Board of Directors

Dr. Stuart Buttlaire, Ph.D. MBA
President of the Board

is the Regional Director of Behavioral Health and Addiction Medicine for Northern California Kaiser Permanente, which has 4.4 Million Members and 23 medical centers. He has led the redesign of intensive mental health care for Kaiser, implemented two inpatient psychiatric facilities, a psychiatric advice and crisis line, and developed best practices in case management, gero-psychiatry, multi-family treatment, and crisis and emergency intervention services. Prior to Kaiser, Dr. Buttlaire served as Chief of Acute and Subacute Services for Marin County Mental Health and has many years of clinical and management experience, providing consultation, leadership and direction in health care delivery and organizational improvement in both the public and private sectors.

Dr. Buttlaire serves on the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board and is the former Chair of the Governing Council for the Section of Psychiatry and Substance Abuse as well as the Center for Behavioral Health Advisory Board of the California Hospital Association.

Dr. Buttlaire holds doctorate degree in clinical psychology and a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis on health care management, finance, and marketing.

William Tucker, MD
Secretary

Is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons. He has been Director of Residency Training in psychiatry at the Roosevelt Division of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, Chief Medical Officer (acting) for the New York State Office of Mental Health, and community outreach psychiatrist for Pathways to Housing in Jamaica, Queens. He has published in the professional literature on psychiatric education, psychological trauma, polypharmacy, and telemedicine. He has written a book for clinicians, How People Change: the Short Story as Case History (New York, The Other Press, 2007). Currently, he is trying to learn something about geriatric psychiatry.”

Glenn Kopelson, MBA
Treasurer

is Co-Chair of the UCLA Neuropsychiatry Patient Family Advisory Council  (PFAC) since its inception in 2014.  As a founder and PFAC Board Member he has led initiatives to improve patient and family satisfaction and safety.  In addition to his work at UCLA, Glenn has spoken at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Association of Academic Psychiatry Administrators and Patient Family Centered Care conferences regarding the voice of the patient.  Glenn has also conducted webinars and been a guest blogger for the Beryl Institute on the topic of the patient experience.  He is currently a member of the National Quality Forum Serious Mental Illness Action Team.

Prior to his work in mental health, Glenn was a senior business development executive in the media and entertainment industry.  He has worked for a variety of companies from startups to Fortune 500 companies.  Most recently, Glenn worked for Sony Pictures Entertainment.  His prior media experience includes business development at Twentieth Century Fox.  Glenn’s experience also includes management consulting for PwC where he consulted to a dozen companies regarding business strategy and process improvement.  He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from UCLA and an MBA from USC.

Kristen D. Daugherty, LISW, LCSW, MBA

CEO for Emergence Health Network, has over twenty years of experience in the behavioral health arena.  As chief executive for El Paso County’s Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Authority for El Paso County, Ms. Daugherty is responsible for all clinical and oversight services delegated through performance contracts with Texas Health & Human Services.

During her tenure as CEO, Ms. Daugherty spearheaded several key initiatives that have significantly increased scope of services offered to the El Paso community.  As a result of her leadership, jail-based mental health services are now offered to justice involved patients and crisis intervention teams now partner especially trained police officers with behavioral health clinicians during crisis response.  During this time, Emergence Health Network added key components the system of care such as extended observation unit services and Multi-Systemic Therapy for at-risk adolescents and their families.  Ms. Daugherty also orchestrated operational turnaround resulting in significantly improved financial indicators, enhanced quality measures and an emphasis on patient data analytics to improve overall health.  These efforts resulted in Emergence Health Network receiving Joint Commission accreditation– a distinction held by only a handful of community centers in the State of Texas.

As El Paso has recently faced several challenges directly impacting community mental health, and Ms. Daugherty has ensured that EHN has led in crisis behavioral health response. In the aftermath of the August 3rd Walmart shooting, EHN provided a myriad of supports and services to victims, families and the entire community.  Similarly, Emergence Health Network’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a strong emphasis on mental health supports.

Ms. Daugherty is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Texas and a Licensed Independent Social Worker in the State of New Mexico.  She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from New Mexico State University and is a graduate of the Executive MBA Program at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Leon Evans

Leon Evans

President and Chief Executive Officer  The Center for Health Care Services  Bexar County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Authority, San Antonio, Texas.

For over forty years, Leon Evans has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people with mental illness. As President and Chief Executive Officer at The Center for Health Care Services, Evans has developed an innovative and highly integrated system of care for people in the San Antonio community who struggle with mental health disorders. Utilizing strong community partnerships and diverse funding sources, Leon has created an effective public safety net that keeps people with mental illness out of emergency rooms, jails and prisons and link them to treatment programs that help them lead independent, productive lives.

