Dr. Leta D. Smith
About Leta D. Smith, Ph.D.
Dr. Smith is an Expert Consultant and Monitor in Behavioral Healthcare System Management. She has over 30 years of successful executive leadership in the start-up, management, improvement and monitoring of public and private systems of care and treatment serving children and adults with serious and complex needs in the justice system and community.
Dr. Smith has served as:
- NYS Director of Mental Health Services and Priority Initiatives for Office of Children and Family Services providing overall leadership and development of the essential components of the NYS system of care and treatment for youth in the thirty-three (33) juvenile facilities and in the community, as well as Priority Initiatives of: Re-entry, LGBT, Trauma, Tele-psychiatry, Education, Workforce Development;
- MHM Services’ Clinical Operations Specialist and Consultant supporting successful attainment and operationalization of statewide medical and mental health service contracts for adults and youth in MA, TN, MN, CT, GA, MI, MO, IN, AL corrections and the community;
- New Jersey’s Independent Expert State Monitor for NJ Office of Children and Families and Office of the Advocate over the state’s largest private provider of community-based behavioral and medical healthcare services for their most troubled youth;
- Ohio’s Expert Mental Health Federal Court Monitor in the federal class action lawsuit concerning the inadequacies of Ohio’s juvenile justice behavioral health system (S.H et al. v Stickrath);
- NYS Onondaga County Mental Health Expert in design of their Justice Center and staff trainings;
- CA Consultant Director of Program Operations for Community Oriented Correctional Healthcare Services (COCHS) to support continuity of care between jails and community;
- NYS Director of Forensics for the Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities responsible for the OPWDD adult secure facility and community programs, and new initiatives to address interagency and children’s needs;
- Founding Executive Director of FMHI a private not-for-profit court-based diversion program for adults and children to prevent unnecessary out-of-home placement and institutionalization, as well as training, short-term treatment and linkage for mental health, substance abuse, and other needed services within their communities;
- Director of Community Services for New York March of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation in charge of fundraising and collaborating with community organizations to provide research, funding, training, and systems to address co-occurring medical and behavioral disorders;
- NYS Assembly Speaker’s Lead Administrative Analyst concerning economies and effectiveness of proposed legislation involving community and correctional behavioral and physical healthcare for children and adults;
- NYS Office of Mental Health Commissioner’s Special Projects Manager of statewide operations and budget for children and youth, correctional mental health and geriatrics;
- NYS Senate Commission on Child Welfare Project Leader to develop legislative reform of juvenile justice and child welfare systems and standards.
Community Leadership Service:
Dr. Smith has served as President of the Board of Education of a large NYS School District; Member of the Community Budget Advisory Committee; and was honored with an appointment to the National Juvenile Healthcare Committee of the National Commission of Correctional Healthcare. She also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Correctional Mental Health Report.
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