Dear Community,
I want to share the news that Dr. Kiara Kuenzler, Jefferson Center for Mental Health’s President and CEO, will be moving on to a new role in May 2025 as the next President and CEO of the Mental Health Corporations of America (mhca). mhca exists to advance innovation and entrepreneurship in behavioral healthcare across the country by enhancing leadership and strategic connections. Everyone who interacts with Dr. Kuenzler knows that she excels at building strategic connections, and she is a well-respected leader that we can all learn from. We have the utmost confidence that she will continue to make a tremendous impact on behavioral health across the Country!
Dr. Kuenzler has led our organization with unwavering dedication and vision for the last 7 years. Under her leadership, Jefferson Center remained strong and steadfast during multiple periods of transformation within the behavioral health system and a pandemic and continued to be responsive to the community’s needs. Jefferson Center was recognized for twelve straight years as a Top Workplace, much of that time under her leadership, and she was given a special award as the Top Leader across large employers in Colorado in 2022 through this same prestigious survey. She passionately believes in the power of collaboration and positioned Jefferson Center as a leading community mental health center that broke down barriers to care by taking services into 150+ community-based settings through integrated partnerships with schools, medical practices, law enforcement, and more. To fill a critical gap in the community, Dr. Kuenzler’s vision led to the development of a robust continuum of substance use disorder services that were previously unavailable in the community. Jefferson Center’s workforce grew from 500 to 800 employees while she was President and CEO. This expanded capacity allowed the organization to offer comprehensive care models spanning a wide range of preventative, outpatient, housing, and acute behavioral health and substance use treatment services to more than 25,000 Colorado residents living across the Front Range and mountain communities.
She often stresses the importance of showing up authentically, with compassion and values driven behavior. She frequently talks about her belief in the power of people to overcome tremendous barriers and obstacles in their lives and this belief has inspired everyone who worked at Jefferson Center. She is a staunch advocate for the vital role community mental health centers play in Colorado’s larger healthcare ecosystem, often meeting with policymakers and state leaders to help them gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics and challenges experienced by service providers serving people with the most complex needs in our communities.
Dr. Kuenzler without a doubt will be leaving an indelible mark on our organization. Jefferson Center is positioned to thrive into the future and stay responsive to the needs of our community because of her leadership and the incredible team she has brought together. She inspires everyone who works in the field of behavioral health, and we wish her all the best!
Within the next month, Jefferson Center’s Board of Directors will start a formal search process to select our next President and CEO. We will keep you informed about our progress later in the Spring.
All the best,
Al Sahlstrom, Jefferson Center for Mental Health Board Chair on behalf of the Jefferson Center for Mental Health Board of Directors