“Nothing endures but change”
– Heraclitus
There are several personnel changes happening at MHANYS.
Almost twenty years ago an opportunity of a lifetime came up for MHANYS. John Richter, who I knew from my days at the Department of Health, was looking for a part time job to supplement his consulting work. When I found out about his availability, I immediately hired him. One of the best decisions I could have made. John has moved from a part time position to our full time policy director over the years. I could not have asked for a better policy partner. Incredibly smart, politically savvy, wonderful writer and presenter and self effacing.
We have had many legislative successes over the years and John has been a leader in many of these causes. Ten years ago when New York became the first State in the nation to pass landmark legislation to mandate the instruction of mental health in school, it was John’s tireless advocacy that was integral to the passage of the bill. His White Paper on the issue has been used by many States across the nation in their pursuit of similar legislation.
There are so many other successes along the way, but that said, what I will miss most is his personality. We have spent many hours together over the years talking about family, philosophy, music, old TV shows but not sports, though I never held his lack of interest in talking about sports against him. His loyalty, intelligence, comradery and sense of humor will be what I will miss most. I am so glad that he will continue to consult with us but we will miss him greatly.
The silver lining is that we have an incredible team at MHANYS. Our chief strategist, Jamie Papapetros has agreed to take over as MHANYS Policy Director. I have known Jamie for many years as an assistant to Richard Gallo and through his work with the APA. Much like John, Jamie is a man of intelligence and integrity. He is incredibly smart, detail-oriented, and politically savvy. As anyone at MHANYS can attest to, he is likely among the most diligent people you could work with and always with a smile and a positive outlook. His years of experience and dedication will serve our agency well in his new position.
Two years ago, as a long shot, I reached out to my friend Renee Rider, after Brandon Beachamp announced he was leaving as the Director of the School Mental Health Resource and Training Center. Renee has been retired from high level position in State Government for a few years and I knew given her out-going personality, she was having a great retirement.
To my surprise, she said yes. I knew that Renee was smart and dedicated but until you work with someone, you don’t realize the effectiveness of their skill set. Her vision for the Center and her work ethic has helped transform the great work of Amy Molloy and Brandon Beachamp into a Center that was a national model for success. During her time with us, we have over doubled the amount of school trainings and presentations and tripled the attendance at our annual summer academy. However, more than the numbers, her reputation and good will have opened up many doors for us both nationally and in New York State. She will be greatly missed.
As with John transitioning in his position to Jamie, we have a person coming into the position who also has a well-deserved wonderful reputation—-Donna Bradbury. Many of you may know Donna from her time as the Associate Commissioner for Children and Youth Services at OMH. She has been a real leader in creating the vision of kids and youth services in New York. Having worked with her for many years, her intelligence and passion for the work make her an idea person to help move the Center forward. She accomplished much at OMH and Siena and will no doubt accomplish wonderful things heading up our talented School and Mental Health Resource Center staff. Also as with John, Renee will continue to consult with us moving forward.
When Joe DiMaggio’s career ended, Mickey Mantle took over as the Yankees Centerfielder. Both multi-talented stars with different skill sets. Great analogy for the staff transitions happening at MHANYS.
– Glenn
