After a 21-year clinical career at Beacon Light Behavioral Health System from 1995 to 2016, Jennifer Gesing is now returning to become the new executive director.

Beacon Light is an affiliate of Journey Health System, headquartered in Bradford. Under the affiliation model, the executive director has full clinical responsibility for the company on a day-to-day basis and sits on the administrative team for the health system with input into all financial and operational decisions.

During her first tenure at Beacon Light, Gesing worked in all aspects of clinical care, spending her first several years as a mental health technician, a therapeutic support staff, a treatment coordinator, and a residential manager. From 2007 until 2013, she served as director of various community programs, before taking over inpatient behavioral health services. Her last position in 2016 was as manager of consulting and marketing for Journey Health System.

She left Journey in 2016 to serve as director of behavioral health and dental services for NYSARC Chautauqua County, TRC.

At Beacon Light, she will oversee more than 370 staff throughout Pennsylvania. Her role will include management of all children’s residential programs, and both children and adult community programs. Beacon Light currently maintains locations in the counties of Warren, McKean, Snyder, Elk, Bradford, Centre, and Clearfield with almost 30 distinct facilities.

“After several years of growth in our provision of behavioral health services through our Beacon Light Behavioral Health System affiliate, we felt it was important to select an executive director who could oversee such a diverse clinical company,” said Richard Seager, CEO of Journey Health System. “Jennifer brings the unique combination of first-hand clinical experience on the front lines along with leadership and management skills across a broad geography. We believe she has the personality, determination and skill set to lead our largest affiliate forward.”