Cristy Dwyer, MA, CASAC Advanced Counselor

Cristy became a CASAC in 1997 and worked her way up the ranks from unpaid intern to clinical director of the rehab unit for the last six of her 12 year tenure at Cornerstone Medical Arts Center Hospital. In 2006, she fulfilled a lifelong ambition returning to school, earning her B.S. in Public Health Policy and graduating with a 4.0 GPA on a full fellowship from SUNY Empire State College of Graduate Studies with her M.A. in Social Policy in 2013. While finishing her academic degrees, she taught CASAC classes and designed curricula for the Alcoholism Council of New York.  Upon graduation, she was thrilled to join OTI as Senior Trainer and later, proudly served as Assistant Director until her departure in 2018 when she was invited to join the New York City Council’s Central Staff.

Cristy serves as Senior Legislative Policy Analyst for the New York City Council’s Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction, and the Committee on Women and Gender Equity. She has also served on the Committee for Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations, and the Committee on General Welfare.

She and husband of 35 years are active participants in their West Village community, both serving as Executive Members of their Block Association and as elected County Committee Members of the New York Democratic County Committee.  Cristy is a former member of Manhattan’s Community Board 2, where she served as Chair of the Social Services Committee and Co-Chair of the Quality of Life Committee.

Prior to joining the behavioral health and public policy fields, Cristy worked in the music industry as both performer and record company executive (Frank Zappa, Chrysalis Records, Rolling Stones).