Ellen Bemis, CPA, serves as Vice President of Finance for Husson University, where she ensures the achievement of the University’s financial goals in alignment with its mission, values, and strategic vision as established by the Board of Trustees. She brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and social services sectors.

Prior to joining Husson University, Ellen served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aroostook Mental Health Center. She also spent 20 years as Chief Financial Officer of a social service nonprofit and previously served as a member and past President of AMHC’s Board of Directors. She began her career as a Certified Public Accountant with public accounting firms in Portland and Caribou, Maine.

Ellen holds a degree in Public Accounting from Husson University. She currently serves as a director for County Federal Credit Union and the Mental Health Risk Retention Group, and has previously served as a trustee for the Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust and as a director for the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services.

Burgess came to DLC after an illustrious 22-year career with Alexian BrothersCenter for Mental Health – an arm of Alexian Brothers Health System, a largemulti-hospital healthcare network – in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He beganworking for the mental health center as an entry level Vocational Counselor andprogressed across time to Executive Director. During his tenure with theorganization, he also served as the Manager of Aftercare Services, Director ofProgram Services and Director of Research. He is a proven clinician withexperience assisting children, adolescents, and adults. Additionally, he is ahighly recognized supervisor, manager, and leader with deep knowledge ofcommunity behavioral health and integrated healthcare systems and solutions.

Burgess earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Illinois StateUniversity; his Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Concordia University;and a Certification in Clinical Research Trials from the University of Chicago.He additionally has attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Educationprogram in 2016, attained an Executive Certification in Leadership from theUniversity of Notre Dame in 2020 and completed the Stanford’s Center for HealthEducation Health Leadership coursework in 2024. He is a Licensed ClinicalProfessional Counselor (LCPC).

Passionate about effective policy for those struggling with mental illness,Burgess co-authored legislation that became law in Illinois to develop itsfirst ever five- year statewide mental health strategic plan. He was appointedas a member of the Governor’s Task Force to develop the state road map forimproved care which was completed and ratified and he was appointed by theGovernor to aid in the plan’s execution. Most recently, Gulfshore Life magazinehas recognized Burgess’s tireless efforts by selecting him as a “Man of theYear 2018” and he was recognized by Naples Illustrated in 2020 through 2024 asone of Collier County’s “Top 100 Most Influential Business Leaders.”

Burgess is currently Chair of the Board of Directors for the Florida BehavioralHealth Association, serves on the Circuit 20 Regional Council for the CentralFlorida Behavioral Health Network and is a Board Member for the Greater NaplesChamber of Commerce. Additionally, Burgess is a statutory member of the CollierCounty Public Safety Coordination Council and served as the Past-Chair ofCollier County’s Mental Health Strategic Planning Commission.

In addition to his professional interests, Burgess enjoys spending time withhis wife and three children. He spent over 15 years volunteering as a youthcoach and has been, and is, active in volunteering in various ministry efforts.

Lauren Cohn

President & CEO
Meridian Behavioral Health
Gainesville, FL

Lauren Cohn is a dynamic and results-driven executive with over 20 years of experience in behavioral healthcare. She joined Meridian Behavioral Healthcare in 2017 as Chief Performance Officer, was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2020, and assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer in 2024. In her current role, Lauren brings a proven track record of strategic leadership, operational excellence, and a deep commitment to quality improvement and risk management. She has successfully led multidisciplinary teams within a large community behavioral health organization, aligning performance goals with regulatory standards and market trends. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the University of South Florida and certifications in Lean Six Sigma and Healthcare Risk Management.  Lauren also serves as a Board Member for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Gainesville.

Chuck Ingoglia, MSW

President and CEO

National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Chuck Ingoglia is the president and CEO of the NationalCouncil for Behavioral Health where he leads the national charge to ensurepeople have access to quality, affordable mental health and addictionservices.  To accomplish this, he harnesses the voices and support of themore than 3,400 National Council members who serve over 10 million individualsnationwide.

