Terri White to lead mental health group
Terri White, former commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health, will be the new CEO of Mental Health Association Oklahoma, the group announced Thursday.
White, who left her post with the state department in February after 13 years, said becoming CEO of the association is “the culmination of ... my life's work.”
Mental Health Association Oklahoma, with headquarters in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, is a nonprofit supporting access to and utilization of mental health care, housing services and criminal justice reform statewide.
“The experience I gained as commissioner will be invaluable in terms of understanding the mental health system,” White said. “The relationships I've developed over the last 20 years working in this field will help position Mental Health Association Oklahoma's voice to be even stronger than it has been before.”
White was chosen through a national search and will begin her new position in August.
“The board could not be happier Terri will be the new Association CEO,” said Scott Hamilton, Association board member and chair of the search committee, in a press release. “She is the ideal person to continue the organization's mission to promote mental health, prevent suicide, end homelessness and transform the criminal justice system.
With the state's recent vote to expand Medicaid,
White said she sees a huge opportunity to prevent lifetime struggles for Oklahomans dealing with mental illness.
She added that during her time as commissioner, she saw 97,000 Oklahomans with a mental health diagnosis and no health care coverage.
And as the COVID19 pandemic continues, mental health and housing services “have never been more important,” White said.
“This is an incredible time to change the outcomes in our state for generations,” White said.