Being an effective Area 6 Trustee is like being a good cook - it takes more than following a recipe.
Experience Matters!
I know what members want and need from their membership in the APA.
From long experience - with District Branches, State Associations, and the APA itself - I know how to get it done, either through existing channels or, when necessary, by effectively challenging the system.
I am a tireless advocate for members. I'm not afraid of taking a controversial stand in my advocacy for members.
APA's Central Office APA's Central Office and central office staff provide the full time work of keeping the APA running. Still have questions? Contact me... If I don't know the answer, I can find someone who does! Click here
The CEO/Medical Director
The APA’s Administration, leadership team and the organization of its central office have continued to evolve under CEO/Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, who directs the activities of the APA and its staff in accordance with the policies established by the Board of Trustees.
The CEO/Medical Director’s Office provides overall direction to the APA on matters of medical science and psychiatric practice. All physicians who serve in the APA Administration report to the CEO/Medical Director on all medical issues.
ThePolicy, Programs and Partnerships Division, led by Kristin Kroeger, works to develop, advocate and implement policy and build programs that will assist members in their practices, meet regulatory and licensure requirements, and provide patients with quality care. The Division also collaborates with allied specialty organizations and other medical and allied health organizations and patient advocacy groups in various partnerships. Four area make up this division: Reimbursement Policy (Eileen Carlson, JD, RN), Practice Management and Systems Delivery (Michelle Dirst, MA), Mental Health Parity Enforcement and Implementation Policy (Sam Muszynski, JD, Director), and Allied & External Organizations.
The APA’s Department of Government Relations, led by Craig Obey, is the association’s main conduit to public policy makers at the state and federal level. DGR’s charge is to leverage APA’s expert psychiatric membership, in addition to the best scientifically-driven policy understanding, in order to influence government action on mental health and physician practice for the best interests of our patients, our members, and the profession. Four areas make up DGR: Federal Relations, Legislative Research & Policy, Political Relations & Grassroots, and State Relations.
The APA’s Communications Division, led by Tanya Bradsher, Chief Communications Officer, serves the communications, public education, marketing and branding needs of the organization, working to inform a variety of stakeholders about the work of the APA, the role of psychiatrists in our health system, and why psychiatry must be valued by society and policymakers.
The Membership Division, led by Jon Fanning, CAE, Chief Membership and RFM-ECP Officer, has strategic responsibility for leading initiatives that contribute to domestic and international membership recruitment and retention. These include working with members, District Branches, State Associations, international organizations, and cross-functionality within the APA to identify and build member value and increase engagement.
The General Counsel’s Office, led by Colleen Coyle, JD, provides legal counsel to the APA Board of Trustees, APA business units and other APA subsidiaries, as well as oversees procurement and helps with mental health parity advocacy and enforcement efforts (e.g., the APA v. Anthem case in Connecticut regarding methodology used for determining physician payment rates which must be similar for mental health and medical/surgical physicians).
TheFinance Department, led by David Keen, CPA, has three primary functions: the safekeeping of the APA and APA Foundation’s financial assets and records; to provide timely and accurate financial information to both the APA and the APA Foundation’s boards; and to work with program and administrative staff to prepare the annual budget, present it to the Board for its review and approval, to track the actual expenses against that budget.
The American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF), led by Daniel Gillison, Executive Director, complements the professionalism of the APA by focusing on the nation’s most pressing mental health issues across our society. As a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the APAF administers programs ranging from meeting the chronically unmet needs of minority populations to conducting innovative research that contributes to the scientific basis of psychiatric practice, to increasing public awareness and removing barriers to mental health care.