Candace Hodgkins, Ph.D., LMHC

Candace Hodgkins is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Gateway – Steps to Recovery (dba Gateway Community Services, Inc.), the largest provider of addiction treatment and prevention services for adults, children, and families in Duval County, and surrounding area, for Detox and Residential services. Dr. Hodgkins is a 39-year career professional in the mental health and substance use disorder field. Prior to being employed at Gateway for 23 years, she served 12 years as a psychotherapist and Program Director of Colorado West Mental Health Center in Vail Valley.

Dr. Hodgkins is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida with working experience in both mental health and substance use disorders. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and is a qualified supervisor for Florida Registered Mental Health Counselor Interns sitting for Licensure. In the past Dr. Hodgkins has served as a board member of various Colorado and Florida organizations and has assisted in the design and implementation of the Boselli Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida. She is responsible for all services conducted with patients that have substance use and co-occurring disorders at Gateway. For 20 years she served as the Site Principal Investigator for the NIDA Clinical Trials Network (CTN), Florida Node Alliance. She has been instrumental in bringing science-based research interventions to the patients and staff at Gateway and has been an author on many sentinel addiction studies for the CTN.

For the past 8 1/2 years as President & CEO, Dr. Hodgkins has been instrumental in the development and implementation of a 7-million-dollar Capital Campaign to add a new 12,000 sq. ft. building and complete renovation of the residential buildings, expansion of Gateway’s Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) clinic, and working with the City of Jacksonville and partners to combat the current Opioid crisis through the Project Save Lives program, an Emergency Department intervention using Peer Specialists. Dr. Hodgkins was presented with the Dr. Donald “Jerry” Feulner Leadership Award at the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association’s 2018 annual meeting. In Spring of 2020, under Dr. Hodgkins leadership, Gateway was awarded the Sapphire Award from Florida Blue Foundation and the Nonprofit Center of NE Florida 2020 Local Focus – Lasting Impact Social Innovation Award.