Christal Montague, MSW, LMHC, CASAC, CARC

Christal Montague joined the Outreach staff in 2019. In her roles as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, she ensures the agency remains well positioned for the evolving behavioral health landscape. To develop next-generation strategies, she collaborates with the Executive team and Strategic Planning Board, explores new partnerships/affiliations, and manages pilot projects effectively.

Ms. Montague possesses a unique full spectrum view of the behavioral health services field. She possesses 20 years of executive-level experience with nonprofits that provide treatment for substance use and mental health disorders, criminal justice, healthcare, and shelter/housing programs. Her extensive background spans the areas of social work, program management, compliance, and organizational strategy. As such, she oversees the agency’s Fundraising/Development, Marketing/Communications, and Human Resources functions as well as the Outreach Training Institute, New York State’s largest provider of CASAC training programs.

Previously, Ms. Montague provided strategic guidance and programming oversight as the Chief Program Officer for VIP Community Services. While at VIP, Ms. Montague successfully directed the organization’s Residential Redesign (Part 820) of its residential treatment program. She also led the agency’s effort to gain both Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) designations. Additionally, she led the agency’s efforts to gain NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) certification. Her policy decisions further enhanced VIP’s programs and defined long-term organizational strategies that benefited underserved communities.

Ms. Montague maintains numerous active licenses and certifications across the field. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) and a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC). She is also internationally certified by OASAS as an alcohol and drug counselor. Currently, Ms. Montague is a Board Member of the New York State Association for Substance Abuse Professionals (NYS ASAP).

Ms. Montague received her Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton University. Additionally, through Columbia University’s SIFI (Seminar in Field Instruction), she is certified as an MSW Field Instructor. She also gained critical change management expertise from the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) Change Leader Academy.

 

 

“In the field, we talk about person-centered care. I think Outreach has staff-centered care. We not only think about the consumer, but also our staff.”