Leading Ellie Mental Health’s clinical strategy and payer negotiations, my core mission is to optimize the archaic behavioral health industry for both providers and consumers. As a natural systems thinker and trained cybernetician, I bring a range of creative capacities that allow me to see the big picture while swiftly identifying operational inefficiencies and engineering practical solutions.My unique career path spans three interdependent sectors: (1) direct client care, (2) higher education as a professor and clinical researcher, and (3) executive leadership at a booming mental health startup. This diverse experience uniquely qualifies me to grasp the complexity of our industry and to push it forward. When it comes to behavioral health, we still have a lot of work to do.WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGEMeasurement-Based Care: We must rethink how we utilize measurement-based care. It’s time to move away from narrow, symptom-focused assessments and towards models that reflect modern research on human development, epigenetics, and neurological processes. Data can be a clinician’s best friend when we equip them with relevant, actionable insights that inform real-time treatment decisions.Leveraging Technology: The optimal EHR for large behavioral health agencies doesn’t yet exist, but I have a clear vision of how it should look. Clinicians should not be burdened by administrative tasks or fear that artificial intelligence will diminish their value. Instead, AI should simplify their work and enhance their clinical effectiveness. By improving the clinician’s employment experience, we elevate the quality of care for clients.Revolutionizing Continuing Education: The days of Zoom recordings with static PowerPoints are over. We need to embrace innovative, engaging learning experiences that reflect the technological advancements and pedagogies of the 21st century. I’ve built a nationally accredited continued education platform that sets the new industry standardMy Vision: I’m eager to collaborate with companies that are serious about innovation and ready to invest in developing industry-leading products and systems engineered to transform behavioral health.