Worcester County CEOs elected to board of statewide advocacy organization

Photos I Courtesy of Association for Behavioral Healthcare (From left) Sarah Glenn-Smith and Tammy Mello

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Two Worcester County CEOs have joined the board of the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, a Framingham-based statewide nonprofit composed of more than 80 providers of community-based behavioral healthcare.

The board’s newest members are Sarah Glenn-Smith, CEO of The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, and Tammy Mello, president and CEO of Key Program out of Westborough, according to a Monday press release from ABH.

Both will serve two-year terms for the advocacy group supporting mental health and addiction services throughout the commonwealth.

Prior to joining The Learning Center for the Deaf, Glenn-Smith worked at Kaleida Health as the New York-based health care provider’s president of ambulatory and outpatient services and president of its joint radiology initiative.

Before that position, she served as COO of PLS 3rd Learning, an online educational platform, and health care management firm The Exigence Group, both out of New York.

“Sarah is a veteran healthcare and education executive with leadership experience in a major healthcare system and a provider organization, making her the perfect addition to our board,” ABH President and CEO Lydia Conley said in the release. “She understands first-hand the challenges facing providers and the steps needed to overcome these challenges.”

She graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with her bachelor’s degree in psychology, earned her master’s degree in business administration from University at Buffalo, and received a master’s degree and doctorate in conflict analysis and resolution from Nova Southeastern University.

Mello held a number of executive positions before assuming her current position leading Key Program, a nonprofit offering support services to children with behavioral and mental health challenges.

She previously served as executive director of the Boston-based Children’s League of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Governor's Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking, in addition to working at Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services as director of violence prevention.

Mello graduated from Westfield State University with her bachelor’s degree in science and criminal justice.

“Tammy brings to our board extensive experience as a successful advocate for children and families in the Commonwealth,” Conley said in the release. “She has been a forceful advocate within state government, as an advocacy association executive, and now as a provider organization CEO. I look forward to her contributions as we work to strengthen community behavioral healthcare.”

Glenn-Smith and Mello join several other community health care leaders on ABH’s board, including Beth Barto, CEO of LUK, Inc. in Fitchburg, Susan Gentili, president and CEO of South Middlesex Opportunity Council in Framingham, Ken Bates, president and CEO of Open Sky Community Services, Diane Gould, president and CEO of Advocates, Kurt Isaacson, CEO of Spectrum Health Systems, and Kathleen Jordan, president and CEO of Seven Hills Foundation, all in Worcester.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.