Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health Appoints New Program Officer

June 1, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas –The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health today announced the appointment of Deborah Berndt, M.Ed., as a program officer. Berndt, a leading expert in the state's mental health services system, will focus on building the Foundation's mental health policy initiatives.

"We are delighted to have someone of Ms. Berndt's stature and experience join our staff," said Executive Director Dr. King Davis. "Her rich background and deep knowledge of the Texas system will be invaluable as we work to inform effective mental health service delivery in the state."

Prior to her Foundation appointment, Berndt worked as a consultant in mental health policy development and strategic planning to both public and private organizations. She began consulting to the Foundation in the fall of 2004, at which time she assisted the Foundation in managing its Special Mental Health Services Initiative Request for Proposals process. Following that project, she provided invaluable assistance to the Foundation in its strategic planning process and in the development of its Integrated Health Care and Cultural Adaptation grant programs.

From 1998 to 2004, Berndt was the Director of Children's Services for the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TDMHMR), an agency now subsumed in part under the Texas Department of State Health Services. In this role, she was responsible for policy and program development for the public mental health system for children. Berndt provided leadership to the agency in numerous initiatives, including the formulation and implementation of the Resiliency and Disease Management Initiative, the promotion of systems of care for children's mental health, and the development of child behavioral health policy for the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs.

Before joining TDMHMR, Berndt honed her mental health policy expertise as a Senior Policy Analyst with the Texas Commission on Children and Youth and as the Director of Public Policy for the Mental Health Association in Texas.

Berndt received her Master of Education in Counseling Psychology and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health is an administrative unit of The University of Texas at Austin. For over 65 years, the Hogg Foundation has accomplished its mandate through grantmaking to mental health services, research, policy, and public education projects in the state of Texas.