Peter Palanca
Vice President
As vice president of TASC, Peter Palanca oversees programs that serve nearly 30,000 clients annually throughout Illinois. He also directs TASC's strategic planning process and is responsible for developing and implementing new programs.
Mr. Palanca has had a distinguished career in the field of substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery, serving as executive director and regional vice president with Hazelden Foundation in Chicago and as an executive director with Parkside Behavioral Health Services in Chicago.
Mr. Palanca currently serves as the chair for the Governors State University Addictions Studies Advisory Board, vice chair of the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association, and board member of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. He also holds a faculty appointment at Governors State University where he is a senior lecturer in the College of Health Professions.
Early in his career, Mr. Palanca acted as president of the National Adolescent Treatment Consortium, deputy director of the Illinois Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, and served on various advisory boards. He developed and led adolescent behavioral healthcare programs at South Suburban Council on Alcoholism, Ingalls Memorial Hospital, and Lutheran Center for Substance Abuse. He also began the Region II Operation Snowball, a youth and adult partnership that provides awareness and prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, while encouraging healthy decision-making, and served in the capacity as director for 15 years.
Mr. Palanca earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
