Our Vision

We have assembled a first-class team that are ready to advance how telehealth impacts outcomes for gamblers and gamers. KRI’s Scientific Advisory Board is composed of leading scientists in addiction and related fields. The board’s responsibility is to ensure the highest standards in research are met. The volunteer Scientific Advisory Board provides valued guidance and knowledge on all aspects of the research. Learn more about consulting services here.

Leadership Team

Mark Lucia

Program Manager (Military and Data)

Mark Lucia is a versatile leader with a strong background in strategy and operations, currently serving as a Program Manager focused on Military and Data. He began his journey at KRI on the Military Research Associate Program and was fundamental in shaping and growing the program to what it is today. In this role, he designs and implements strategic initiatives that bridge the gap between military service and academic pursuits in the mental health field. Additionally, Mark chairs the Military Gambling Awareness Committee, where he crafts innovative strategies to raise awareness and support for military personnel affected by gambling-related challenges.

Throughout his career, Mark has demonstrated a unique ability to align strategic vision with operational execution. He has optimized multimillion-dollar projects at Amazon, spearheaded logistics and security operations for NATO missions, and led cross-functional teams to achieve high-impact results. With a keen understanding of analytics and process improvement, Mark has consistently driven both top-line growth and operational efficiency across diverse settings.

Mark holds dual master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, which complement his deep expertise in both strategy and operations. His experience across multiple sectors, including non-profit, corporate, and military environments, highlights his ability to deliver sustainable solutions and foster collaboration to meet complex organizational goals.

Dr. Nathan Smith

Executive Director

Ph.D., Psychiatric Epidemiology

Dr. Nathan D. Smith is the founding Executive Director of Kindbridge Research Institute, a nationally recognized scientist and science communicator, and a leader in the field of behavioral addiction research and theory. His work reflects a belief in the power of simple, direct methodological approaches to understand complicated human phenomena, and an unwavering focus on producing practical solutions to real-world problems.

Each year, Dr. Smith travels throughout the US to give scientific and public talks on mental health and addiction, meet with leaders in the science and politics of mental health, and oversee the many Kindbridge Research Institute projects taking place throughout the United States. He makes a special effort to balance his time between meeting with scientific experts, and experts with lived experience of addiction.
Dr. Smith holds a PhD in Psychiatric Epidemiology from the University of Florida, a master’s degree from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University. He lives north of Boston with his wife and two sons.

Dishi Umfleet

Operations Director

Dishi Umfleet is a highly accomplished executive with a successful track record of driving exceptional performance and revenue enhancement. She is currently the Operations Director at Kindbridge Research Institute where she manages strategic partnerships and develops long-term operational strategies. Additionally, Dishi is a Board Member for Go! Southampton, where she focuses on improving the commercial districts within Southampton through economic and social initiatives in partnerships with local authorities and businesses.

With a hands-on approach to leadership, Dishi draws out the best in an organization and has proven adaptability to international environments with a global success trail. Her specialties include business and sales leadership, operational consulting, and rapid, sustainable change initiatives driving top-line growth and bottom-line profit improvement.

Prior to her current roles, Dishi was the Business Owner of The Docks Coffee House in Hampshire, UK, where she honed her skills in management, product diversification, and business to business sales strategies. She also spent 6 years and 4 months at Renoir Consulting, serving as the Executive Vice President for the Turkey region and responsible for business generation and management.

With over a decade of experience in business leadership, revenue enhancement, and executive coaching, Dishi Umfleet has become a respected figure in the Greater Southampton Area and beyond.
Dishi’s academic journey began in 2005 when she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Psychology from Demontfort University. Fast forward to 2021, she continued her pursuit of knowledge and personal growth by obtaining a certificate in The Science of Well-being from Yale University. Furthermore, she became a certified Happiness Practitioner by completing the program at the Museum of Happiness in 2022.

Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Tim Fong

MD, Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry

Dr. Fong is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

Dr. Fong completed his undergraduate and medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. He then came to UCLA and finished his residency in adult general psychiatry in 2002 and was the first accredited addiction psychiatry fellow at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute (2002-2004).

He is the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program (UGSP). The purpose of this program is to examine the underlying causes and clinical characteristics of gambling disorder in order to develop effective, evidence-based treatment strategies.

Since 2009, he has been the director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, a one-year accredited program that provides clinical training in addiction psychiatry.

Finally, he is part of the faculty leadership of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, a multidisciplinary effort to examine the full impact of cannabis on the body, mind and brain.

Dr. Jeremiah Weinstock

Ph.D., Psychology

Dr. Jeremiah Weinstock is a professor in the Psychology department at Saint Louis University, focusing on addictive behaviors with an emphasis on gambling disorder and exercise as an intervention. As an academic clinical psychologist, he is expert in addictions treatment and prevention research with a specific emphasis on gambling disorder and the utility of exercise as an intervention strategy for all addictions. He frequently conducts clinical trainings on gambling disorder treatment and on the development and implementation of contingency management for the treatment of substance use disorders.

Dr. Lia Nower

J.D., Ph.D.

Lia Nower, J.D., Ph.D., is a Professor and Director of the Center for Gambling Studies. A clinician and attorney who specializes in gambling disorder and behavioral addictions, she is also Director of the Addiction Counselor Training Certificate Program, a member of the leadership team of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC) and a research affiliate with the Sydney University Gambling Treatment Unit in the Brain and Mind Centre.

Dr. Nower’s research focuses on online gambling and video gaming, sports wagering, psychometric measurement, the etiology and treatment of gambling and gaming disorder, and gambling-related policy issues.

She currently serves as a Regional Assistant Editor for International Gambling Studies and an Associate Editor for Addiction and Addictive Behaviors journals. Dr. Nower is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on Problem Gambling in Washington, D.C., where she also chairs the research committee and received the 2019 research award.

Dr. Nower has also co-authored several policy initiatives, including a model for self-exclusion programs and an industry framework for informed-choice and responsible gambling. She co-edited the book The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Disordered Gambling (2013).

KRI’s Scientific Advisory Board is composed of leading scientists in addiction and related fields. The board’s responsibility is to ensure the highest standards in research are met. The volunteer Scientific Advisory Board provides valued guidance and knowledge on all aspects of the research.

Board of Directors

Caroline Ponseti

Caroline Ponseti is a communications strategist at Invariant, where she leverages her Capitol Hill, trade association, and political campaign experience to create integrated communications campaigns that shift public perception and build relationships with important stakeholders. She previously led media relations for the American Gaming Association and served as press secretary for the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Caroline is also a mental health advocate, writing and speaking about her own experiences with mental health to encourage dialogue and reduce stigma. She channels this passion into advising gambling companies on how to effectively communicate about problem gambling.

She has been recognized as one of Global Gaming Women’s 10 Women Rising in Gaming and Bulldog PR’s Rising Stars.

Caroline graduated from Rhodes College and lives in Washington, DC.

Caroline is a part of KRI’s Military Gambling Awareness Committee where she is focused on better understanding problem gambling in the military.

Douglas Mishkin

Doug is a partner in our New York office. Following six years at the National Football League, he joined BCLP with rare experience in U.S. gambling and sports betting transactions – having handled every major gambling-related deal for the NFL during his tenure there. Prior to the NFL, Doug worked in Las Vegas as SVP, Legal & Business Affairs of an international sports betting technology company, where he oversaw all legal and regulatory matters.

In addition to U.S. gaming and sports betting, Doug brings a wealth of expertise in general commercial transactions, including sponsorships, data distribution deals, consumer products licenses, and primary ticketing partnerships.

