Jamie Papapetros
Jamie has been with MHANYS since 2024.
Department: Leadership
Renee L. Rider
Renee Rider has been a friend of MHANYS for a few decades and became employed in April 2024. Renee oversees the School Mental Health Resource & Training Center. She came out of retirement from State government after serving in several roles at the state and local levels, i.e., Associate Commissioner at the NYS Education Department; Assistant Commissioner at the NYS Office of Children and Family Services; Assistant Secretary to the Governor for Human Services and Mental Hygiene; Executive Director at the NYS Council on Children and Families; and Deputy Director of the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties, Inc.
Renee loves to run, hike the Adirondack High Peaks, play golf and tennis, socialize with friends and adult children, and play with her two young grandchildren.
Katie Oldakowski
Katie has been with MHANYS since 2023.
Melissa Ramirez
Melissa Ramirez has been with MHANYS since 2006.
Melissa oversees MHANYS’ day-to-day administrative and operational functions, as well as the Grants Management and Mental Health Information Center teams. She is responsible for operational leadership, including change management and improving systems to increase alignment, accountability, and efficient allocation of resources.
Melissa enjoys music, cooking projects, and walks with family and friends.
Scott Thomas
Scott has been with MHANYS since 2023.
John Richter
John Richter has been the Director of Public Policy at MHANYS since January 2008. Mr. Richter joined MHANYS after spending over twenty years serving and advocating for the elderly and people with disabilities.
He spent 13 years in long term care policy with the New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) specializing in adult home, assisted living and home care issues. While at MHANYS, John was instrumental in the passage of legislation requiring that New York schools begin teaching about mental health, beginning in 2018, as part of the school health curriculum.
John received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook. He received his Masters Degree in Public Administration from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at SUNY Albany.
John lives in Albany with his wife Susan, a practicing Psychiatrist.
John V. Tauriello
John came to MHANYS in February 2023, after serving for two decades as Deputy Commissioner and Counsel at the State Office of Mental Health, where he provided advice and counsel to the Commissioner of OMH, agency staff, and the Executive Chamber. He was appointed as the Acting Commissioner of OMH by two different Governors during this period. After his career at OMH, John worked for eight years at Brown & Weinraub, a private law and consulting firm in Albany, where he represented several health and mental hygiene providers. John resides in Rensselaer, NY, with his wife Nola.
John loves road running (in his wheelchair), reading, film, politics, sports, current events, landscaping, and caring for his sweet dog Beau.
Deborah Faust
Deborah (she/her/hers) has been with MHANYS since 2010 and has been a content expert for MHANYS Family Engagement Programming. She is Co-Director of Building Connection, a collaborative project with the New York State Coalition against Sexual Assault, providing ongoing technical assistance about trauma-informed resources and trainings across NYS.
Deb loves meditative walking, kayaking, and poetry.
Andrea Hauser
Andrea Hauser (she/her/hers) has been with MHANYS since 2011.
She oversees all aspects of the Finance Office including Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Payroll, and General Ledger, and handles many Grants Management and Human Resource processes.
Andrea and her husband have 4 rescue horses, 2 dogs, and many domesticated and feral cats. In addition to caring for their animals, they harvest the hay for the horses during the summer months on their 40 acres. In her downtime, Andrea likes to read fiction novels and the Readers’ Digest.
Glenn Liebman
Glenn Liebman has been the CEO of MHANYS since 2004.
During his tenure, multiple initiatives have been implemented including mandating mental health instruction in schools (New York was the first State in the nation), and many other public policy reforms. For the past five years, he has been named by City and State as one of the 100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders. He has also recently been named one of New York State’s Most Influential Health Care Leaders by Politico. He serves as the Chair of the New York State Behavioral Health Advisory Council and as a member of the New York State Justice Center Advisory Council.
He is a big sports fan, especially of the New York Mets. He lives with his wife and son in Guilderland New York.
