Who We Are

Jay Higham
Chief Executive Officer

Jay Higham is an experienced health care services executive with over 30 years of experience driving organizational success in high growth, multi-location, emerging health care businesses. He has been recognized for consistently leading business expansion through infrastructure development, new or repositioned products and services, pricing and financing models, market expansion, acquisitions and new location development. He is adept at sourcing public and private capital, and the investor and community relations required for expanded market penetration.

Jay is passionate about BHG’s mission to help solve the growing opioid addiction epidemic in the United States. In joining BHG, his vision was to help expand access to medication-assisted treatment, the gold standard of care. In support of these efforts, he directed and oversaw the development of the Revenue Cycle Management Department, increasing BHG’s ability to partner with 3rd party providers. Jay has also been committed to improving BHG facilities and technology across the company. As CEO, he has led the company in a dedication to providing high-quality care under the disease model of addiction.

Prior to joining BHG, Jay was Chairman, President and CEO of IntegraMed America, Inc., a Nasdaq listed company which was the leading provider of infertility and varicose vein treatment in the United States. During a 10-year period, he led the company’s growth from four locations in New York to a national network of over 175 locations.

Benjamin R. Nordstrom, MD, PhD
Chief Medical Officer

I’m a Board Certified Addiction Psychiatrist. Prior to coming to BHG, I was on the faculty of the medical schools of Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania where I led addiction treatment services and taught at the undergraduate, graduate and post graduate level. I was previously the Chief Clinical Officer and later the CEO of Phoenix House, a national provider of addiction treatment services. I served on ASAM’s committee that generated its National Practice Guidelines for the use of medications in the treatment of opioid use disorder, and was a co-leader of the quality improvement learning collaboratives as part of the state of Vermont’s Hub and Spoke initiative. In addition I have deployed twice as a psychiatrist with the Army Reserves. I received my medical degree from Dartmouth, my PhD in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania and did my psychiatry and addiction psychiatry training at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Julie Koenig
Chief Operating Officer

Nancy Buttyan
Chief Marketing Officer

Charles Panicker
Chief Revenue Officer

Christopher Marshall, M.D.
National Medical Director

Dr. Marshall received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from The University of Tennessee at Martin. He received his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completed a Family Medicine Residency through the University of Louisville in Glasgow, Kentucky, where he first became interested in addiction medicine. He became board certified in Family Medicine in 2009 and then in Addiction Medicine in 2010 through the American Society of Addiction Medicine. For five years, Dr. Marshall practiced Family and Addiction Medicine before transitioning to full time addiction treatment with Behavioral Health Group in 2014.

As the National Medical Director for BHG, Dr. Marshall provides leadership and guidance in support of the medical mission of BHG. That mission is to provide medication-assisted treatment with a sense of hope and respect. Dr. Marshall currently provides care for BHG patients in West Tennessee.

Before becoming National Medical Director, Dr. Marshall worked for BHG at treatment centers in Jackson, Paris and Dyersburg, TN, as well as Paducah, KY. Dr. Marshall also holds a teaching position on faculty with the Addiction Medicine Fellowship program through the University of Tennessee. Most recently, he received the new board certification in Addiction Medicine through the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

Dwight Mussleman
Chief Development Officer

Dwight brings 26 years of healthcare corporate and business development expertise to Behavioral Health Group. As Chief Development Officer, Dwight is responsible for establishing and fostering key external relationships to successfully enter new markets and expand the company’s presence nationwide via treatment center acquisition, de novo (new site) development and real estate. In addition to overseeing acquisitions, he has provided leadership for BHG’s many infrastructure improvement projects.

Before joining BHG, Dwight served as Vice President of Business Development with Alliance Oncology where he led the oncology division’s strategy of acquiring community cancer centers and partnering with hospital based cancer centers. Prior to his position with Alliance, Dwight led all the business development activities including sales strategy, mergers and acquisitions and product offering as Vice President of Business Development for Global Physics Solutions. Prior to Global Physics, Dwight spent 14+ years with US Oncology in various roles including Vice President of Physician Development where he established the internal physician recruiting department and lead in market acquisitions.

Linda Ballard
Chief Human Resources Officer

Linda Ballard currently serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Behavioral Health Group. Linda has held human capital leadership roles for the past twenty years. Her human capital leadership roles are in private equity, healthcare, telecommunications and financial services. At BHG she is accountable for leading, planning, mergers and acquisitions and developing all functional human resource systems, services, processes and programs to support each pillar of the organization: Caring, Hope, and Respect

Prior to joining BHG Linda held the role of National Vice President of Human Resources for a private equity shareholder group for anesthesia services. She is a mergers and acquisition human capital expert. Linda also held executive human resource roles at Goodman Networks, Ericsson, and Ernst & Young, LLP. Linda also holds many human resource certifications to include GPHR, master coach, six sigma, employee assessments, and master trainer.

Among an accomplished academic career, she holds a doctorate degree in business and leadership. She continues her doctorate scholarship by authoring textbooks and developing higher education courses in human resources that align with the Society of Human Resource Management certification curriculum.

James Hopwood
Chief Financial Officer

James Hopwood has over 30 years of experience in financial and executive positions, specializing in the healthcare industry. His broad expertise includes long-term and short-term acute care and behavioral health hospitals, post-acute and outpatient care settings, medical billing and collection operations, physician practices, surgery centers and pharmaceutical distribution. Prior to joining the BHG team, James was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Adeptus Health and Chief Financial Officer of Promise Healthcare Group. Before his time at Promise, he was a Managing Director at Focus Management Group providing turnaround and restructuring expertise to numerous clients in healthcare and other industries. Before accepting his first Chief Financial Officer role early in his career at Wickes, Inc., James was an analyst at Goldman Sachs & Co.

James earned his Bachelor’s degree with honors in finance from Western Illinois University and an MBA with honors in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Marlin Martin, MSW, LCSW, C-ASWCM
Senior Vice President - Regulatory and Clinical Affairs

Marlin brings 36 years of combined medical and mental health leadership expertise to BHG. As VP of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs, Marlin is responsible for providing the leadership, management, and vision necessary to ensure that the organization has the proper administrative and regulatory reporting procedures and systems in place to effectively grow the organization and to ensure financial strength and regulatory compliance. In addition, Marlin serves as the Program Sponsor for each BHG program and he chairs the Compliance and Regulatory Affairs subcommittee sponsored by BHG’s Board of Directors.

Before joining BHG, Marlin held leadership positions at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in the bureau of HIV and Hepatitis, overseeing statewide and regional case management service delivery. In addition he has served as adjunct faculty at several graduate schools of Social Work teaching Policy, Human Diversity and Clinical Interviewing Skills. He has served on numerous non-profit boards, and has engaged in his own private counseling practice.

Chris Henderson
Senior Vice President - Contracting and Government Affairs

Chris brings over 30 years of leadership in payer contracting, revenue cycle and government affairs expertise to BHG. As SVP of Contracting and Government Affairs, Chris is responsible for providing leadership and vision to contracting BHG’s full-service outpatient opioid addiction treatment services across all third-party payers and to working with State and Federal officials to ensure broad coverage for opioid use disorder.

Prior to joining BHG, Chris lead payer relations, contracting, revenue cycle and public health relations for large physician group practices including a 21-year career with Texas Oncology/US Oncology.