A COMMITMENT to best practices in governance, accountability and transparency.

Our Executive Team

Alice Gleghorn, Ph.D.

President and CEO

Alice Gleghorn, Ph.D., is president and CEO of Phoenix House California, one of the longest-operating providers of substance use treatment in the state, serving thousands of individuals daily. With more than 26 years of experience, she has dedicated her career to expanding access to care, implementing evidence-based treatment models, and advancing harm reduction initiatives for underserved populations.

Before joining Phoenix House in 2021, Dr. Gleghorn served as director of the Santa Barbara Department of Behavioral Wellness (2014–2021), where she led the full integration of mental health and substance use disorder services. Under her leadership, Santa Barbara expanded its mental health residential care, developed multiple supportive housing programs, and implemented the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System. She also launched an opioid overdose prevention initiative, established a Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program, and ensured the continuity of crisis care services as CEO of the Santa Barbara Psychiatric Health Facility throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to her tenure in Santa Barbara, Dr. Gleghorn spent nearly two decades at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, where she pioneered harm reduction strategies that became national models. She was instrumental in developing and expanding opioid overdose prevention programs, including the Drug Overdose Prevention and Education (DOPE) initiative (1999) and naloxone distribution programs (2003). She piloted California’s first Office-Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) program and mobile methadone services, launching both in 2003. As deputy director of Community Behavioral Services, she integrated access to behavioral health programs, ensuring that evidence-based treatment reached the most vulnerable populations. Her leadership played a key role in implementing Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, which funded full-service partnerships, community support services, housing, workforce training, and IT infrastructure for California’s behavioral health system.

Following an internship and postdoctoral service at the VA La Jolla’s inpatient detoxification program, Dr. Gleghorn began her career in HIV prevention research with injection drug users at Johns Hopkins University, where she studied the epidemiology of substance use and infectious disease transmission. Her research-driven approach to public health has continued throughout her career, leading to her authorship of more than 30 peer-reviewed research studies published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, and Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Gleghorn has secured more than 40 federal, state, and foundation grants to develop and implement innovative care models benefiting individuals experiencing homelessness, HIV risk, legal system involvement, mental illness, and substance dependence. She has worked closely with physicians, pharmacists, community-based organizations, and faith-based groups to ensure equitable access to care.

Her contributions to opioid treatment, harm reduction, and behavioral health innovation have earned her national recognition, including the Nyswander-Dole “Marie” Award for extraordinary service in opioid treatment from the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence.

A graduate of UCLA, Dr. Gleghorn earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of South Florida. She remains deeply involved in shaping statewide behavioral health policies, serving on multiple state advisory committees and as a board member of the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions.

With a career defined by innovation, public health leadership, and a commitment to equitable care, Dr. Gleghorn continues to advance solutions that transform lives and strengthen communities.