Valerie Mielke, MSW
Assistant Commissioner, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, NJ Department of Human Services
Valerie Mielke is the assistant commissioner for the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services and serves as the Single State Agency for Substance Abuse and the State Mental Health Authority as designated by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The division is responsible for the coordination, administration, management, and supervision of the community public mental health system and is also responsible for regulating, monitoring, planning, and funding substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. Mielke was recently appointed to the National Justice Counts Steering Committee, which is being led by The Council of State Governments Justice Center. This is a new national consensus-building initiative designed to improve the availability and utility of criminal justice metrics/data that can drive budget and policy decisions. Mielke holds a BA from Fairfield University and an MSW from Rutgers University.