The post occupied by Belinda Greenfield, Ph.D., as New York’s Opioid Treatment Authority (SOTA) for 15 years, will be taken by Lesley Puryear, LMSW, in January 2022. Ms. Puryear, at the state’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) for 7 years, was recently promoted to Director of the Bureau of Adult Treatment Services. Prior to coming to OASAS, Ms. Puryear worked as a clinical director for two substance use disorder treatment providers on Long Island across 14 years prior to coming to OASAS.
Ms. Puryear holds an MSW from Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare. A native of New York City, she lives in Great Neck, NY. In this role, Ms. Puryear will represent New York State on a national level and will advocate for evidence-based, effective services for New York residents, according to OASAS. “She will also work to address and eliminate the stigma that is common for those affected by addiction, and that keeps many from seeking the care and services they need.”
Additionally, Greenfield will work alongside Puryear “in order to ensure continuity in this transition period,” according to OASAS.
Greenfield is highly respected for her work with opioid treatment programs (OTPs), and she helped convene the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors’ Opioid Treatment Network (OTN), serving three terms as OTN president from 2010 through 2017.
Greenfield recently announced that she is retiring.