11th Annual “Be a Hero” Gala

Joanna Champney, Director of the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and
Mental Health (DSAMH), will receive the Medal of Honor – atTAcK addiction’s highest honor – at the organization’s 11 th annual Be a Hero Gala on Oct. 22 near Newark. Champney is being honored for her leadership in reducing the number of overdose deaths in Delaware and connecting Delawareans to treatment and recovery services.

Champney, who was appointed as DSAMH Director in 2021, oversees the state-funded continuum of care for substance use disorder treatment and services for people with serious mental health needs as well as the Delaware Psychiatric Center. The division manages numerous federal grants, including the $38 million State Opioid Response (SOR) grant. Champney co-chairs the Delaware Addiction Action Committee and the Delaware Overdose System of Care. In 2025, she was appointed by Gov. Matt Meyer to chair the Delaware Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission, which distributes approximately $13 million to $15 million each year to programs that support the prevention, treatment and recovery needs of Delawareans.   
 
Prior to joining DSAMH, Champney served as Chief of Planning, Research & Reentry at the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC). During her tenure at DOC, Champney established and led the Department’s Office of Reentry, following Gov. John Carney’s issuance of Executive Order 27 to improve the state’s service infrastructure for the formerly incarcerated. Before working in state government, she served as the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization the Delaware Center for Justice (DCJ), where she managed a variety of programs including support services for victims of crime, juvenile justice diversion programming, prisoner reentry case management, mediation of court cases, and pretrial justice policy reform.  Champney holds a graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware.