Board and Staff - Original - CAN Behavioral Health

Meet Our Board & Staff

CAN Behavioral Health seeks alignment with professional, disciplined, and like-minded individuals of impeccable integrity to accomplish our mission and vision. CAN BH currently has three distinct body’s of accountability: the volunteer board of directors, the administrative staff, and the clinical team.

Board Of Directors

President: John Havenar

VP Of Hurwitz & Associates

John H. Havenar graduated from University of Houston, Clear Lake in 1995 with a BS in Finance and started working for The Associates in Financial Planning (AFP) Group in early 1996. He has 30+ years of experience in the world of finance serving a vast cross section of the Houston area populace. In 2016 he was asked to serve on the leadership team at Hurwitz Associates Inc.

John founded Cease Addiction Now (CAN) Inc., now CAN Behavioral Health (CAN BH), a non-profit 501c3 in 2007 after becoming aware of the void of viable resources within the community of Baytown. Along with currently serving as the President and CEO, he is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) and facilitates a CJAD accredited Battering Intervention and Prevention Program (BIPP) when needed. John has been active in the treatment process for patients and has implemented unique old school techniques resulting in outstanding recovery results.

Financial expertise coupled with understanding substance use behavior are a skill set used proficiently to direct families with wealth transfer and preservation concerns as well as counsel family members through elements of the addiction process.

John has seven children with his wife of 36 years, Denise, along with seven children. John was an active member in Boy Scouts of America and received the Eagle Scout Award. His personal hobbies and interests include learning languages (Spanish & Hebrew currently), building renovation/design, history, tennis, and jogging. He has also volunteered as a mentor for inmates at the Texas Criminal Justice System for the last nine years.

Treasurer: Candace Gilbert

Senior Accountant at KBR

Candace Gilbert works extensively in the energy industry. She has worked as a Senior International Accountant for 18+years. She graduated from Lamar University in 2009 with a BS in Accounting. In 2018 Candace joined CAN BH’s board of directors. Candace brings a diverse view for project planning and accounting with an edge in strategic planning. Candace grew up in Baytown. Working with CAN BH is her way of giving back to the community.

Board Member: Derick Gowdey

EHS&T, Specialist, Field Training at Enterprise Products

Derick began working in the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry in 2007 as a deckhand and held increasingly responsible roles all the way to pilot in 2011. In 2011 transferred to Pipeline/Process operations land based locally in Mont Belvieu. Derick started as a Pipeline Technician and is now a trainer for the Oil & Gas operations. (Emergency response, CPR, First Aid, Hazardous communication, etc..)

Derick has a passion for helping the youth of our community and loves sharing life experiences with them. He hires high school students at his fence company to teach them life skills and work ethic.

Derick enjoys spending time with his 4 sons and wife Meagan. His personal hobbies include anything to do with basketball, camping, fishing, or watching his oldest son ride dirt bikes.

In addition, Derick is also very involved in his community, with his church, and his family. He has served his community in many other areas and has a passion for service. Take a look at some of the amazing opportunities he has had working within the community below:

Deacon First Concord Baptist Church since 2014
President of the Hardin Chapter of CMSA (coaches mentoring student athletes) since 2019
Volunteer at Operation Refugee from 2006-2011
Serves on committee of Liberty County Small business 2020-2022
President/CO-Owner GC Fence and Services LLC since 2020
Volunteer for Hardin Little Dribblers Association since 2013
Volunteer for Swarm AAU basketball since 2022

Board Member: Kenrick Griffith

Council Member District 3

Kenrick Griffith is a 40 year Resident of Baytown (living just 3 years of his early life outside of Baytown). He resided most of his 40 years on Bayway drive between Lakewood and Wooster (in district 3). Growing up he spent a lot of time playing baseball at Baytown west league park, and on the Baytown swim team. Kenrick was also a member of boy scout troop 952.

Kenrick grew up as attending and serving at Church on the Rock in Baytown, before going on to serve as a minister at True Light family worship center. Currently he worships with multiple congregations in and around Baytown.

Kenrick is a graduate of Robert E. Lee High School. He has worked over 10 years in private security as a security guard before working his way up to site Supervisor and then Director of Security for Home Depot distribution center. He is currently the site supervisor for Shell Federal Credit Union in Deer Park.

Over his years living in Baytown Kenrick has donated his talents, time, and efforts with multiple charities and organizations. Ken has served as chaperone for community in schools. He also spent many hours working for Love INC (love network) as a emergency assistance phone operator. However the most enjoyable and rewarding time Kenrick has given has been coaching youth football for Baytown Optimist club.

For recreation, Ken enjoys spending time with and spoiling his nieces Marayah, Jada, Brooklyn, and Ariya. He also enjoys watching sports, as well as both listening and playing music on his guitar.

