Sponsoring Organizational Members
The question “What will keep children and adults with disabilities safest?” is the heartbeat of the Georgia Advocacy Office (“GAO”). Founded in 1977, the GAO is the independent Protection and Advocacy System (P&A) for people with disabilities or mental health histories in Georgia. The GAO is mandated by federal law to protect and advocate for individuals who are socially devalued and isolated. Many individuals live in state hospitals, nursing facilities, residential treatment centers, and other institutions. For forty-six years, the GAO has investigated incidents of abuse and neglect, and pursued administrative, legal, and other appropriate remedies to ensure protection from harm and enforcement of rights.
Johnson County Mental Health Center began operation in 1962 providing outpatient services in one location. Today, mental health services are provided in five separate facilities located throughout the county. The Mental Health Center is a department of County Government and is licensed by the State of Kansas as a Community Mental Health Center and has earned accreditation from Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International. The center employs more than 360 staff who provide a wide range of mental health and substance abuse services to more than 10,000 county residents annually. Operations are overseen by the Board of County Commissioners and its day-to-day operations are managed by an Executive Leadership Team that reports to the Assistant County Manager as well as a 13-member Advisory Board appointed by the Board of County Commissioners.
Formed in 2013 Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health (SWMBH) is a Regional Entity, state-designated Community Mental Health Entity, and the Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan (PIHP) for eight Michigan counties in southwest lower Michigan in partnership with the Community Mental Health (CMH) Agencies of these counties. SWMBH, in partnership with the CMH’s and other local providers, manages Medicaid benefits for adults with severe and persistent mental illness, children with severe emotional disturbance, individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and prevention and treatment of substance use disorders under contract with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The SWMBH vision is a quality life in the community for everyone.
Sponsoring Leaders
Sid Singh, CEO of Rectangle Health, brings over two decades of leadership in SaaS, Data, and Analytics, notably serving as President of U.S. Information Solutions at Equifax. Under his guidance, Rectangle Health has evolved into a trusted partner for 36,000 healthcare providers, offering Practice Management Bridge®, a comprehensive platform streamlining operations and enhancing patient engagement. Singh’s expertise has propelled the company’s growth, providing innovative solutions that drive productivity, profitability, and patient satisfaction across the healthcare industry. LinkedIn
Alex Membrillo is the CEO of Cardinal Digital Marketing, a performance marketing agency based in Atlanta that specializes in healthcare marketing including behavioral health. Cardinal Digital Marketing has also been a multi-year recipient of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Pacesetter Awards as well as selected as one of the Atlanta’s Best Places to Work. Membrillo’s work as CEO of Cardinal Digital Marketing earned him the honor of being selected as Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Small Business Person of the Year. He has also been named Digital Marketer of the Year by Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and to Georgia State University’s 40 Under 40 List of alumni. In addition,Membrillo’s leadership, being consecutively named on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing privately-held US companies multiple years. Local and national publications that have featured Membrillo include including The Business Journals, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Mashable, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox Business. Cardinal is now known as the Leading Performance Marketing Agency for High-Growth Healthcare Groups. Full Bio, LinkedIn
Alicia D. Smith, MHA, is an Independent Behavioral Health Policy Consultant based in Columbus, Ohio. She also serves as Director of Policy and Implementation of Peg’s Foundation, the largest philanthropic funder of mental health services in Ohio. In her role, Alicia advances the foundation’s strategic priorities to improve systems, programs and policies in service to persons with mental illness. Alicia has over 25 years of experience with Medicaid and other public assistance programs, and has worked extensively with national and state mental health and substance use disorder payment and regulatory systems and providers. Alicia serves as the President of the CBHL Board of Directors. LinkedIn, Full Bio
Antony Sheehan has served as President and CEO of Aspire Health Alliance (formerly South Shore Mental Health) since June 2017. Antony has over 25 years of experience in health care strategy, management, clinical and policy roles. He began his career in the United Kingdom as a clinical nurse practitioner specializing in addictive behavior and mental health. He pursued his interests in health care policy and administration, serving as a Senior Civil Servant during the Blair Administration and then as a hospital system CEO in The UK National Health Service. Antony moved to the United States after an appointment at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, MA. Prior to Aspire Health Alliance, he was the President of a not-for-profit providing healthcare access to the uninsured, and a Senior Advisor in Community Health Programs at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee. Antony Sheehan lives with his wife, two daughters, two dogs, and their bearded dragon in Hanover, Mass.
Richard Dougherty, PhD, is President of the non-profit organization BasicNeeds US and recently retired, after 35 years of leading DMA Health Strategies, a national behavioral health policy and research organization. Dick is particularly pleased that DMA now has reorganized into a worker and woman owned cooperative. As President of BasicNeeds US, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Dick volunteers all his time and provides support for effective and recovery-driven, global mental health policy, with a particular focus on low-income countries. He advises numerous national organizations, has published extensively, sits on several boards and received the 2011 Walter Barton Distinguished Fellow Award from The College of Behavioral Health Leadership (CBHL). Dick also serves as the Treasurer of CBHL. LinkedIn
