Lori Costantino-Brown

Lori Costantino-Brown was appointed President and CEO of Bridges International in 2006, succeeding Bishop Frank Costantino, the organization’s founder and her father. Over the past 40 years, Ms. Costantino-Brown has played a key role in the transformation of Bridges International from a single center in Florida to a worldwide outreach. Bridges serves 1300 inmates in the custody of the State of Florida and has been a pioneer on the cutting edge of re-entry with programs such as behavioral health sciences, substance abuse services, GED education, life skills training, family services, chaplaincy services, criminal thinking, vocational training and many more programs that greatly reduce recidivism in the state.

Twice a graduate of the University of Central Florida, Lori earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business in 1991 and a Bachelor of Art degree in counseling in 1992. She is also a Certified Addiction Specialist, and Certified Associate Addictions Professional. She has personally reengineered the organization as Director of Quality Management, Chief Operations Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President. The result is a new Bridges International — a company where offenders receive supervision, but also are expected to become better people as they prepare to re-enter society.

As an advocate for both business and industries related to substance abuse and justice issues, Ms. Costantino-Brown serves on many high profile boards in Florida. Currently, she serves on the board of directors for the Florida Behavioral Health Association (FBHA), Therapeutic Communities of America and World Federation of Therapeutic Communities. Mrs. Costantino-Brown sat on the National Task Force for the prevention of Human Trafficking and the United Nations Council on Drug Policy.

Mrs. Costantino-Brown has a passion for addiction treatment and recovery. Her insightful experience with substance abuse treatment gives her a unique perspective on the criminal mind and addictive behaviors of offenders at every stage of recovery.

Through the years, Lori Costantino-Brown has received numerous awards including the Healthy Start Coalition of Orange County Family Advocate Award, the Orange County Children’s Cabinet Business Spotlight Award, Women of Achievement Nonprofit Award from Women’s Executive Council, Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency Re-Entry Award, and the White House Champion of Change for Re-Entry.