Barry W. Karlin, Ph.D.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
CRC Health Group, Inc.

Dr. Karlin serves as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of CRC Health Group, Inc., the largest provider of chemical dependency & related behavioral healthcare treatment services in the USA. In 1995 he co-founded CRC for the purpose of acquiring and operating drug and alcohol abuse treatment facilities. He has since completed eight acquisitions establishing CRC as a market leader in the treatment of chemical dependency with 82 facilities in 22 States and more than 2,000 employees. During his tenure, Dr. Karlin has guided CRC through capacity expansions, the development & implementation of multiple new programs and tracks, increased and affordable access to treatment for its patients, the implementation of best practices both clinical and business, a rapid build-up of the referral base and payer contracts, and the acceptance of a culture which assures high quality care in a profitable business environment. Dr. Karlin has embraced innovative approaches to treatment…in December, 1999, he founded eGetgoing, a subsidiary of CRC, as a means to extend access to quality treatment through live, multimedia-based online technology to untreated segments of the population, and as a means to provide convenient, affordable continuing care to its patients after primary treatment. Dr. Karlin currently sits on the board of the National Association of Treatment Providers.

Dr. Karlin has a diverse background in operating companies, venture capital and strategic management consulting.  He has expertise in general management, finance, marketing and strategic planning.  He previously founded and served as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of chief executive officer of two emerging growth high technology companies and served as a general partner at a venture firm specializing in the wireless communications industry. One of the high-tech companies founded by Dr. Karlin, NavTech, is currently the worldwide leader in automotive navigation systems, an idea he originated in the mid 1980’s  Dr. Karlin was formerly a strategy management consultant; first with Strategic Decisions Group and subsequently with Decision & Risk Analysis, Inc.  Clients included General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Chevron and Disney.  As a consultant, Dr. Karlin regularly facilitated senior executive retreats and conducted seminars on strategy development.

He received his Ph.D. and M.S. from Stanford University in the Department of Engineering-Economic-Systems in 1981 (with a specialty in the art and science of Decision Theory) and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1976 from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa..