Kenny Dewan

Founder & Number ONE Fan of the Best Clinical Team in California

Kenny Dewan, is the founder of AKUA Mind & Body and of MondayOne. Kenny is an accomplished leader, motivational speaker, and a business executive. With over 30 years of business experience, Kenny brings a vast array of knowledge, passion, and leadership skills to AKUA. He is also a popular motivational speaker who has been interviewed by Forbes and Builder & Developer in regards to his philosophy and business acumen. With the assistance of the best clinical team in California, Kenny has created an open, collaborative culture at AKUA, which has directly translated into an environment of health and healing for all clients. With an unparalleled commitment to excellent and active fostering of ownership across all levels of the company, Kenny has helped AKUA become a Leader in Mental Health & Addiction Treatment.

Raj Takhar

Board Member & Senior Vice President Strategy Provider Integration

Raj Takhar

Board Member & Senior Vice President Strategy Provider Integration

His Role at Huntington to lead Corporate Strategy including Joint Ventures, Alliances, Payer Strategy including Network Affiliation(s), and to oversee relationships with Aligned Physician Networks who operate in San Gabriel Valley on a Global Risk basis. In addition, he is responsible for Physician Integration which includes directing and leading the Strategy and Operations of Huntington’s Foundation Model: 1206(L). He has over Twenty Five (25) years experience in Physician Delivery Operations, including Medical Group Model and IPAs, mergers and acquisitions of Delivery, network development and management of Physician Networks assuming Global Risk.

Recovery Starts Here!

If you or a loved one is struggling with a depressive disorder or substance abuse & addiction disorder, AKUA Mind & Body can help. Our helpline is available 24/7 and our Admissions Counselors will help determine which program is right for you.

The AKUA Mind & Body solution

AKUA Mind and Body is a full-service treatment program that offers a wide range of “east meets west” treatment modalities for many different populations struggling with codependence disorder and other mental health and substance use disorders. AKUA Mind & Body treats co-occurring disorders and works diligently with each client and their family to ensure that treatment is specifically tailored to their needs, and not just their disorder.

AKUA’s Treatment Approaches

Trauma-informed therapy
Brainspotting
Yoga and Meditation
Family therapy

Group therapy
Dietary and nutrition counseling
Individual therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Dialectal behavioral therapies (DBT)

Insurance Coverage

AKUA Mind and Body understands the financial burdens that addiction and mental health treatment can have on an individual and their family. As a result, AKUA works closely with most HMO, EPO and PPO insurance plans including AmeriHealth, Humana, Allcare Health, Highmark, UPMC Health Plan, and are In-Network with Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, Cigna, Health Net, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Magellen, HMC Health Works, Tricare, Western Health Advantage, Prime, Multi Plan, Triwest, and more.

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