Gateway Executives

Candace Hodgkins

Dr. Hodgkins joined Gateway in 1997 as Program Administrator at TPC Village. Since then she has held various positions including Associate Vice President of Residential Services, Chief Administration Officer, Chief of Professional Services, Senior Vice President of Administration and Senior Vice President of Clinical Administration.

Dr. Hodgkins has more than 20 years of experience in the assessment and treatment of chemically dependent and dually diagnosed individuals, and often trains professionals in substance misuse, assessment, treatment and evidence based practices. She has been the principal investigator for federally funded grants for the treatment of chemical dependency and mental health services, and is Gateway’s site principal investigator for two current protocols funded through the National Institute Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. A licensed mental health counselor in Florida and Colorado, Dr. Hodgkins is also a qualified supervisor for registered interns sitting for Florida licensure. Her work in the private sector includes grant evaluation for different school districts throughout Florida, consultation and comprehensive evaluations for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

Dr. Hodgkins has published research regarding adolescent weight gain during recovery, co-occurring disorders in the homeless population, and trauma prevalence in homeless men with co-occurring disorders. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech/Hearing Pathology at Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington, her Master’s Degree in Counselor Education at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education Addiction Subspecialty from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.

Laura Dale

Laura Dale serves as Chief Financial Officer for Gateway Community Services, Inc. As Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Dale is responsible for all financial aspects of the organization. Ms. Dale began her career in finance as an auditor at KPMG before serving as controller at the Nemours Children’s Clinic in 1993. Three years later she joined Premier Medical Management where she served as chief financial officer until 2001, when she became Chief Financial Officer for Gateway Community Services.

Ms. Dale earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting at the University of North Florida. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from Florida State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Dr. Yvonne Kennedy

Dr. Yvonne Kennedy serves as Vice President of Professional Services at Gateway Community Services, Inc.  Dr. Kennedy is responsible for Gateway’s Medical Department and oversees the agency’s physician coverage as well as operations for both in and outpatient detoxification programs.

A board certified practitioner and a Fellow in Clinical Psychodrama, and Group Psychology, and Socio-Drama. Dr. Kennedy is an expert in psychodrama addictions and an international trainer and lecturer on these subjects. She has more than 25 years of distinguished service as an administrator of a 140-bed U.S. Navy Drug and Weight Management program where she developed a worldwide U.S. Navy training program specializing in addictions and psychodrama. She has performed an extensive number of research projects and is widely published.

Dr. Kennedy earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Art from the Layton College of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, her Master’s in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and her Doctorate in Rehabilitation management from Columbia Pacific University in Navoto, California.

Nancy Motherway

Nancy Motherway, LCSW, CAP, CPP has worked in the field of addictions since 1988 with over 25 of these years at Gateway Community Services. She has held various counseling, management, and director positions with most recently being promoted to Vice President of Utilization Review. Nancy received her bachelor’s degree in Allied Health Services from University of North Florida in 1988 and her master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Florida State University in 2007. She received her license in clinical social work in 2010. Nancy is also a Certified Addictions Professional and a Certified Prevention Professional for the State of Florida.

Jennifer Weitzel

Jennifer Weitzel, PhD, Vice President of Clinical Services for Gateway brings over 25 years of experience working in the substance use and mental health field. Dr. Weitzel is responsible for overseeing all clinical programs at Gateway including adult residential, adult outpatient, adolescent residential, adolescent outpatient, and prevention and outreach services.

Raphael Thomas

Raphael Thomas, CBC, MRSA, MRSR serves as Vice President of Facility Operations for Gateway. He oversees the organization’s facilities department and the functioning of building systems including mechanical, electrical, and fire/life safety. He also manages projects concerning design, construction and development; supervises the maintenance of buildings, grounds and construction; equipment installation; renovation and redesigning projects.

Raphael served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years. He graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science degree and holds an Associate of Science degree in Human Services from Florida State College at Jacksonville. He is a licensed Building Contractor and Mold Assessor/Remediator.

Tiffany Winemiller

Tiffany Winemiller provides leadership and management of the direction, planning, and execution of fund development, donation campaigns, and other operations related activities for the organization. She is responsible for managing the development team, operations team, board relations, fundraising and managing Gateway’s first ever capital campaign, developing long-term relationships with and engaging donors, and overseeing marketing and communication efforts. Since joining Gateway in 2015, Ms. Winemiller successfully conducted a $10 million capital campaign for the construction of a new state-of-the-art outpatient treatment and administration building and for the renovation an expansion of housing units on the Stockton Street campus. Under her leadership, board participation in fundraising efforts has increased.

Mike Bennett

Mr. Bennett has acquired almost 50 years of professional experience designing, implementing, managing, and evaluating mental health and substance use disorder prevention, intervention, and treatment programs in a variety of settings. He has served in multiple capacities including leading organizations and directing both outpatient and inpatient programs. He has worked as a consultant, providing assistance to behavioral healthcare organizations throughout the United States. He has also been an international accreditation surveyor for 25 years. He has served on many national, state, and local coalitions, boards, and committees addressing a vast array of behavioral healthcare needs. He has served as an advisor to the Hazelden Foundation, ONDCP, CSAT, BJA, OJP and has served as a SAMHSA grant reviewer. He is a successful grant writer and presenter and has assisted with numerous scientific studies and investigations. Mr. Bennett holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in Healthcare Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Psychology. He is a Florida Certified Addictions Specialist; a Florida Certified Prevention Professional; an Internationally Certified Addictions Counselor; a Clinically Certified Criminal Justice Counselor and a Clinically Certified Forensic Counselor.