Betsy Schwartz

Betsy Schwartz drives the advancement of mental health by working with organizations and philanthropists to build or expand their capacity to grow evidence-based mental health services. As a leader in mental health public policy, she has a track record of designing and implementing legislative action at the local, state, and national levels. Schwartz has demonstrated the power of community engagement to solve complex problems. Noteworthy examples of this work resulted in the creation of the first ever mental health unit in the Houston Police Department and a multi-year stakeholder consensus building strategy that transformed the Houston juvenile justice system. Schwartz has a hands-on understanding of how to respond to mental health issues including crisis care, maternal mental health, public awareness initiatives. Previous positions include Vice President of Public Education National Council for Wellbeing and CEO of Mental Health America of Greater Houston.

She is a Senior Fellow with the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Institute and the American Leadership Forum and WK Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Alliance. She has a Masters in Social Work Administration from the University of Houston and a Bachelors of Science from University of Denver.