Army Vet, Social Worker Tapped as Behavioral Health Policy Chief

(Springfield, IL) – One of Illinois’ leading behavioral health advocacy groups has hired a former, decorated U.S. Army infantry soldier, social worker, and Springfield resident to be the organization’s new policy advocacy chief.

The Illinois Association for Behavioral Health has added Mississippi native Rick Brown to its upper ranks of leadership as the Springfield-based trade association’s new director of public policy.

Brown, a decorated U.S. Army veteran who also served in the Illinois National Guard, is completing his degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield in social work.

“As a decorated soldier and a soon-to-be social worker, Rick's personal story of trauma and triumph provides him with the necessary life skills to educate policy makers about addiction issues with a boots-on-the-ground perspective like no other,” said Illinois Association for Behavioral Health CEO Jud DeLoss. “Rick's ability to speak first-hand, hard truths about harrowing trauma and the healing and hope that comes with recovery equips him to build durable, valuable, and productive relationships – an ideal skill as a behavioral health public policy advocate.”

After graduating from Coahoma Agricultural High School in Clarksdale, Mississippi (pop. 15,734), an agricultural region located in the northwestern corner of the state, Brown joined the United States Army School of Infantry Training in Fort Benning Georgia and served from December of 1984 until March of 1988 on active duty. He served in the Mississippi Army National Guard from 1988 until 1993 and transferred his national guard service to Illinois in 1993, serving until December of 1995.

“Candid about his recovery.”

“Brown has been candid about his path to recovery,” said DeLoss. “His life story serves him well in the work that he will be engaged in on behalf of Illinois Association for Behavioral Health, its members, and the thousands of Illinois residents in need of mental health and addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery services.”

“My work will be to ensure that Illinois public policymakers in the Pritzker Administration and the Illinois General Assembly keep behavioral health at the forefront of their policy priorities,” said Brown. “My message to policy makers will be an unvarnished advocacy of the need for Illinois to embrace best practices and improved funding and a personal, lived experience account that highlights our current behavioral health system’s flaws and needed fixes.”

Brown officially reported to his new post on July 1.

davidormsby@davidormsby.com