Chuck previously led the organization’s policy and practiceimprovement work, directing the organization’s federal and state policy effortsand overseeing trainings and programs offered to more than 500,000 behavioralhealth professionals across the U.S. He has effected change at both thenational and state level by playing a major role in policy advocacy andanalyses issues relevant to behavioral health.  

Chuck holds a Master of Social Work and a Bachelor of Artsin Social Work, both from The Catholic University of America.

Brigitte D. Johnson, Esq.

President and CEO of CarePlus NJ

Brigitte D. Johnson, Esq., is the President and CEO of CarePlus NJ, where she leads the delivery of integrated mental health, addiction, and primary care services to over 14,000 individuals annually across Northern New Jersey. With a distinguished legal career spanning healthcare governance, corporate compliance, and employment law, she has dedicated over 25 years to advancing access to equitable care. Brigitte is a national advocate for behavioral health equity and sustainability, working with stakeholders to expand the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model and improve access to comprehensive care statewide. Notably, she serves on the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Board of Directors and the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies. Brigitte is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and received her undergraduate BA cum laude from Virginia State University.

Prior to her current position, Dr. Kuenzler was the CEO ofJefferson Center for Mental Health, a non-profit mental health center inColorado, providing mental health and substance use treatment, prevention,housing and navigation support to nearly 30,000 people each year.

Dr. Kuenzler brings a deep passion and vision for healthycommunities where mental wellbeing is embraced as a critical component inoverall health and care is available to all who need it. Through a commitmentto collaboration, she strives to promote innovative solutions to meet thegrowing needs and drive excellence in care to promote well-being and thrivingcommunities.

With 20 years of experience in behavioral health care, fromproviding direct clinical services and teaching at the University of Colorado,Denver, to healthcare administration, Dr. Kuenzler is committed to supportingmission-focused organizations and serving in non-profit board roles forpositive collective impact.

She is a licensed psychologist and earned her doctorate inclinical psychology from the University of Denver, followed by a post-doctoralfellowship at the University of Colorado Medical School in administration andevaluation psychology.

Bradley D. Matulonis

MHRRG Treasurer
Consultant
24 Corduroy Road
Essex Jct., VT 05452

Phone: 802-879-9401
Cell: 802-881-1152
Email: bmatulonis@live.com

Brad has 38 years of experience in the insurance industryincluding 21 years as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) andPrincipal of Smith, Bell & Thompson, Inc. a Managing General UnderwritingAgency doing business in all 50 states and SB&T Captive Management Company,Inc. As CFO he was responsible for budgets, forecasts, financial statementpreparation and analysis, internal and external audits, corporate taxation andregulatory compliance of the consolidated entities.  He was also a Vermontlicensed Property/Casualty Insurance Agent until 2009.  As a CaptiveInsurance Company Manager he served as a board member and/or professionalconsultant to the Board of Directors of Risk Retention Groups, AssociationCaptives, Pure Captives and Industrial Insureds providing strategic advice,ensuring regulatory compliance and managing changes to business plans. Captive Insurance Company clients included universityhospitals, churches, the mutual fund industry, regional telephone companies,financial services companies, generic drug manufacturers and an internationalappliance manufacturer.

Smith, Bell & Thompson, Inc. and SB&T CaptiveManagement Company, Inc. were acquired by Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs (HRH) in 2005and Brad became Vice President and Branch Controller with responsibility forfinancial operations of the Vermont office and oversight of three offices inthe Hartford Connecticut region.  Smith Bell & Thompson, Inc.consistently achieved performance within the top 10 of 140 HRH locations.

Following acquisition of HRH by Willis in 2008 Brad wasManager of Business Valuation and Litigation Support Services for Gallagher,Flynn and Company, LLP, a regional CPA firm, through 2010. He has also providedlocal charities benefiting Vermonters with assistance in filing for favorableDetermination of Tax Exempt Status and annual regulatory filings.

