DeDe Severino has been with the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services since 2013. She currently serves as Chief of the Addictions and Management Operations section where she oversees a team responsible for clinical policy development, oversight and implementation of adolescent and adult addiction treatment and recovery services, as well as implementation and expansion of services through various federal discretionary grants. Prior to taking on the role of Chief, she served as the Coordinator for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, which provides nearly $45 million annually for substance use prevention, treatment and recovery services.
DeDe has over 25 years of experience in the addictions’ prevention, treatment and recovery field, having provided direct clinical services, as well as prevention services, although the majority of her career has been as a public servant at both the local and state level. After leaving direct services, she became the Coordinator of Adolescent Services for the WV Division on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse where she was responsible for the development of a system of care for adolescents with substance use disorder that received national recognition from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. After moving to North Carolina in 2003, she worked for Wake County LME in SUD provider and network development.
DeDe received her BS in Psychology from Longwood University and her MA in Clinical Psychology from Marshall University.