Leadership
David Shrank MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW, Chief Executive Officer
David Shrank MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW, founder and CEO of Empowerment Behavioral Therapeutic Services, is a licensed therapist, social worker, and Chair of The National Trauma Education and Policy Board while also serving on various other boards. David is an expert in all types of “Trauma” including bullying, veterans, gangs, addiction, and sexual assault, and provides counseling and training to children, adults, families, and professionals. David is also a gang violence expert and has worked with the youth of Philadelphia, PA, and Trenton, NJ as well as the adults and correctional population of Trenton, NJ Baltimore, MD, and Washington D.C. He has been teaching martial arts since 2003 and has been an instructor at various martial arts academies. David has provided security to multiple establishments and organizations. David founded Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare’s self-defense program and trained all staff at the agency.
While growing up in school and most social environments, David suffered severe and constant verbal and physical bullying. Through intense self-discovery, he has changed his life and has been able to help many others psychologically, who have been severely bullied, to work past these issues and become confident and self-assured children and adults. David also stutters and has addressed stuttering from a psychological perspective to reduce anxiety and increase self-esteem. With bullying, David is currently writing a book to better understand the issue of bullying and change how teachers, school administration, parents, therapists, and the legal system handles this social issue. The book also highlights ways for the victim of bullying to change his/her mentality and increase self-esteem thereby decreasing future bullying from occurring.
David has also been deeply involved in gang intervention. David has worked directly with several gang members from Trenton, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC. David has also trained professionals in all areas of mental health and gang violence/awareness. David has been cited and published by Greg Wright (National Director of Social Relations for the National Association of Social Work) in Socialworkersspeak.org online magazine along with other publications. David has been featured as an expert in various areas of mental health on several national and international radio shows.
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James T. Peeples, Vice President of Administration
James T. Peeples, Vice President of Administration: Every team needs an innovator, someone who thinks outside of the box. For Empowerment Behavioral Therapeutic Services (EBTS), James T. Peeples is just that person. James brings technical guidance and business process review to the team. Educated as a Public Administrator at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey), James used his previous learning in computers and electronics to go on to pursue an Information Technology/Network Engineering career with various firms, eventually landing with what became Siemens Business Services where he worked a decade. 9/11/01 changed a lot in various industries and during the wake of the economic downturn and various factors, James left Siemens and went on to form a small business and small office technology consulting firm called Peeples Choice Consulting, under which he still maintains several long-time clients today. Also during that time, James joined forces with his family’s business and went on to become VP of Field Operations for Allied Federal Electric Corporation and he still maintains that supporting role today.
David Shrank, CEO of EBTS, and James met and connected sometime in the mid-2000s. Conversations between David and James about his work in support of non-profits and other community involvement lead both men to see the value of partnering and begin to pursue opportunities related to personal development, and community mental and social justice issues. David’s drive to promote his message of anti-bullying, anti-violence, and mental health’s role in creating a better society was central to many of their late-night discussions and played a key role in the early stages of the creation of EBTS. James remains dedicated to his role on the EBTS Team to help guide the business and management structures that will help make the business a success. James stays at the forefront of an ever-evolving system of business and consistently has new and innovative ideas to change and grow. James is consistently researching and planning how best to improve and empower the lives of their clients and constituents.
Courtney Skinner, Vice President of Operations
Courtney Skinner, Vice President of Operations, has 18 years of experience in case management and clinical experience with a very diverse population of clients suffering from dual diagnosis (mental illness combined with drug and alcohol addiction) that comprises all the most severe populations of mental healthcare. Her career began in 1997 with an internship under Senator Ted Kennedy working on the fatherhood initiative that received funding (due to a grant she wrote) allowing low-income single fathers to spend more time with their children and ultimately attain shared or sole custody of their children.
Courtney has worked in varying positions with juvenile offenders, from Jobs Corps with high-risk youth suffering from dual diagnosis issues, to severe dual diagnosis adults where she provided high-level clinical services and supervision. Courtney has extensive experience working with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and has worked in conjunction with several halfway houses. Finally, Courtney has worked as a community support specialist with ex and current offenders on probation, parole, pretrial, or currently incarcerated clients suffering from dual diagnosis issues.
Courtney has provided varying levels of training to the most entrée level mental health professionals, to clinicians who qualify as experts in varying fields. Courtney’s success rate with clients has been equally as high as the severity of issues she has worked with which is what has made her stand out in every position she has worked in. Courtney is highly respected as an expert in mental health services involving the legal system and all forms of addiction.
Charlie Williamson
Harry Shrank, Chief Financial Officer (2014-2024)
Harry Shrank was a founding member of EBTS and The National Trauma Education and Policy Institute. He would always say, “If you’re going to do something, do it right” and “Pay attention to the best leaders so you can be a leader.” He always looked for ways to improve the system for those less fortunate.
After retiring from the business world, he became a professor at Temple University and Keen University. Harry was known to go out of his way and spend extra time with his students, ensuring they understood the material thoroughly and were highly successful. He didn’t follow textbooks. He drew upon his life experiences and nearly every student he taught claims that his classes were exceptional, preparing them for success in the business world. Numerous tributes were written about his time as a college professor, highlighting the appreciation and love expressed by his students.
He always tried to help everyone he came across in any way he could, but nothing made him happier than his grandkids. He treasured them immensely and derived endless enjoyment from them. And they reciprocated his love wholeheartedly.
He was not only a father but also a top mentor and superhero to his son David, the founder of EBTS and The National Trauma Education and Policy Institute.
His legacy is one of unwavering support for family and friends, alongside tireless efforts to combat stigma and improve the system. He will be honored by the realization of these changes in clinical, educational, and policy systems, and deeply missed by all fortunate enough to have known him.