Board Member: Walter Littlefield

Account Manager At Stauf Usa

Walter Littlefield began his career with Al-Jubail Petrochemical; a joint venture between Exxon Arabia and Americas. He built his skills there in five different business functions and separated from Exxon in July of 2000.

Walter then went on to pursue his entrepreneurial career in Business Administration and Finance as the President of IBIM Consultants, Inc. until February of 2005. Currently, he is the Southeastern Sales Director at a European Chemical Company named Stauf USA, LLC. He overlooks 13 different States where sales teams are trained to sell Stauf’s innovative products to Flooring and Professional Supply Distributors.

Administrative Staff

Administrative Staff: Jennifer Havenar

Development & Philanthropy

Jennifer Havenar, a U.S. Army veteran, blends her military background with a passion for healthcare and business administration, embodying a commitment to excellence in her civilian career.

Her journey began in the U.S. Army, serving as a combat medic from 2005 to 2009, including a deployment to Iraq. Her military service instilled discipline, resilience, and unwavering dedication, qualities she carries into her endeavors. Post-military service, Jennifer pursued continuous education. While at CAN Behavioral Health (formerly Cease Addiction Now, Inc.) from 2010 to 2016, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Houston, Clear Lake, and later achieved a Master's degree in Business Administration from the same institution.

Jennifer expanded her career horizons in facilities, project, and property management with a global corporate company from 2016 to 2021, showcasing adaptability across various industries—oil and gas, finance, military, and healthcare. Her deep commitment to her community is evident in her volunteer work with CAN Behavioral Health since 2016, driven by her desire to uplift veterans, a cause dear to her heart. She envisions CAN BH offering specialized services to veterans in the near future.

Jennifer's tech-savvy nature and proficiency in streamlining operations make her an invaluable asset in any organization. She maintains life balance through reading, travel, running, and avidly following baseball, particularly supporting her favorite team, the Astros. Jennifer cherishes her family, dedicating her free time to them. With unwavering dedication, a military background, and a diverse skill set, Jennifer Havenar continues to impact the realms of business, healthcare, and veterans' support, exemplifying a leader committed to service and innovation.

Clinical Team

Clinical Team: Mary Hewitt, M.D.

Clinical Director, Family Medicine

Dr. Mary Hewitt, MD is a family medicine specialist in Baytown, TX and has over 25 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from Texas A&M University, Main Campus in 1997. She is affiliated with Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital.

Clinical Team: Matthew Brams, M.D.

Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist

Dr. Brams is currently Assistant Professor, Division of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. He also serves as Director of Depelchin Children's Center and Bayou City Research, Inc. Dr. Brams earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas and then received his MD from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas.

Adult, adolescent, and child psychiatry residency training was completed at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been a recipient of the Nancy Roeske Award for outstanding medical student education. Dr. Brams is a Principal Investigator in several key clinical trials as well as an invited presenter at numerous medical conferences, both regionally and nationally.

In addition to having lifetime board certification in Adult, Adolescent, and Child Psychiatry, Dr. Brams currently serves as a Senior National Board Examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is also a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Research and clinical interests include Phase II, III, and IV clinical trials for treatment of broad range of mental health disorders.

Clinical Team: Olasunkanmi Abiodun

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Michael Abiodun, PMHNP, MBA, RN, completed a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Michael specialized in providing optimal care to patients across a broad variety of specialties prior to becoming a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.

Michael graduated from Lehman College - City University of New York with a dual Bachelor's degree in Biology and Economics in 2002. He also earned an MBA from Hawaii Pacific University - Honolulu, HI in 2006. He earned his BSN degree from the University of Texas - Medical Branch at Galveston in 2014. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, he specializes in child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric mental health.

Michael is perspicacious; his approach with every patient is addressing the root cause of each condition while providing the utmost care. He seeks to promote total health and wellness - the process of enabling patients to have increased control and management of their health. His ultimate goal is enhancing emotional, social/relational, environmental, physical, occupational, intellectual, and spiritual wellness - while judiciously utilizing pharmacotherapy and/or psychotherapy.

Clinical Team: Barbara Rogers, R.N.

Registered Nurse

Barbara Rogers, RN, MSN, CRRN, has been a practicing nurse in Texas for over ten years. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from The University of Texas Health Science Center with her Masters’ degree in Nursing Healthcare & Administration in 2013.

Barbara is currently a member of the Texas Nursing Association, the Association of Rehab Nurses, and Sigma Theta Tau.

Barbara has practiced in a variety of settings, including administration, mental health and education.

Barbara is currently married with two children, Abigail & Axel. In her free time she enjoys biking, kayaking, & swimming.

Clinical Team: James Fulton, LCDC

BIPP Coordinator

Pending update.

Board & Staff