Kelly Phillips-Henry

CEO
Aurora Mental Health Center
Aurora, CO

Doctor Kelly Phillips-Henry is an experienced Behavioral Healthcare leader with 25+ years of executive leadership in the Colorado Community Mental Health and Department of Defense healthcare systems. She is a two-time CEO of large, not-for-profit community mental health centers in Colorado and currently serves as the CEO at Aurora Mental Health & Recovery where the organization serves the 3rd most ethnically diverse community in the nation.

Kelly spent 12 years active duty as a Major in the US Air Force serving as a clinical psychologist overseeing Mental Health/Substance Use clinics, Wellness Centers, and as an Associate Professor at the US Air Force Academy while also running the Cadet Counseling Center. Kelly holds a MA and PsyD in clinical psychology and an MBA from the University of Colorado. Her passion remains the Rocky Mountains where she spends her free time with her husband, four grown children, five grandchildren and three dogs. She is a lifelong marathoner, trail runner and Ironman triathlete.

Adam Roberts

President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diversus Health

Adam Roberts currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diversus Health, a community mental health center with operations across El Paso, Park, and Teller Counties. Mr. Roberts has held his current role since May of 2019. During his tenure at Diversus Health, Mr. Roberts has focused on developing a vision and strategy, restructuring the organization, improving internal and external stakeholders experience, and improving service delivery and operations. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Roberts oversaw the organization’s shift to a telehealth model in a span of 48-hours, minimizing the disruption of services to communities. Committed to positioning the organization for long-term success through leveraging stakeholder experience as a differentiator, Mr. Roberts has led a shift in culture to position the organization to be more client-centric. This included overseeing a comprehensive rebranding initiative that transitioned the name of the organization from AspenPointe to Diversus Health.

Prior to Diversus Health, Mr. Roberts served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Valley-Wide Health Systems Inc., a Federally Qualified Health Center in Southern Colorado. He was responsible for the implementation of the organization’s strategic plan as well as the development of the organization’s behavioral health service line, which moved it toward operating fully integrated healthcare clinics.

Prior to serving as Valley-Wide’s COO, Mr. Roberts worked as a senior staff member with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) health care system both in Texas and in Colorado, where he was recognized as an improvement expert and is credited with saving millions of dollars for the VHA health care system while improving patient care and patient experience.

Mr. Roberts is a Colorado native. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business, Marketing, and Finance from Regis University. He received a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Health Administration from the University of Colorado Denver.

Additionally, Mr. Roberts received Black Belt and Master Black Belt training in Lean Six Sigma at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas, and completed the 2018 UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Health Care Executive Program. Mr. Roberts enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and also enjoys trail running, golfing, wood carving, and competitive axe throwing at logger competitions.

Donald Savoie

Retired President / CEO and Senior Advisor to the President,
Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.

Don is a business executive with over 35 years as a leaderin behavioral healthcare management, implementation, and growth development. Hebalances quality patient care with strategic priorities and operationaldemands. Don has a keen focus on mobilizing and empowering staff to develop andachieve goals in alignment with organizational mission, vision, and valuesthrough transformational leadership and challenging the status quo.

Don's journey in behavioral healthcare began during aninternship at Rhode Island College. After receiving his BA in Computer Sciencesand Mathematics from Rhode Island College in 1989, he was hired as the ChiefInformation Officer for The Providence Center (Providence, RI), where he workedfor 11 years. After that he was hired by LWSI, a technology vendor in thebehavioral health field as their Chief Technology Officer where he worked in anational role for almost 14 years. In 2011, he became the Chief InformationOfficer (CIO) at Meridian Behavioral Healthcare in Gainesville, FL, wanting toplay a greater local role in behavioral health.   With significantbusiness and operational expertise, and a passion to help those in need, he waspromoted to the role of the Chief Operations Officer (COO) in 2016 and thenappointed as President/ Chief Executive Officer of Meridian in 2019. Don retiredat the start of 2025.  Although now retired from full-time work, Doncontinues to provide mentoring and technical support for behavioral healthagencies and serves as Chairman of the Board for the Mental Health RiskRetention Group (MHRRG).

