FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kelsey McGillis – kelsey@steinberginstitute.org
Sacramento, CA — [June 1, 2026] — The CEO Alliance for Mental Health, a groundbreaking coalition of leaders representing 15 mental health organizations, today announced new leadership posts.
Karen Larsen, CEO of the Steinberg Institute, has been named Chair, and Anthony Estreet, CEO of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) will serve as Vice Chair. This leadership transition will allow the organization to further strengthen collective action and accelerate impact at a moment when the need for unified leadership in mental health has never been more urgent.
Larsen succeeds outgoing chair Rebecca O. Bagley, President and CEO of The Kennedy Forum. Estreet succeeds outgoing vice chair Andy Keller, PhD, President and CEO of Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.
“This Alliance represents what we must all strive for during these difficult times, coming together and finding areas of alignment in order to improve the lives of those living with mental health and substance use conditions,” said Larsen. “It is my absolute honor and privilege to work alongside a group of such inspirational leaders in this field. I’m excited to serve as Chair during this important time.”
As the Chief Executive Officers of 15 of our country’s leading mental health organizations, the Alliance represents millions of members, hundreds of thousands of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and thousands of communities, hospital provider systems, and voters in all 50 states and territories.
The work of the Alliance is guided by the organization’s Unified Vision for Transforming Mental Health and Substance Use Care:
- Promote good mental health and the vital conditions necessary to prevent the development of a mental health condition, support suicide and overdose prevention and optimize mental wellbeing for all.
- Promote screenings, detection and interventions as early as possible.
- Ensure effective clinical care that is accessible and affordable.
- Create a crisis continuum of care that emphasizes healthcare over criminal justice intervention and ensures all people can get the type of help they need, when and where they need it.
The Alliance meets regularly to identify ongoing challenges and opportunities in mental health and substance use care. Leveraging a unified voice of leading organizations in the space, the Alliance stands at the forefront of behavioral health policy. Over this past year, the Alliance published a vision statement and guiding principles on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in behavioral health, and we look forward to issuing similar statements around Psychedelic Assisted Treatments.
“This Alliance represents a diverse cross-section of vulnerable populations,” said Estreet. “It’s our job, as leaders of these individual organizations, to come together, establish common goals, and do the necessary work to reach those goals.”
About the CEO Alliance for Mental Health
The CEO Alliance for Mental Health is a collaborative of executive leaders from 15 national organizations dedicated to transforming mental health in America. Together, the Alliance works to advance equitable access, improve care systems, and promote innovation through strategic partnerships and shared leadership.
Member Organizations Include:
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- American Psychiatric Association
- American Psychological Association
- Massachusetts Association for Mental Health
- Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
- Mental Health America
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- National Association for Behavioral Healthcare
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
- National Council for Mental Wellbeing
- One Mind
- Peg’s Foundation
- Steinberg Institute
- The Kennedy Forum
- Treatment Advocacy Center