Annual Benefit

Michael started his career in 1965 at Daytop Village, New York, where he held leadership roles in outpatient and residential programs. In 1969, Gateway Foundation recruited him. He assumed various management roles and was elected Chief Executive Officer in 1985. Under his leadership, the organization expanded its treatment services across the United States. The key to this success was good Board governance, a dedicated staff, patient-centered programs, and prudent fiscal management.

Michael’s collaborative efforts with the Board of Directors and professional staff led to numerous achievements. These include increasing annual patient admissions from 300 to 36,000, boosting annual revenue from $2 million to $80 million, implementing clinical, quality, and financial performance standards. He increased inpatient treatment beds from 100 to 600, outpatient “chairs” from 50 to 400, and correction facility treatment contract management beds from 0 to 8,000. To support the growth, newly built residential and outpatient treatment space, an electronic patient medical records system and a robust suite of enterprise network productivity tools were added.

During his tenure, Michael actively collaborated with other organizations and pursued mission growth-related public policy initiatives. This resulted in significant legislative changes, providing more access to treatment for patients and funding for the field.

Michael is a graduate of Roosevelt University and Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business. After a fulfilling 50-year career, he retired from Gateway Foundation in June 2015. However, in his retirement, Michael continues his advocacy for increasing treatment services for substance use disorders.

Andy’s 30+ year career has been dedicated to the healthcare information technology industry. His extensive experience working with academic hospitals, integrated delivery networks (IDNs), community hospitals and physician group practices enables him to serve as a strategic advisor to many of the industry’s leading executives. He has in-depth knowledge of and experience in implementing and optimizing clinical systems.

Andy is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, and a member of the Leadership Committee of the Kennedy Forum, an organization tackling mental health treatment in America. Andy also served on the Gateway Foundation Board of Directors for 22 years and served as the Chairman of the Board in 2020-2022. Not only did Andy provide excellent service over many years, but he also brought an innovative and empathetic perspective to issues, always looking for how we could be better, and serve people better.

Andy is currently the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Impact Advisors a privately held healthcare technology consulting firm dedicated to providing IT-enabled process improvement services to leading health systems and payers. Impact Advisors’ Associates bring deep domain knowledge in healthcare IT and applied operational experience in a variety of Strategic, Implementation and Operational areas.

Andy graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and had been married to Maria Isler Smith for 30 years. Andy and Maria have three adult children: Ben, Adam and Theo.

Lindsey LaPointe has always been a passionate advocate for the accessibility and affordability of behavioral healthcare. Prior to joining the IL General Assembly, Lindsey earned her BA in Sociology from Grinnell College and her Masters in Social Work from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago. She worked for several years in direct service social work in Illinois, giving her firsthand experience and knowledge of the mental health crisis that exists today.

Today, she is the Chair of the Mental Health and Addiction Committee in the Illinois House where she advances accessible behavioral health policy in the state including support for first responders, connecting people struggling with addiction to community-based treatment and recovery, scaling up alternatives to a law enforcement response, and raising Medicaid rates. Her priority as Chair continues to grow our behavioral healthcare workforce and fully actualizing the belief that healthcare is a human right and mental healthcare is healthcare.

Born and raised on the Northwest Side of Chicago, State Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) is a dedicated health care and social justice champion. One of the youngest elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2016, Aquino has spent his seven years in office fighting for working families across Illinois.

Aquino earned his B.A. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Loyola University Chicago. Before coming to the Senate, he worked as a bilingual case manager at the Jane Addams School of Social Work, worked as a Legislative Assistant in the Illinois House of Representatives, and was the Outreach Coordinator for then-Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth.

Senator Aquino is committed to addressing the needs of his community and leading solutions that lift up Illinois families. His work on Medicaid expansion led to tens of thousands of Illinoisans to have access to health care – making history and positioning Illinois as a health equity leader. Aquino continues to advocate for health care access in underserved communities.

Aquino also led the fight to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in Illinois and passed its permanent expansion. The measure puts working families’ hard-earned dollars back in their pockets and expands program eligibility. Beyond the hallmark EITC and health care expansions, Aquino has also championed laws to protect students from debt relief scams, expand affordable housing, safeguard voting rights, protect workers from wage theft and empower immigrants and refugees.

Aquino currently serves as Majority Caucus Chair, co-chairs the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation and serves as vice chair of the Senate Executive Committee. Aquino and his wife reside on the Northwest Side of Chicago and are the proud parents of twins.

Claire is an attorney at the Law Office of Barbara M. Demos, P.C. She holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) where she concentrated in photography. With nearly a decade of experience across the artistic, legal, and non-profit communities, Claire broadened her professional focus and earned a J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law concentrating in intellectual property, with a personal emphasis on creative business needs. During her time in law school, Claire published an article with the UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law, which was later cited in the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal’s Fiftieth Selected Bibliography, a compilation of the most important and timely articles on computers, technology, and the law.

Claire operates at the intersection of art and business, approaching her work with a balanced blend of creativity and analytical thinking. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA), Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association (IRELA), Chicagoland Association of Real Estate Attorneys (AREA, and the Association of Media Photographers (ASMP). Claire is licensed in Illinois and pending in New York. Outside the office, Claire is dedicated to her artistic practice and community service. She has been a volunteer with PAWS Chicago since 2010 and joined their Young Professional Board in 2022, and she has been a volunteer and member of Gateway’s Young Professional Board since 2022.

Jorge Villanueva, a Gateway alumnus, went through the program in Aurora in 2013 during a difficult period in his life. After two decades of alcohol and drug use, his life had spiraled out of control, and despite his efforts, he couldn’t stop. He knew he didn’t want to continue living that way but didn’t know how to change. After being admitted to detox, he was advised to follow up with a treatment program. That’s when he found Gateway Foundation.

Jorge was admitted into Gateway’s outpatient program, attending daily sessions from Monday to Friday. It was there that he learned about the disease of addiction and was given the tools to start a new life. His counselor, Heidi, played a key role in helping him build a solid foundation for recovery. She worked with him through many of his issues, offering suggestions and always keeping her door open, making him feel truly cared for.

That was about 11 years ago, and since then, Jorge hasn’t had a drink or used drugs. Gateway provided the foundation for his recovery. After completing the program, he connected with a fellowship of people on the same path, who helped him navigate life without substance use.

Jorge was later invited back to Gateway as a volunteer to share his story with clients currently in treatment. He has been doing this consistently for over 10 years and loves giving back to both the clients and Gateway.  It serves as a powerful reminder of where he once was. If his story can help even one person, he feels his purpose is fulfilled.