Josie Herndon
Chief Executive Officer
Biography
Josie Herndon is the Chief Executive Officer of Harlow Gardens and a nationally recognized leader in the behavioral health and addiction treatment industry. With a career spanning more than three decades, she has been actively involved in healthcare, behavioral health, and addiction services since 1987, helping shape treatment programs, industry standards, and professional networks across the country.
Josie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Addiction Therapeutic Services (est. 2013) and the founder of Villareal and Associates (est. 2000), a national marketing and consulting agency that provides strategic guidance to both new and established treatment centers. Through Villareal and Associates, she has helped organizations nationwide develop effective marketing strategies, obtain licensing and accreditation, strengthen operations, negotiate insurance contracts, and build sustainable program census.
She is also the founder of RecoveryView.com (est. 2007), an international online journal dedicated to addiction treatment and recovery. RecoveryView has grown into a respected industry platform with a professional network of more than 60,000 subscribers and a strong presence across social media and professional communities.
Throughout her career, Josie has also played a key role in building and leading successful treatment programs. From 2007 to 2013, she served as CEO and shareholder of Astoria Pointe (65 beds), Awakenings by the Sea (16 beds), and Desert Palms (40 beds). During this time, she oversaw the startup and expansion of multiple facilities, including the development and growth of Desert Palms and Awakenings by the Sea.
Beyond her operational leadership, Josie remains deeply involved in advancing the addiction treatment field. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Addiction Treatment Advocacy Coalition (2016–present) and is a founding board member of the Women’s CEO Global Alliance (2012–present). She is also the co-founder of the Admissions and Marketing Symposium (est. 2014) and founder of the C-Suite Symposium (est. 2016), both of which bring together professionals and executives from across the behavioral health industry to collaborate, share knowledge, and improve the quality of care.
In addition to her work in addiction treatment, Josie has been involved with Avalon Pain Solutions since 2017 and continues to contribute as part of the leadership team.
Through her leadership at Harlow Gardens and her broader work across the behavioral health industry, Josie remains committed to expanding access to quality treatment, supporting innovation in recovery services, and helping individuals and families find hope and healing.