Board of Directors

Originally from Brooklyn NY, I spent my teen years in Ridgefield CT. After attending 2 different schools, I landed at NYU to finish my degree in English Lit and Political Science. I worked on Wall Street to support my way through school. I was in the first class in which trading options was part of our licensing curriculum. In hindsight, it was my first exposure to gambling. I received my master’s in Urban Planning at Hunter College, after spending time volunteering in NYC homeless shelters and wondering why we had such a scarcity of affordable housing. As a planning consulting I worked on housing, environmental sustainability and too many variances for MacDonald’s. Realizing the NYC area was just too expensive, my husband and I moved to Minnesota in 1992, childless and jobless, seeking an affordable and vibrant place to set down roots. After a few years of being home full time with our two daughters, I have served organizations whose missions I could support and help grow. I am active in our church, we love to travel, cycle and I am an avid gardener with an Elmer Fudd complex.

Jeff Wasserman was a litigation attorney in Delaware for nearly 33 years. In August 2015, he was transferred to disability inactive status due to gambling disorder.

Currently, Jeff Wasserman is the Judicial Outreach and Development Director for the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems where he leads efforts to raise awareness of gambling addiction in the criminal justice system. He also provides peer support services to problem gamblers and takes calls on a problem gambling helpline. Jeff volunteers for the Pennsylvania Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and the Delaware Lawyers Assistance Program.

Jeff holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island; Master’s in Public Administration from New York University; and a Juris Doctor from Delaware Law School. He is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) and an International Certified Gambling Counselor (ICGC-I).

Jeff has been a presenter or keynote speaker for various organizations and institutions including, the Arizona Department of Gaming, Delaware State Bar Association, Montana State Bar Association, the National Council on Problem Gambling, Delaware Law School and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Jeff has been interviewed by local and national news outlets on problem gambling and co-hosts All In: The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast.

Derek Longmeier is the Executive Director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio. In this role, he Chairs the Affiliate Committee of the National Council on Problem Gambling and co-chairs the Infrastructure Committee of Ohio for Responsible Gambling’s Problem Gambling Service Advisory Board.

Derek has attained certification from the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board as an Ohio Certified Prevention Consultant. He holds an MBA from Ohio Dominican University, a BA in Psychology from The Ohio State University, and a Certificate in Social Enterprise from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business.

Dr. Heather Chapman is a clinical psychologist, an International Certified Gambling Counselor and Board Certified Clinical Consultant for the National Council on Problem Gambling, and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. She is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University, and Director of the Gambling Treatment Program at the Cleveland VA Medical Center, the leader of gambling treatment, research, training and consultation for the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. Treating thousands people struggling with gambling for over 25 years, her biggest teachers have been the veterans seeking help with open hearts, tremendous trust, and desire for change. This work has lead her into the study and treatment of the psychology of change, the impact of trauma, and the treatment engagement and retention for those struggling with gambling.

Raquel Buari, JD is the Vice President of Compliance for Four Winds Casinos, owned and operated by the Pokagon Band. Since 2014, she has led the compliance team, which includes responsible gambling efforts, after starting in legal support in 2009.

Raquel served on the Planning Committee for the first NCPG Tribal Summit on Responsible Gaming in 2017, and has served on the Awards Committee for NCPG. She is an active Board member for both the Michigan Association of Problem Gambling and the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling.

From South Bend, Indiana, Raquel graduated from Ball State University with a BS in Legal Studies and Political Science, and earned her JD from Valparaiso University School of Law. She is a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. Raquel resides in the South Bend area with her husband and three beautiful children.

Jeffrey L. Derevensky, PhD is a James McGill Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology; and Professor, Department of Psychiatry at McGill University.

Jeffrey L. Derevensky is also a clinical consultant to numerous hospitals, school boards, government agencies and corporations. He has served on many government committees and has performed consultative services for SAMHSA, NIMH, NRC, NCPG and many international funding agencies.

Dr. Jeffrey L. Derevenskyhas published widely in the field of gambling disorders and responsible gambling and serves on the editorial board of multiple journals. He is currently the Director of the McGill University Youth Gambling Research and Treatment Clinic and the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors.

Dr. Jeffrey L. Derevensky is on the editorial board of numerous scholarly journals and has testified before government commissions as an expert witness in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia.

Mary Drexler, MSW: Program Director, MD Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling

Ms. Drexler brings almost 40 years’ experience in the social services field with 12 years in specific problem gambling prevention and intervention, as initially evidenced in her role of Executive Director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.

As Executive Director of the CT Council, she oversaw the operations of the Council, including managing the council’s initiatives in problem gambling prevention, awareness, and intervention. Since 2017, as Program Director for the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling, Ms. Drexler has been responsible for the oversight of the Center’s initiatives in problem gambling prevention, awareness, treatment, peer support, and public policy. Prior to joining The Center in 2017, Ms. Drexler held the position of Responsible Gambling Program Coordinator for three (3) years for the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA). Mary also has over 20 years’ experience in crisis intervention and suicide prevention.

Mary holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut.

Living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for 27 years had made this truly Home for me. I grew up in the Midwest — Kansas City, Missouri. A passion for conservation led me to San Diego, CA, where I worked at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park for 12 1/2, first as Assistant Editor of ZOONOOZ; then in Conservation Events and Development/Fundraising for the Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species. The Wolf’s call led me to Washington State in 1993, where I was Executive Director of a Wolf Sanctuary for six years. The Lottery was my next career move and it opened up my eyes to both the benefits and the potential harms of gambling. The Washington State Council on Problem Gambling was my first client when I opened my own business to assist small nonprofits with communications and fundraising. When they asked me to step in as Executive Director a little more than 3 years later, I joined a wonderful team of passionate Board Members and an organization without much funding, no office to call home, and no other staff. Today, we still have a passionate and talented Board and an equally passionate and talented staff. We have an office (though, like so many, we are working remotely right now).

