Former DHHS official Annette Escalante named Farnum director

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Annette Escalante 2
Annette Escalante has been hired by Easter Seals to serve as Executive VP of Substance Use Services for Farnum Center. Courtesy Photo

MANCHESTER, NH – Easterseals NH and the Farnum Center have named Annette Escalante to be the new head of the drug treatment provider. She started in her new role on Sept. 8, according to a release.

She will be based out of the Farnum Center’s Queen City Avenue location in Manchester, and is responsible for developing, implementing and overseeing all substance use disorder programs.

Escalante was the bureau chief for the state Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services (BDAS) from October 2017 to Sept. 4, 2020. She was in charge of program planning, implementation and evaluation and provided subject matter expertise in all areas of drug treatment.

“It has been a pleasure serving as the Director for the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services for NH DHHS,” Escalante said in a statement. “I appreciate the learning experience and am excited to bring those skills to Easterseals NH/Farnum Center team.”

Her salary at the department was $117,805, according to DHHS. Farnum has not shared her new salary.

Before becoming BDAS director, she was vice president of the Greater Nashua Council on Alcoholism – Keystone Hall, a treatment provider in Nashua. She oversaw clinical programming, administration and personnel there for 12 years.

Escalante holds a master of social work degree and is a Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (MLADC).

“We are fortunate to have found someone with the experience and resume of Annette Escalante, and we are confident she will lead Farnum into the next phase of substance use treatment,” Easterseals President and CEO Maureen Beauregard said in a statement.

She said Escalante’s experience and track record will be invaluable in meeting Farnum’s program goals. 

One of 12 core Easterseals programs, Farnum Center is a drug and alcohol treatment center that offers medical detox, outpatient treatment and residential treatment at its Manchester and Franklin locations.

About this Author

Ryan Lessard

Ryan Lessard is a freelance reporter.