Former NCADD-NJ Director of Public Affairs and Policy John Hulick has been nominated by Governor Chris Christie to serve as executive director of the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. As executive director, Hulick will lead the Council’s work in creating and sustaining substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery policies. He will also be charged with the Council’s continued planning and inter-departmental policy coordination role for the State. Currently, a Policy Advisor to the Governor, he leads policy development in the areas of child protection and welfare, persons with disabilities, and behavioral health, as well as economically disadvantaged individuals and families. Hulick left NCADD-NJ last year to become a policy advisor to the governor.
The council comprises 26 members, 10 of whom are appointed by the governor with confirmation by the New Jersey State Senate, the Council administers the Statewide Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and establishes guidelines for the grants process to fund local Municipal Alliances. The Municipal Alliance Committees bring together representatives from local governmental bodies, the educational system, the health care community, law enforcement, business, labor, faith based leaders, civic associations, and the community at large to assess the kind and scope of prevention initiatives needed within a given community.
“I’m honored by Governor Christie’s nomination and the faith he has placed in me to execute his vision for addressing New Jersey’s number one public health concern -- substance abuse,” Hulick said, “The Governor’s personal, sustained leadership to bring focus to this chronic illness offers hope to the many New Jersey families facing it. His leadership also brings a sense of renewed purpose to the Council’s work as it confronts the significant rise in heroin and other opiate use amongst New Jersey’s youth and shapes how addiction services are provided. I appreciate the Governor’s commitment to this issue and look forward to working with his Administration to address the challenges ahead.” Hulick’s nomination requires the advice and consent of the Senate and he will serve in an acting capacity in the interim.
Prior to joining the Christie Administration, Hulick spent 16 years with NCADD-NJ. There, he directed the agency’s statewide public affairs and legislative initiatives, as well as the organization’s work to expand prevention, treatment and recovery programs. He has also held leadership roles in various organizations, both inside and outside of government, including Executive Director of the Signs of Sobriety, Inc., an agency that provides addiction advocacy, education, and treatment services for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals; Director of Review and Investigation with the state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission; and as a legislative aide on labor issues during Governor Thomas Kean’s Administration.
A graduate of Western New England College with a degree in Government and a Masters degree in Public Policy from Rutgers University, Hulick lives in Hamilton with his wife, MaryAnn and their three children.