Executive Team
John Dawson, LCDCIII, OCPC
John Dawson, BS, LCDCIII, OCPC, joined CND in 2007 as Vice-President/COO. In January 2021, he assumed the role of Interim President/CEO and was appointed President/CEO in May 2021. During his time at CND, he has played an instrumental role in the growth of the agency doubling staff size, increasing budget by more than 700%, and more than doubling the number of clients served. John led the team in developing and implementing CND's adult mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. John is a highly motivated leader with 30 years of experience working with disadvantaged and behaviorally challenged adults, youth, and families. He is licensed to provide both chemical dependency counseling and prevention services. John focuses on quality and evaluates programs and performance to drive continuous improvement. He is a role model in the field of prevention and treatment services. John has previously worked for House of Hope, Inc., and Maryhaven, Inc.
Charles Williams, MSW, LICDC-CS, LISW-S
Charles Williams, MSW, LICDC-CS, LISW-S is a behavioral healthcare professional with more than 20 years of clinical, management, administrative and leadership experience in the behavioral health field. In 2024, Charles was appointed Chief QA/QI Officer after serving as VP/COO at CND for three years. Charles started with CND as the Director of Treatment Services. Charles has developed, implemented and directed initiatives relating to substance use disorder recovery and mental health services. Before joining CND, Charles worked with Maryhaven and Alvis, both also located in Columbus, OH. He also has experience teaching graduate and undergraduate level courses in social work and addiction at Ohio State University and Capital University. Charles received his Master’s Degree in Social Work from Ohio State University and is a licensed independent chemical dependency counselor with a clinical supervisory endorsement and a licensed independent social worker with a supervisory endorsement.
William Gardner
William Gardner joined CND in 2014. As CFO, he is responsible for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all financial-related activities of the organization. William has more than 30 years’ of combined experience in accounting, tax preparation and financial related activities in both for-profit companies and non-profit organizations, as well as operating his own CPA firm. He is a former adjunct instructor at Columbus State Community College where he provided traditional classroom and web-based course instructions for “Legal & Financial Issues in Non-Profit Management.” William is a licensed CPA in Ohio and graduate of Franklin University in Columbus where he received a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Bachelors of Science in Business Management and Public Administration.
Senior Leadership
Laura Ford, MSW, LISW-S, LICDC
Laura E. Ford serves as the Clinical Supervisor for Outpatient Services. After graduating from Ashland University, she earned a Masters in social work from The Ohio State University. She began her career working as a client advocate with domestic violence survivors and their children. She has worked in many different areas throughout her 20+ years of experience in this field. As Laura says, "Human experience can be difficult to navigate at times, and it is not uncommon to have our lives unravel due to stress and life experiences." Her passion is supporting adults with mental health concerns and her goal is to be part of the healing and recovery process for our clients and community.
Susie Shipley-Norwood, MSW
Martha “Susie” Shipley-Norwood has dedicated most of her life to helping children and their families. Susie has more than 35 years of experience working with youth and families. Susie serves as the Director of Prevention Services for CND and is also part-time Director of the Franklin County Youth Council. Susie has a Bachelor of Science in special education from Ohio University, a Master’s degree in social work with a specialty in planning and community development from Ohio State University and is a licensed social worker. Susie’s passions include empowerment of women and youth. Susie is the recipient of the 1995 YWCA Women of Achievement Racial Justice Award, the 1992 Warren H. Jennings Award, and the 1990 Robert O. Washington Award.
Jessica Dogan, BA
Jessica joined CND in 2014 and currently is responsible for managing a team of Violence Intervention Specialists, in partnership with the City of Columbus, Department of Public Safety and the Department of Recreation and Parks. She brings experience as a youth residential case manager and an adult correctional case manager. Jessica continues her efforts to encourage nonviolent behavior among youth and reducing violence.
Program Team Leads
Cory Johnson
Cory Johnson is a dedicated advocate and licensed peer recovery supporter, holding a CDCA (p) certification. With a deep-rooted commitment to the recovery community since 2016, Cory has been a beacon of hope and support for individuals navigating their paths to wellness.
Cory started his journey at CND as a peer support specialist. Through his dedication to the clients, hard work, and educational growth, he has been able to take on the role of Recovery House Supervisor. In this role, he supervises peers and manages the residents, thus providing structure and support for residents to establish stable long-term recovery from substance use disorder.