Contact: Communications@thenationalcouncil.org or 202.684.7457, ext. 228

Washington, DC (July 7, 2009) —William Kyles assumes leadership of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare’s board of directors as the association advances an aggressive mental health and addictions healthcare reform agenda. Kyles will lead a board committed to the recovery and full social inclusion of persons with mental illnesses and addiction disorders and to using the current healthcare reform debate to further those goals.

Kyles, President/CEO of Comprehensive Mental Health Services in Independence, Missouri, has been a passionate mental health advocate for more than three decades. A highly respected community business leader, he is a trusted advisor to Missouri policymakers on the delivery and financing of behavioral healthcare services. A National Council board member for many years, Kyles has been instrumental in the growth of the association’s membership and advocacy profile.

“I am honored to have been elected chair of the National Council’s board at a critical time in the history of our nation’s healthcare. And I’m both humbled and energized by the opportunity to work with the National Council’s 1,600 member organizations and their boards, the 250,000+ staff they employ, and most importantly the six million adults, children and families they serve,” said Kyles.

Other newly elected National Council board officers are Dr. Carl Clark, MD, CEO of the Mental Health Center of Denver, Colorado (First Vice Chair); Jeffrey Walter, President and CEO, Rushford Center, Meriden, CT (Second Vice Chair) and David M. Ptaszek, CEO, Pennyroyal Center, Hopkinsville, KY (Secretary/Treasurer).

“The strength of the board cannot be overstated; each member brings to the table an understanding of community and a vision of National Council member organizations as essential community problem solvers. Bill Kyles leads a board determined to take us from strength to significance and I’m honored to be part of the effort,” said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council.

New regional directors elected to the National Council board are

• Ralph Provenza, Executive Director, United Counseling Services of Bennington, Bennington, VT
• James Marhold, President/CEO, Declarations, Inc., Manalapan, NJ
• Jon Cherry, President/CEO, LifeStream Behavioral Center, Leesburg, FL
• Cindy Kaestner, Executive Director, Abbe Center for Community Mental Health, Cedar Rapids, IA
  

The board also elected as at-large director, Jan Kelton, Victim/Witness Coordinator, Polk County District Attorney’s Office in Frederic, WI.

The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) association of 1,600 behavioral healthcare organizations that provide treatment and rehabilitation for mental illnesses and addictions disorders to nearly six million adults, children and families in communities across the country. The National Council and its members bear testimony to the fact that medical, social, psychological, and rehabilitation services offered in community settings help people with mental illnesses and addiction disorders recover and lead productive lives.