Evans has developed a number of nationally recognized initiatives including the Bexar County Jail Diversion Program; the 24/7 Crisis Care Center; Crisis Intervention Training for public safety officers; and The Restoration Center, an integrated clinic providing psychiatric care, substance abuse services, transitional housing and general health care services for the homeless population. Each year, these programs save thousands of lives and result in millions of dollars in cost savings for the community.

Under Evans’ leadership, The Center for Health Care Services has received many awards, including CMS’ Innovation Award for the integration of primary and behavioral health care, the American Psychiatric Association’s Gold Award for Community Program Innovation and the National Council ‘s Service Excellence Award. In addition, Evans and CHCS have been featured in many local and national media/publications including National Public Radio, Connect4 Mental Health, and the Mental Health Channel. Evans’ successful jail diversion program has also been highlighted in the Brave New Films series Overcriminalized, and Evans was recently named by CNN as a Mental Wellness Warrior — one of nine mental health champions across the nation who are fighting for better treatment and working to defy stigma.

Evans has served in numerous leadership roles at the local, state and national level, including:

  • NAMI Texas, Board of Directors
  • The National Association of Counties Justice and Public Safety, Steering Committee
  • National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability                  Directors (NACBHDDD), Past President
  • The National Association of Counties Veterans/Military Task Force, Member
  • Evans maintains a rigorous travel schedule across the country advocating for improved treatment services for people suffering from mental illness. His contributions continue to transforms lives and significantly benefit the community.

Fred H Michel, M.D.

is the Chief Medical Officer at Summit Stone Health Partners in Fort Collins, Colorado.   SummitStone is the Community Mental Health Center providing services to Larimer County, Colorado, including cities of Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park.    Previously he was CMO at Mental Health Partners, the Community Mental Health Center for Boulder, Colorado and for 18 years before that he served at AspenPointe Health Services in Colorado Springs as a psychiatric provider and their Chief Medical Officer.

Dr Michel received his medical degree at the University of Washington  School of Medicine in Seattle.   In 1993 he completed dual residency training in Adult Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.   He maintains board certifications in both specialties. Dr Michel has been an active advocate for the uninsured and underserved clients of our communities through a lengthy career in community psychiatry in Colorado.  He has also participated as a psychiatric consultant, training behavioral health principles to Family Medicine residents in Denver, Colorado for the past 20 years.

He is a founding board member for IBHI, the Institute for Behavioral Healthcare Improvement, focused on Quality of Care improvement strategies in behavioral health systems.  IBHI is modeled after IHI, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Kit Wall

 

Promoting everything from policy reform issues, nonprofit organizations, and political campaigns to rock shows and media events, Kit Wall uses her repertoire of organizational, communication skills for policy consultation, writing, production, and management. Her promotion and publicity experience include such wide-ranging fields as pro sports, entertainment, commercial real estate, and government affairs.

Since 1987, Ms. Wall has focused on government relations, especially local government and public policy, managing coalition and grassroots efforts in statewide legislative and ballot initiatives, as well as candidate campaigns. Joining Eli Lilly and Company in 2001, she worked on advocacy issues assisting nonprofits in capacity-building efforts and local government relations promoting best practices, with a focus on jail diversion issues across the United States.

Ms. Wall’s clients and employers range from Words to Deeds: Changing the Paradigm for Criminal Justice and Mental Health, California’s renown interdisciplinary leadership forum – a Project of the Forensic Mental Health Association of California, Johnson & Johnson, Consumers Union, UnitedHealth Group, Cloud 9 Telehealth, the California Medical Association and Foundation, The Center for Health Care Services [TX], the Solano Coalition for Better Health [CA], California Forward, and California wine industry organizations, to various musical and artistic celebrities, including The Magic of David Copperfield, and the world’s largest sole proprietor real estate developer, Gerald D. Hines Interests.

Wayne Young M.S. M.B.A. LPC CRC FACHE

currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (The Harris Center), the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Harris County, Texas.  As the CEO of the largest behavioral and developmental disability care centers in the nation, Wayne is passionate about planning and delivery of behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities services to a population who rely upon safety net systems of care.

Prior to joining The Harris Center, Wayne served as the Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health and Administrator of two inpatient psychiatric facilities for JPS Health Network in Ft. Worth, Texas.  He also previously served as the regional executive director of a managed behavioral healthcare organization and held other leadership positions within the behavioral health and insurance industries.

Wayne currently serves as the chair of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Behavioral Health Advisory Council and has served in governance and leadership roles in various professional organizations such as the American Hospital Association and the Texas Hospital Association.  Wayne was also recently honored to have been named to Modern Healthcare’s list of Top 25 Innovators and to have received the 2019 Charley H. Shannon Advocate for Justice Award from NAMI Texas.

Wayne received a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies as well as a Master of Education in Community Counseling from Texas Tech University. Subsequently, he completed a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from the University of Dallas. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

William Tucker, MD
Secretary