Jim Scarpace is the Community Division President at Alpharus Health, where he leads the organization’s community-based treatment services across Illinois. A seasoned behavioral health executive with more than 30 years of experience, Jim brings deep expertise in clinical operations, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and criminal justice programming. His leadership ensures that individuals and families across diverse communities have access to high-quality, evidence-based care.

Before stepping into his current role, Jim served as Regional Director for the Behavioral Medicine service line at Ascension Illinois, where he was responsible for overseeing strategy and operations across a wide network of behavioral health programs. Prior to that, he spent 15 years at Gateway Foundation(Now Alpharus Health) in a variety of leadership roles, including Executive Director and Program Director, where he helped shape clinical innovations and elevate service delivery to meet the evolving needs of patients.

Jim is also an accomplished educator and clinician. For over two decades, from 2003 to 2024, he served as an assistant professor of Clinical Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and Benedictine University. In this role, he taught graduate-level coursework and mentored the next generation of mental health professionals, furthering his commitment to improving behavioral health systems through both practice and education.

With clinical expertise in addiction treatment, trauma, group therapy, crisis intervention, family therapy, and patient advocacy, Jim’s work is grounded in a deep understanding of the complex challenges facing individuals struggling with behavioral health issues. He holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Benedictine University and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor.