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Recovery Centers of America (RCA) at Raritan Bay looked to its corporate offices for its next chief executive officer, promoting LeoDante Ognibene to take on the role. 

The addiction treatment facility in South Amboy, which serves northern New Jersey and southern New York state, announced the executive move June 12. Ognibene has been serving as corporate vice president of nursing operations for King of Prussia-headquartered RCA, which owns 10 (soon to be 11) treatment centers on the East Coast and in the Midwest. RCA serves Southern New Jersey at its Mays Landing facility.

Ognibene will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the Raritan Bay center, overseeing all aspects of the facility, including both inpatient and outpatient services. 

A company representative confirmed with NJBIZ that Ognibene succeeds David Dorschu, who had served as CEO since August 2020. 

Ognibene, who said he was honored to lead the team, joined RCA in 2019 as the corporate director of nursing – Medical Detox/Mental Health/Residential, where he was responsible for the management of all nursing and nursing ancillary personnel and was a direct report to RCA Chief Executive Officer J. Brian O’Neill.  

In his previous position, his responsibilities included directing daily operations of 10 inpatient acute facilities and four medication-assisted treatment locations, which serve thousands of patients daily, according to RCA. 

“My extensive experience across the health care spectrum, including in acute care, behavioral health, and substance use disorder settings, has prepared me to meet both the center’s operational goals and RCA’s standard of excellence,” Ognibene said in a statement. 

A commissioned officer as a clinical nurse in the New Jersey Air National Guard, Ognibene earned his registered nurse degree from Temple Northeastern Hospital School of Nursing and his bachelor’s in nursing from Thomas Edison State University. He is studying for his master’s in nursing at Thomas Edison State University, which he expects to complete in 2025. 

RCA at Raritan Bay serves those suffering from addiction to substances such as alcohol, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, Xanax, methamphetamine, prescription drugs and others. 

In 2023 alone, the New Jersey Department of Health has reported more than 1,200 suspected drug deaths. RCA said more than 14,000 people have died in the past five years. 

Earlier this year, New Jersey joined nationwide settlement agreements with pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, and drug makers Teva Pharmaceuticals and Allergan, which agreed to pay up to $20.1 billion to resolve their alleged roles in the opioid epidemic. The state and eligible counties stand to receive up to $508.1 million of that. 

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 5:29 p.m. ET June 13, 2023, to clarify Ognibene’s responsibilities.