Ted Hartwell has a Master’s degree in Anthropology and has been a member of the research faculty of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Las Vegas since 1991. He is a longtime member of the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Mr. Hartwell is the Principal Investigator of a DRI research study examining the impact of problem gambling in Native American tribal communities in Nevada. He has presented on this research at several state, regional, national, and international conferences.

As a problem gambler in long-term recovery himself, Hartwell promotes awareness, prevention, and treatment of problem gambling as a consultant to the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). He has spoken publicly and personally on this issue on many occasions and is dedicated to humanizing and illuminating the illness of disordered gambling. He provides annual lectures for the UNLV Boyd School of Law Gaming Regulation and the University of Utah Gaming Regulation classes, and training for Clark County social workers and other providers on the issue of problem gambling.

Hartwell has participated for many years in the UNLV International Gaming Institute’s Responsible Gaming Ambassador training program for Las Vegas Sands Corporation, and he has also served as a consultant to MGM Resorts International and the US-Japan Business Council in their efforts to develop business related to the first Integrated Casino Resorts in Japan.

Hartwell helped introduce the NCPG’s youth gambling awareness and family gambling awareness programs into the Clark County School District (CCSD), and has recently developed NCPG educational programs for local schools on the topics of video gaming disorder and student-athlete gambling awareness.

Hartwell has served at the pleasure of three Governors on the Nevada State Advisory Committee on Problem Gambling since November 2012. He was the 2014 Shannon L. Bybee Award recipient for his continuing work on advocacy, outreach, and research on the issue of problem gambling.

Mr. Hartwell lives in Las Vegas, where he is also a professional cellist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, a soccer and volleyball coach, devoted husband to a recent Russian immigrant, and the proud father of a precocious 15-year old girl and three cats.

Wiley D. Harwell is the executive director of the Oklahoma Association on Problem Gambling and Gaming, the official affiliate of the National Council on Problem Gambling. As the affiliate, Wiley administers the Oklahoma Helpline, leads training for certification to become a certified gambling counselor, works with tribes to promote responsible gambling, promotes awareness for problem gambling to the public and government officials, and works in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse as an advocate for all aspects of problem gambling issues. In July 2012, Wiley was elected to serve as a board member of the National Council on Problem Gambling and was reelected in 2015 for a total of six years. Wiley served as president of the NCPG board of directors in 2015-2017.

Wiley has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Methodist University, a Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and a bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University. Wiley is a licensed professional counselor, a certified employee assistance professional, and an International Certified Gambling Counselor-II.

Wiley resides in Norman, is married and has four children and seven grandchildren and enjoys time on an acreage east of Norman.

Gina has served as Executive Director of the Oregon Council on Problem Gambling since August 2021. She possesses nearly 20 years of experience in leadership and development for patients advocacy and nonprofit health organizations, specifically for those serving patients with rare or stigmatized conditions. Gina is a Certified Fundraising Executive, Certified Grant Writer, AFP Master Trainer and trained Strategic Planning Facilitator with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from State University of New York and Certificates in Nonprofit Board Consulting and Board Education from Boardsource.

Gina has held Executive Director positions with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, American Liver Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Dr. Potenza is a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction psychiatry. His research focuses on how behavioral addictions are similar to and different from substance addictions, for which he has won numerous accolades. He currently works as a professor of Psychiatry at Yale University in the Child Study Center and Neuroscience. Dr. Potenza also serves as the Director at Yale’s Center of Excellence in Gambling Research and at the Yale Program for Research on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders, as well as at the Director for Women and Addictive Disorders at the Yale Women’s Health Research Center. He also serves as Senior Scientist at the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.

Dr. Potenza’s board role builds on a long history with NCPG. Most recently, Dr. Potenza presented at the 33rd National Conference on Gambling Addiction & Responsible Gambling held in Denver, CO. The session, entitled “Gambling, Gaming, and Pornography Use: What a Long, Strange (Internet) Trip It Has Been”, focused on the impact of the world wide web on gambling. Dr. Potenza also received the NCPG Lifetime Research Award in 2016 for his work on gambling and addiction.

With more than 35 years in the Lottery Industry, Carla Schaefer has an exemplary track record across a broad repertoire of disciplines, with success in both public and private sectors. She has excelled in developing and executing strategies, integrated product, digital and retail marketing, government relations and policy matters, brand licensing, promotions and forecasting. In a multitude of states, countries, and languages, she has navigated the highest levels in both business and government organizations. Carla is well-versed in corporate and social responsibility and brings the expertise and unique insights to successfully grow a billion-dollar marketing business, even when it operates within a government structure.

Carla has been recognized for her impact in the U.S. and internationally, including receiving the prestigious Power’s Award and the Distinguished Lottery Professional Award, being elected to the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame, and Scientific Games’ President’s Club. Carla is an author of multiple patents for lottery ticket play actions, which continue to be used around the world.

Carla firmly believes the foundation of her success rests on these pillars: faith, family and making a difference. In her spare time, Carla is a proud Mom to a 17-year-old son and enjoys giving back to her community.

“Creating change by challenging narratives,” Vena Schexnayder, Arkansas Problem Gambling Council Founder and Executive Director, has over ten years of counseling and business development experience in addiction treatment and recovery. She communicates with strategic stakeholders to create meaningful connections within various health care and governmental agencies.

Vena received her Masters of Social Work, MSW from Louisiana State University. Masters in Criminal Justice, Policy Administration from the University of Arkansas Little Rock with a graduate certification in Conflict Mediation. In addition, Vena holds her Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Counseling certification from Northern Virginia College.