President and CEO
TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities)
Chicago, Illinois
TASC President and CEO Joel K. Johnson is an advocate for individuals and communities that are dealing with trauma, substance use disorders, mental health challenges, family disconnection, and social, racial, and economic injustice.
A internationally respected expert in behavioral health, Joel was elected in 2021 to the board of directors of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), as well as to the boards of both the Illinois Association on Behavioral Health (IABH); and Friends of ISSUP, the United States chapter of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals, in 2023. Additionally, he serves on the City of Chicago Board of Health, a nine-member body that advises the mayor on public health matters. He also was named to both the Cook County Equity Fund Taskforce, which advises the county board president's administration on strategic investments to address historical disparities and disinvestment in Black and Latinx communities, as well as the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board (IORAB), which makes advisory recommendations to the Governor’s Opioid Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee regarding the use of settlement proceeds that are allocated to the Illinois Opioid Remediation Trust Fund (Fund). In this capacity, Joel is chairman of IORAB Access and Equity workforce.
Prior to becoming TASC’s top executive in March 2021, Joel served as executive vice president of Friend Health (FH), a federally qualified health center, and concurrently as president of Human Resources Development Institute (HRDI), a large, Chicago-based behavioral health service provider and subsidiary of FH. He served as HRDI’s chief administrative officer for two years before being promoted to president and CEO in 2011.
Joel is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, The Business Leadership Council (BLC), Chicago United, and a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., serving as Executive Advisor to the General (International) President. A native of Chicago, he earned the Chicago Defender’s Men of Excellence award in 2014. Joel is a graduate of Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and Master of Education in counseling.
Closing Plenary Session: Global Collaboration and Approach to the Opioid Epidemic
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
11:45 AM – 1:00 PM PST