JEFFREY GUENZEL, MA, LPC

Mr. Jeffrey Guenzel has been the CEO of ICDL since 2013. Before joining ICDL, Mr. Guenzel held key leadership positions in state government and served as an executive director of a very successful not-for-profit. Mr. Guenzel is a professional counselor that has been providing mental health and human development services for over 30 years. In his most recent appointments prior to joining ICDL, Mr. Guenzel was the deputy commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and previously served as the Director of the New Jersey Division of Child Behavioral Health. In these positions, he led many innovative initiatives including restructuring the service delivery system for children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Prior to his appointments with the state of New Jersey, Mr. Guenzel was the inaugural executive director of a not-for-profit agency providing wraparound care management services for children and young adults with complex behavioral health challenges. Under his leadership, the agency became one of the largest wraparound agencies in the nation gaining him national recognition.

Mr. Guenzel has been invited to speaker at conferences and to teach courses throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. In addition to presenting at conferences and teaching courses on clinical practice, he has also provided technical assistance on leadership and program development to organizations, schools, and government entities.

As a professional counselor, Mr. Guenzel has specialized in children and adolescents, but he also has much experience working with adults throughout the lifespan. He has worked as a clinician at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now Rutgers University) as well as in private practice. Mr. Guenzel earned his BA degree in Psychology and his MA degree in Counseling from Montclair State University. Mr. Guenzel is currently working towards his Doctor of Education in Leadership (EdD).

Mr. Guenzel has been legally blind or visually impaired for most of his life. In the 1980s he competed nationally and internationally as a member of the USA Paralympic swim team.

Mr. Guenzel provides a valuable combination of clinical knowledge and skill coupled with a proven track record of successful leadership. Underpinning this is a life-long commitment to serving others and promoting development for individuals, organizations, communities, and service delivery systems. Mr. Guenzel has a deep appreciation for human diversity and has shown an unwavering commitment to creating a world where individual differences are embraced, and everyone has the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential.