Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

Mental Health Advocate Brings Expertise to Hogg Foundation’s National Advisory Council

May 8, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas – The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health welcomes its newest National Advisory Council member, Dennis Mohatt of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).

The foundation’s 10-member council advises staff on strategic direction and potential funding initiatives. Council members have Texas-based or national expertise in mental health, consumer advocacy, philanthropy and other fields related to the foundation’s mission of promoting the mental health of all Texans.

“We are pleased to collaborate with a remarkable, dedicated member of the mental health field,” said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation. “Dennis brings a strong background and expertise in community-based health programs to the foundation and has a drive to better systems of care.”

Mohatt currently serves as the vice president of behavioral health and director of the mental health program at WICHE. The WICHE mental health program works with 15 states to improve systems of care for persons with mental illness and their families, and to advance the preparation of a qualified mental health workforce in the West.

Previously, Mohatt served as deputy director for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services where he led initiatives for public assistance, rural health, primary care disabilities, child welfare and Medicaid. Among other national positions, Mohatt served on the National Rural Health Advisory Committee to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and later served as a consultant to the Rural Issues Subcommittee of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.

Mohatt holds a Master of Arts degree in rural community-clinical psychology from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania.

The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by supporting mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Governor James S. Hogg and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.