Aurora

JoAnne Marks brings almost 30 years of substance abuse experience to her role as Executive Director at Gateway Foundation.  JoAnne started her career working in a residential setting for adults and adolescents with substance use concerns and has since worked in all levels of care, providing support and encouragement to individuals.  Specializing in substance use and co-occurring disorders, JoAnne uses her prior experience to assist individuals in obtaining the support they desire.

Ms. Marks holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Roosevelt University and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from DePaul University.  JoAnne is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC), Co-occurring Disorder Professional (CODP) and is a National Certified Recovery Specialist (NCRS).

Radhika Chimata completed a bachelor’s in religion at Northwestern University and a master’s in Clinical-Community Psychology at DePaul University. In 2015, she completed her MD at Spartan Health Sciences University in Saint Lucia, and then completed her residency training in Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, in 2019. She is board certified in both adult psychiatry and addiction medicine.  She is the Medical Director at Gateway Foundation, Aurora, and heads the addiction unit at Chicago Behavioral Hospital. She is also on faculty at The Loretto Hospital, where she has trained psychiatry residents since 2020.

Dr. Chimata’s scholarly achievements include innumerable presentations at academic conferences and multiple publications, including primary research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders that was published in the APA’s Psychiatric Services, a book chapter on the same topic. She has given Grand Rounds presentations as a medical student and first-year resident at University of IL, Chicago and Rush, respectively. Dr. Chimata has a long history of community-based work and not-for-profit engagements. In 2016-17, she delivered the American Heart Association’s Hands-Only CPR project in her native language of Telugu to over 600 villagers near Hyderabad, India; the results of this study were later presented at the AHA’s annual meeting in 2019. She has served on the Executive Committee for the Indian American Medical Association, IL chapter, for 10 years. She is classically trained in Carnatic and Hindustani vocal music, as well as Bharatanatyam, and continues to perform in the Chicago area and beyond.

Sam Ortega Hughes is the current Program Director at Gateway Foundation in Aurora. Sam is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and also has her Certificate in Alcohol and other Drug Counseling. Sam has almost 10 years of experience in the field, primarily working with patients diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder or some type of Mental Health Disorder. She has experience working with both individuals and families as an agent of support and guidance. Sam started her career in Community Mental Health, working in Chicago with adults with both a severe mental health diagnosis and a substance use disorder. Prior to coming to Gateway Foundation, she has worked in psychiatric hospital settings as well as with an Opioid Treatment Program. Currently, Sam is also an adjunct professor with a university in the area, teaching Intro to Addictions to master’s level students.

Rather than adopting one approach for all individuals and issues, I choose from a variety of methods to create a personalized approach for each individual and situation. As a therapist, I am sincere, open, encouraging, and direct. As a leader, I am honest, accountable, an advocate for my staff and will always have a listening ear.

Sam is passionate about helping patients gain control of their lives and to learn the skills that will keep them on their path to recovery.