As a business, financial and technical leader, Don has spenthis entire career focused on behavioral health and supporting those inneed.  His keen understanding of the financial and community challengesfaced by behavioral health agencies in the areas of funding, opportunities andparity has and continues to be his life’s work.

J. Tuerk Schlesinger

CEO
AltaPointe Health Systems
Mobile, AL

Tuerk Schlesinger, MBA, is the chief executive officer of AltaPointe Health, where he has served for nearly 27 years. Based in Mobile, AltaPointe is one of Alabama’s most comprehensive healthcare organizations that utilizes the integration of primary and behavioral healthcare to promote the wellness of all people across a seven-county area.

In 2017, Schlesinger spearheaded the launch of Accordia Health, AltaPointe’s division of primary care, which enables the integration of primary and behavioral healthcare, thereby increasing patient satisfaction and improving their overall health. Further guidance from Schlesinger led to the creation of Accordia Health & Wellness. It is a state-of-the-art employee-centered clinic in Mobile offering accessible and high-quality primary healthcare by board-certified clinicians at a reduced rate for employees and their families covered by AltaPointe’s health insurance plan.

Under Schlesinger’s leadership, the organization has grown from employing 277 to 2,050, increasing its annual budget from $17 million to $211 million, and from serving an average of 7,000 individuals each year to more than 45,000 in 2025. Operations include BayPointe and EastPointe psychiatric hospitals, a Behavioral Health Crisis Center, nine primary care locations, 19 outpatient mental health locations, two private professional counseling facilities, 36 adult residential group homes, three adult foster homes, and seven independent living homes. As CEO, Schlesinger established AltaPointe’s partnership with the University of South Alabama to operate the College of Medicine-Department of Psychiatry, and the Department of Family Medicine, operating both departments.

Schlesinger is a member of the Alabama Council of Community Mental Health Boards; the National Council for Behavioral Health; the Statewide Health Coordinating Council (SHCC); the Chair of Mental Health Corporation of America Executive Board of Directors; Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Board; the Alabama Healthcare Reimbursement Reform Task Force-Steering Committee; Alabama Hospital Association’s State Legislative and Regulatory Committee; the Alabama Hospital Association’s Telehealth Task Force; National Association for Behavioral Healthcare; Alabama Primary Health Care Association Board and former Chair of the Program Planning Committee and Member of the Nominating Committee, various Alabama Department of Mental Health committees and subcommittees, including former Chair of the sub-committee for 988 – the national suicide prevention hotline initiative. He serves on the Mental Health Risk Retention Group Board of Directors; Mobile Area Council, Scouting America Board of Directors; and Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy Board of Directors. He also serves on the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board; the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce; and the Baldwin County Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of Leadership Alabama Class XXXI.

Schlesinger earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Auburn University and a master of business administration degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile. In 2008, Schlesinger was named a Behavioral Health Champion by the nationally circulated Behavioral Healthcare Magazine.

Ronald K. Zimmet, J.D.

Ronald K. Zimmet has been a trial lawyer since 1975. Heprovides risk management services to behavioral healthcare providersnationwide.

Mr. Zimmet helped organize and since its inception in 1987,has served as general counsel to the Mental Health Risk Retention Group, Inc.an insurance company providing professional and general liability and directorsand officers insurance to behavioral healthcare providers. He is the featuredspeaker in risk management audio and video presentations presented by the RiskRetention Group for many years. These presentations address, among otherthings, risk management for sexual misconduct, suicide malpractice, violentpatients, medication errors and employment related claims. Mr. Zimmet haslectured on risk management at many National Council and Mental HealthCorporations of America meetings.

Mr. Zimmet has been published in Behavioral HealthcareMagazine and has also been published by the Florida Bar Journal. He waspresident of the board of directors of a community mental health center inDaytona Beach and has also served on the board of a substance abuse treatmentfacility in Daytona.

You may contact Mr. Zimmet at his office in Daytona Beach at386-255-4020 or by email at ronsr@zimmetlawyers.com him him him.