AURORA | Aurora Mental Health has a new chief executive officer, only the second person to have that title in the past 40 years.
Kelly Phillips-Henry was named the successor to Randy Stith after the former head of Aurora Mental Health stepped down after 40 years at the organization he essentially created and grew. She took over the position at the beginning of July.
Phillips-Henry most recently served as the leader for Mental Health Partners in Boulder where she headed an organization with multiple locations that served about 35,000 clients annually.
“I am honored to have been selected to succeed Dr. Randy Stith as CEO of Aurora Mental Health Center,” Phillips-Henry said in press release. “Randy leaves a strong legacy of service and collaboration in the Aurora community, and I look forward to working with the Board of Directors, staff and community partners to carry on the mission of Aurora Mental Health Center.”
Along with her most recent position with Mental Health Partners, Phillips-Henry has spent 22 years in the mental health field in various positions. She is a U.S. Air Force veteran, where she served in a leadership role at the Air Force academy in Colorado Springs.
“(Phillips-Henry) brings both executive leadership experience in community based mental health and knowledge of the complex Colorado health system, which faces new challenges this year,” said Harrison Cochran, Aurora Mental Health board president, in a release.
Phillips-Henry was hired after a national search that started after Stith announced his retirement in January. Stith, who was hired by Aurora Mental Health in 1978, led the organization through significant growth and changes and was recognized for his work nationally and by City of Aurora, especially in the aftermath of the theater shootings in 2012.
“That was the hardest single year of my career and the hardest single week of my career as a psychologist,” Stith told the Sentinel in February after announcing his retirement. “You watch this city you love going through such pain, so many people including your staff, clients directly impacted.”