In brief, I'm an innovative, authentic, solutions-oriented and, as needed, iconoclastic leader, eclectic both in my background and in what I bring to the table. At my core, I have a passion for connection to people and communities, a foundational commitment to equitable access to quality health care, and a commitment to doing good and infusing the journey with humor and goodwill.Beyond that...Professionally, I've spent over thirty years working in mental health and education, with decades on the front lines as a therapist and school social worker. Since 2010, I've been in leadership roles in behavioral health and higher education working on systemic change, since 2014 in C-Suite leadership.By training, I'm a clinical social worker and a cultural geographer. It's an admittedly unusual combination which I leveraged in my doctoral thesis by focusing on inter-country adoption, a geographical process with implications for cultural and ethnic identity. My findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal "Adoption Quarterly." Never constrained by a job description, I've successfully spearheaded community initiatives outside the scope of my position and my credentials, either pro bono or on a contractual/consultative basis. I've founded public awareness initiatives, chaired community coalitions, and been a project leader in settings from health care and higher education to prevention efforts focused on domestic violence, sexual assault, substance misuse and suicide risk.I'm currently Chief Clinical Officer at Mid-State Health Network (MSHN). We cover a 21-county Michigan region (map below) and oversee prevention, treatment and recovery for the region's public behavioral health system which includes a dozen community mental health agencies and 140 substance use disorder treatment and prevention provider sites. In that capacity, I've overseen a team that has spearheaded expansion of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), harm reduction and other evidence-based practices, identifying and reducing health disparities, and, during the pandemic, identifying creative ways to sustain critical services via telemedicine, remote learning and other platforms.Along with my leadership in systems-level change in behavioral health and in education, I'm a licensed psychotherapist who offered outpatient counseling services for 28 years, both in a nonprofit setting and later in a successful private practice. Wherever possible, I find ways to engage the creative side of my brain in work and in play, with photography, painting, sculpture and music.