Movers & Shakers: Autism Provider Hires New CEO; Happify Health Fills CFO Role

Happify Health adds investment banking veteran to management ranks

New York-based digital behavioral health provider Happify Health has named Bilal Khan as its chief financial officer.

Khan comes to Happify Health from Goldman Sachs, where he was vice president of investment banking for the firm in the San Francisco area, specializing in digital health care transactions. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Khan was a health care investment banker for Wells Fargo.

The CFO position is a newly-created role at Happify Health, which uses AI-driven software applications to provide coaching and therapeutic services to users.

Happify Health most recently raised $73 million in Series D funding, led by Deerfield Management Company, along with participation from Omega Capital Partners, ION Crossover Partners and existing investors. The round brought the total amount of funding raised so far by the company to more than $118 million.

The Place for Children with Autism adds new CEO

The Place for Children with Autism, a Chicago-based provider of autism therapy services, has named Allison O’Neill as its CEO.

O’Neill was formerly a teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools — the largest school district in Wisconsin — where she created an alternative learning program for at-risk youth.

She later joined Chicago-based Ombudsman Educational Services, which was acquired in 2005 by Knoxville, Tennessee-based ChanceLight Behavioral Health and Education.

O’Neill held a variety of positions at ChanceLight, including president and chief operating officer, prior to being named CEO of The Place for Children with Autism.

Founded in 2017, The Place for Children with Autism operates 10 centers throughout Illinois, with nine of them located in the Chicago area, and one in the college town of Urbana.

Addiction treatment center appoints new president

SpringBoard Recovery, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based addiction treatment facility, has promoted Steve Laats to the position of president.

Laats most recently was SpringBoard’s senior director of operations. Before joining the company, he held various vice president posts for the Boise, Idaho-based addiction provider Northpoint Recovery.

Opened in 2014, SpringBoard provides treatment for alcohol abuse as well as for a variety of substances including opioids. SpringBoard offers 28-day stays and 12-step programs for inpatient and outpatient care, and includes therapeutic services like nutritional counseling, yoga and meditation.

Nonprofit mental health, SUD crisis provider names new CEO

Columbus, Ohio-based Netcare Access, a nonprofit provider of mental health and SUD intervention assessment services, has named Brian Stroh as its new CEO and medical director. He replaces retiring president and CEO King Stumpp, who has led Netcare since 2011.

Stroh joined Netcare as a psychiatrist in 2006, and has served as its assistant medical director since 2008.

Netcare provides residential and community services, as well as assistance to local courts for forensic services regarding mental health matters. Netcare also provides 24/7 crisis services, which include clinicians assisting the Columbus Division of Police and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office with mental health and substance abuse calls.

Mental Health, SUD advocacy organization adds new program director

Mindful Recovery, a Philadelphia-based advocacy nonprofit for mental health and SUD issues, has named Kristen Ward as its director of programs and knowledge.

Ward most recently was a Social Impact Fellow at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP) at the University of Pennsylvania, which is a Mindful Recovery partner.

Ward joined CHIP in 2018 to lead the development of Health in Mind, an online resource that provides guidance on how philanthropy can address mental health and addiction issues.

Ward also previously served as the project manager of CHIP’s COVID-19 mental health initiative, and she currently leads the Mindful Recovery projects Service Corps and Thriving in Schools.