Mark Schor

For more than 30 years, Mark Schor has been a visionary leader, creating and developing innovative improvements in the field of behavioral health care. In 2022, as a behavioral health provider executive, Mark was named to the Power Top 100 (Most Influential Health Care Leaders in Pennsylvania). Mark has served in a variety of CEO roles, leading to a division presidency in behavioral health care. He is described as a transformative leader and mentor in the field, owing to his participation on numerous boards and presentations throughout his leadership.

While Mark is proud of his career he notes, “Although proud of what I’ve achieved, if it wasn’t for the lifesaving treatment that led to my recovery and sobriety, I wouldn’t be here today.” Mark attributes his success to the stirring passion aroused from being given the gift of a second chance at life.

Mark struggled with an almost 20-year addiction to drugs and alcohol that included numerous arrests, hospitalizations and other horrific consequences. After losing everything, including his will to live, Mark entered hospital-based treatment for what would be the final time. After a protracted detoxification and treatment stay with nowhere to live, he was discharged to the Salvation Army in Philadelphia, where in essence his new life began. Over the course of many months at the Salvation Army, Mark began to believe more spiritually, and attributed his survival to what he believed was divine intervention. With tremendous support by peers in a 12-step program and continuing care, he was able to secure a job and rent a room where he could live independently.

Driven by his own experience, Mark began a career as a community relations representative at a drug and alcohol treatment center. He describes this early job with incredulity. “I couldn’t believe I was being paid to share my most fervent belief of how treatment and recovery could change a life, as it had for me.” Having achieved success and increasing responsibilities, Mark was named the CEO of Belmont Behavioral Hospital in Philadelphia, where 30 years prior he had resided as a patient. Coming full circle from patient to CEO and being given the opportunity to directly impact care for future patients is something Mark remains tremendously proud of. His success at Belmont led to his promotion to divisional president of Acadia Healthcare, where he had oversight of 25 hospitals and treatment facilities.

Mark describes his life in recovery as surreal (most of the time) and certainly well beyond anything he felt he deserved, or even imagined, his life would or could have been. The blessings and gifts include a wonderful family consisting of his “dream girl” wife and his lovely and beautiful daughter, whom he adores. He also enjoyed a reconnection with his extended family, and new friends, which for years came almost exclusively through his 12-step associations.

Recently, Mark retired from a 35-year career as a health care executive and lives happily with his wife and their pack of Golden Retrievers.