Originally from Appalachian Ohio, Lori Criss has been immersed in the behavioral health field since 1992 and now serves as Behavioral Health Community Engagement Director for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Immediately before coming to this role, Criss served for five years as the Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, a Cabinet position appointed by Governor Mike DeWine. With an annual budget of over $1.2 billion and directing 3,000 staff, Criss led strategic planning for the state’s behavioral health system. In her early career, Lori was engrossed in addressing illnesses causing premature death for Ohioans, and she led operations for a community behavioral health center with integrated housing and recovery supports for homeless women and their children in Central Ohio. Criss served as CEO of a trade association for behavioral health providers, leading policy and advocacy work on state and federal financing and regulation affecting the behavioral health industry. Lori earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ohio State’s College of Social Work. She has served on numerous state and national boards and is currently a member of the federal government’s National Advisory Council for the Center for Mental Health Services.