Alsana names behavioral health vet CEO
Eating disorder recovery provider Alsana has named Allan Benham its new CEO.
Benham most recently served as chief operating officer at trauma, mental health and addiction provider Meadows Behavioral Healthcare.
“My passion for changing lives through recovery and for patients struggling with eating disorder behaviors patient aligns with Alsana’s purpose: to provide compassionate, personalized treatment with a holistic approach, empowering people to embrace healing,” Benham said in a statement. “I am excited to work closely with the professionals at Alsana to grow our in-person and virtual treatment programs to help more people across the nation achieve a long-lasting recovery.”
Benham previously served as executive director of Meadow’s Gentle Path program, an addiction treatment center for men as well as executive director for the company’s Remuda Ranch eating disorder program.
Westlake Village, California-based Alsana offers residential, partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs in Alabama, California and Missouri. It also provides virtual partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs nationwide.
Acadia taps former Rogers Behavioral Health chief medical officer for C-suite position
Behavioral health giant Acadia appointed Dr. Stephanie Eken, a psychiatrist with more than two decades of experience, as its new chief medical officer.
“Acadia is thrilled to welcome Dr. Eken as our new chief medical officer,” Chris Hunter, CEO of Acadia, said in a statement. “Her experience and expertise will help Acadia set the standard for care across the industry as we continue to grow, expand, and improve our clinical offerings, enabling us to serve more patients across the country.”
Eken served as CMO at not-for-profit Rogers Behavioral Health before her move to Acadia.
She will lead Acadia’s clinical strategy across the company’s more than 250 facilities spanning 38 states.
Prior to Eken, Dr. Michael Genovese served as the company’s CMO. He will continue in a consulting role for several months to ensure a smooth transition.
“This is an exciting time to join Acadia Healthcare,” Eken said in a statement. “Our excellent clinical team is at the forefront of realizing our purpose as an organization, delivering life-saving care to more than 75,000 people every day.”
BetterUp announces new chief people and community officer
Mental health coaching startup BetterUp appointed Jolen Anderson as the company’s first-ever chief people and community officer.
Anderson most recently worked at the banking corporation BNY Mellon as the company’s chief people officer and global head of impact citizenship.
In her role at BetterUp, Anderson will oversee talent strategy, people operations, leadership development and inclusion efforts, among other human resources functions.
“Since BetterUp is a trusted resource for CEOs, CPOs and CHROs at some of the world’s largest organizations, our chief people and community officer role is unique in that it requires a visionary leader who pioneers new ways to invest in people and make a positive impact both within our organization and also for our broader community,” Alexi Robichaux, CEO of BetterUp, said in a statement. “We found those impressive qualities in Jolen.”
Austin, Texas-based BetterUp has a network of over 4,000 coaches who provide mental health and wellness support in over 70 countries. NASA, Google, Salesforce and Hilton are among the companies that have leveraged BetterUp’s services.
Anderson has also served as chief human resource officer for Visa’s client organization and practiced law at a Chicago law firm.
“I’m passionate about igniting purpose and performance for BetterUp internally and in partnership with the organizations we support,” Anderson said in a statement. “Great leadership is contagious and BetterUp inspires and transforms the lives of members every day; I look forward to further building this community focused on strengthening mindsets, skills, and well-being.”
IDD provider Sevita names new chief financial officer
Sevita, a provider of home and community-based specialized health care, named David Callen its new chief financial officer.
Callen has more than 25 years of strategic and financial leadership experience. He formerly served as the chief financial officer at Sleep Number Corporation as well as the principal financial officer at Ethan Allen.
He is tasked with l expanding the company’s patient base.
“We are proud to welcome David to Sevita,” Philip Kaufman, CEO of Sevita, said in a statement. “In addition to his financial expertise, David brings with him a passion for purpose-driven organizations like ours.
Sevita has 45,000 employees and serves more than 55,000 patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), complex care needs, people recovering from brain injuries, children in foster care and adults and children with autism.
Cougar Health Services appoints director of counseling and psychological services
Washington State University’s health services provider, Cougar Health Services, named Loren Brown its new director of counseling and psychological services.
Brown will oversee clinical services at the provider’s counseling and psychological services (CAPS) and manage staffing and fiscal needs. He received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Brigham Young University and has been a senior clinical staff member at Cougar’s CAPS for eight years.
He has served as Cougar’s interim director of Washington State University Pullman’s CAPS since August of 2023, according to WSU’s news outlet WSU Insider.
During the summer and fall of 2023, students made over 3,500 appointments with CAPS.
Precision psychiatry company Universal Brain fills out C-suite
Palo Alto, California-based Universal Brain hired three new executives after recently clinching $3.2 million in seed.
The company named Greg Hajcak its chief scientific advisor, Vangelis Lympouridis as its chief product officer and K.T. Venkateswara-Rao its head of operations.
Universal Brain operates a platform designed to create measures to understand and treat psychiatric conditions. The platform consists of a wearable device that measures electrical brain activity while the wearer completes a range of cognitive and emotional tasks.
Hajcak is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Sheri Sobrato-endowed chair of child and adolescent mental health at Santa Clara University.
Lympouridis, the company’s new chief product officer, is the founder of Enosis, a specialized R&D, design and product development firm focused on emerging technologies in MedTech and digital health care. He has also served as chief design officer at Applied VR.
The newly named head of operations Venkateswara-Rao has 25 years of health care technology experience and offers a deep understanding of quality, clinical and regulatory guidance.
“The addition of these innovative leaders to the Universal Brain team marks a significant milestone in our journey to revolutionize mental healthcare by utilizing objective data to drive better clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes,” Universal Brain founder and CEO Kazu Okuda said in a statement.
