DENVER -  Today, Governor Polis announced that the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Human Services, Michelle Barnes, will serve as the interim Commissioner of the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) effective immediately.

“The Behavioral Health Administration was developed during a crucial time of need in our state,” said Governor Jared Polis. “The BHA has invested over $150 million in behavioral health services while improving accountability, and we are getting ready for the next phase.”

Over the past year, the Behavioral Health Administration Advisory Council was created, which put lived experience at the forefront of the BHA’s work and actively engaged the executive directors of other agencies on behavioral health topics in creating a networked government approach to system reform. The BHA’s Strategic Plan was released, as was its first-ever General Assembly report.

The nationwide search for the new commissioner will begin in the coming weeks.

The Governor’s commitment to ensuring Coloradans have access to mental health and substance use disorder services remains strong. In that, he is announcing that the current executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services, Michelle Barnes, will serve as the interim commissioner for the BHA. Director Barnes chaired the Behavioral Health Task Force that led to the creation of the BHA and remains committed to boldly addressing the behavioral health crisis in our state. In her role as interim commissioner, Director Barnes will provide the leadership necessary for the critical work of the BHA to continue.  

Director Barnes’ senior executive team of Clint Woodruff, Anne-Marie Braga, Pedro Almeida, Kevin Neimond, Perry May, and Kathryn Morrison, will be making the leadership decisions as co-interim directors for CDHS during this period.