Meridian Behavioral Healthcare CEO and leadership

Lauren graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) in 2004 with a BA in Criminology. She is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Lauren has worked in the mental healthcare industry for over 15 years, starting out as a frontline mental health service provider before moving into program management, and eventually risk management, positions. She first served as the Chief Performance Officer (CPO) at Meridian, where she was responsible for regulatory compliance, identifying opportunities and risk mitigation strategies, developed quality improvement plans, worked closely with program managers to achieve key performance measures, and evaluated clinical care to ensure the best possible client outcomes. As the Chief Operating Officer, her current role at Meridian, she overseas medical services, primary care, and support services and ensures the effective operation of these programs.

Richard received his Bachelor’s in Psychology in 1980. In 1981 Richard was awarded a President’s Minority Scholarship and Federal Traineeship award to attend the University of Florida, where he earned his Master of Health Sciences degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. Richard attained a certification as an Addictions Professional and as an Evaluator Supervisor for the State of Florida. He is active in community and statewide organizations; he is currently Vice President for the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association. Richard joined Meridian in 1981 and has held his current position since 2006. As Chief Clinical Officer, Richard oversees a full continuum of mental health and addiction programs for adults and children.

Tonia Werner is a VP, Medical Services/Chief Medical Officer at Meridian Behavioral Healthcare.

Joy attained a BA in Political Science from the University of Florida (UF) in 2000, a MA in Business from Webster University in 2003, a senior level certification as an International Advancement Professional (IAP-S) in 2004, and became a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2018. For close to 20 years, she has served on executive teams at various mission-driven organizations, creating, implementing, and leading growth strategies designed to further organizational goals, build brand identity, and enhance relationships with stakeholders, especially in the communities being served. Her expertise in organizational advancement is the reason Meridian recruited her as the Chief Development Officer (CDO) in 2017.

Melisa joined Meridian in 2005 and started as an HIM Specialist. Over the last 12 years, she has served Meridian as a Billing and Finance Clerk, Contracts Manager, Billing and Collections Manager, EMR Director, Vice President of Health Information Services, and is currently serving as Vice President and Chief Information Officer. As CIO, her teams include technology, technical infrastructure, business intelligence, data analytics, electronic medical records, and health information management. The work involves planning, implementation, and support of innovations as well as ongoing health information operations across the organization. While often leveraging technology for improvement, the focus is always on improving the delivery of care.