Doug represents clients across a range of industries, from sports leagues and professional teams to international gaming companies, data distributors and consumer brands, negotiating and closing their largest, most complex commercial deals. Doug also advises clients on compliance with U.S. gaming and daily fantasy sports laws, corresponding legislative developments, training in-house legal and compliance teams on sports betting matters, and developing, drafting and enforcing corporate gambling policies.

Doug is known among his clients and peers as an approachable, trusted advisor and problem-solver, who closes deals by quickly identifying issues and providing practical, business-oriented solutions. With nearly a decade of in-house counsel experience, Doug understands and anticipates business needs to consistently drive efficient, valuable results.

Wanor Franca

Wanor is the Chief Revenue Officer for Casino Cash Trac based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He brings more than 25 years of software experience working with sales, consulting, and client relations for many Tribal and Corporate Casinos and Fortune 500 companies in the US, Asia Pacific, and South America. Wanor’s role is to act as the visionary “revenue architect,” being responsible for driving better integration and alignment between all revenue-related areas — focusing on sales, corporate development, marketing, pricing, and marketplace growth. Wanor has been instrumental in the last two decades being the forefront person focusing on new market expansions in Brazil, London, and Singapore. Wanor is passionate about giving back working closely with the United Way and many nonprofit organizations and focusing on mentoring young adults.

Daniel Umfleet

Board Vice-Chair/Director

Daniel Umfleet is the current Board Vice-Chair and Director of the Kindbridge Research Institute and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kindbridge Behavioral Health, positions he has held since August 2020. In this role, Daniel has led numerous client engagements with organizations such as NFLPA PAF & Trust, Playtech, Entain, and NASCAR. He has advised C-Suite executives on mental health care strategies, designed consumer-facing education programs, built in-race fundraising programs for veteran programs, and supported telehealth clinic growth. Daniel has actively lobbied in multiple state legislatures for better mental health provisions and funding in upcoming spend bills.

Prior to his role in Kindbridge Behavioral Health, Daniel served as the Chief Operations Officer for Beanstalk Enterprises based in Southampton, England, where he helped create the SAAS strategy for the company’s Regulatory Technologies product, Gamban, which is now a permanent pillar of the UK Gambling Commissions consumer protection strategy and continues to expand into the global marketplace.

Before joining Beanstalk Enterprises, Daniel worked as a Senior Business Analyst for Renoir Consulting in Miami, Florida, where he led select client engagements with organizations such as Mercy Youngstown Hospital Systems, Stanford Hospital Systems, and Alameda Health Systems. Daniel designed and implemented several process and policy strategies, resulting in significant cost optimization savings for the organizations and an increase in quality outcomes for clients seeking care from these systems.

Daniel holds a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, completed Lean Mastery from George Mason University, and attended the Entrepreneurship Development Program at MIT’s Sloan School. He graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Communications in 2005.

Trent Lambert

Board Chairman

Trent Lambert is the co-founder and CSO of Kindbridge – the country’s foremost telehealth provider for behavioral addictions in the United States – providing unparalleled access to expert counseling and treatment for problem gambling, gaming, and other serious mental health conditions.

Driven by a desire to improve outcomes for active-duty military, veterans and first responders and their families, he is focused building strategic alliances between member groups, service and funding organizations to ensure that evidence based, high-quality outcomes are the highest priority from the first day an individual comes into care.

Trent also chairs the Board of Directors of Kindbridge Research Institute, a leading non-profit focused on improving military mental health through research, training, and treatment. Previously, Trent spent 10 years as a broker on the Chicago and Kansas City Boards of Trade, and afterword held posts overseas with Seaboard Overseas Trading Group for the better part of a decade while serving as their Vice President of Trading, and overseeing trading & risk management.

Trent was born and raised in the state of Kansas into a 5th generation farm family. He currently resides in the Isle of Man with his wife Sindy, where he owns and operates Back Forty Ventures advising C-Suite executives and startup founders on finance, technology and acquisitions.

In addition, he is an on-call firefighter with Isle of Man Fire & Rescue.