Pat’s lived experience as a parent, set the foundation for her career path and continues to fuel her passion for working in the field of children’s mental health and substance use. She brings over 25 years of experiences as an advocate for children with behavioral health needs and their families. During this time, she had extensive experience overseeing both federal and state grants and served as the founding director of a family-run organization.
Pat’s experience in public policy and planning has supported 42 states in developing responses to issues that affect children’s behavioral health. Her skilled facilitation has helped families, state, and local leadership develop and sustain best practices through local systems of care for children, adolescents and their families. Her leadership at a Managed Care Organization advanced national recognition and solution building in arenas such as the appropriate use of psychotropic medication with children and youth, and with outcomes and efficiencies associated with preventing undue reliance on out-of-home care. Prior to that, her seven-year role at the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health informed a national policy agenda based on the experiences of families across the nation.