National Council for Behavioral Health

Scott began his career at a large international franchise company working across the US and SE Asia, finding great successful at improving face-to-face sales processes, client satisfaction, staff satisfaction and staff productivity. Scott developed an expertise in solving operational problems, retaining staff and increasing performance and service quality.

After returning from Asia in 1998, Scott used his experience to help community behavioral healthcare organizations prepare for changes in their funding environments, working hand-in-hand with David Lloyd at MTM Services for over ten years. During this time, Scott also earned a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in business management and operations from North Carolina State University, wrote the workbook that complements David Lloyd’s How to Deliver Accountable Care, and his own book Using Data to Drive Your Service Delivery Strategies: A Toolkit for Healthcare Organizations.

For more than 25 years, Jeanne Supin has guided behavioral health providers, authorities and payers through successful change and toward leadership, management and workforce excellence. She is skilled at helping seasoned and emerging leaders amplify strengths to create personal and professional transformation and improve services, organizations and systems of care. Her scope extends from programs and departments to whole organizations and integrated organizations with stakeholders across a system, region or state. As president and CEO of Watauga Consulting, Inc., (founded 1996) Jeanne offers consultation, technical assistance, training and coaching in the following areas: leadership and management development, change management, professional discovery and development, management across generations, self-care for leadership vitality, team excellence, workforce development and excellence, healthy conflict, affiliations and mergers, strategic planning and needs assessments.

Pam Pietruszewski has more than 20 years experience in primary care and behavioral health integration with specialties in Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) implementation and Motivational Interviewing for behavior change. Pam is listed in the National Registry of SBIRT Trainers from the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Pam authored several papers on care management for depression and risky substance use and holds a master’s degree in counseling and psychological services from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota.

For decades, American peer support and recovery pioneer Larry Fricks has applied the experiences gained on his journey to recovery from bipolar disorder to develop innovative, recovery-oriented programs and services for people living with behavioral health disorders. Fricks was director of the Office of Consumer Relations and Recovery in the Georgia Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Addictive Diseases for 13 years. He is a founder of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network and was instrumental in establishing Georgia’s peer specialist training and certification program. He is the founder and developer of the Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) curriculum and trainings that support peer-led wellness initiatives in behavioral health. Fricks was on the planning board of the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, and serves on the advisory board for the Carter Center Mental Health Journalism Fellowships. Fricks has won numerous journalism awards. His recovery story was featured in The New York Times bestselling book Strong at the Broken Places by Richard Cohen.

Karen Johnson, MSW, LCSW, director of Trauma-Informed Services, brings to the National Council over 19 years of clinical and administrative experience in child welfare and community-based mental health. Karen is also the parent of an adult child with severe and chronic mental illness. She recently relocated to Washington, DC from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she worked at SaintA as the Division Director of Community Services. While at SaintA Karen became certified in the ChildTrauma Academy’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and was integrally involved in SaintA’s journey to become a more trauma-informed organization. Karen spearheaded the development and implementation of housing and supportive services for former foster youth and worked to strengthen systems serving this vulnerable population. With her joined professional and lived experiences, Karen brings a distinct perspective to mental health and addiction disorders work. She intimately understands the inherent challenges providers and organizations face and the significance of ensuring those affected by mental health challenges and addiction disorders, and their families, have access to and receive high-quality, trauma-informed services. She is passionate about helping to move organizations towards trauma-informed approaches.