Christy Power

Chief Operating Officer with 18+ years leading medical and behavioral health practices across multi-state nonprofit health and human services organizations.

My core strength is executive leadership: running and managing the day-to-day operations of clinical practices (primary care, dental, pharmacy, psychiatric, and behavioral health) across 21+ sites in two states, and building the leadership teams that keep them running well. Alongside that, I bring finance, HR, IT, compliance, and legal oversight, plus grant writing, grant management, and project management skills that support the practices I lead. I work at a pace that's more for-profit than nonprofit without losing sight of the mission, and boards, funders, and community partners get a direct, operational partner rather than a distant executive.

Founder & Principal | Principal Consultant / Subject Matter Expert – Operational Lead - Power of Wellness | Wellbeing in Action - Independent Consultant, National (Based in Alabama)

(2024)

• Partner with nonprofit behavioral health and primary care organizations across Alabama, Missouri, Vermont, and Illinois to strengthen operational infrastructure, quality systems, and compliance readiness.
• Guide agency leadership teams through Certified Community Behavioral Health Company implementation, advising on operational infrastructure, the Medicaid Prospective Payment System (PPS) reimbursement model, change management, performance measurement, and regulatory compliance from designation through sustainment.
• Lead organizational assessments, policy development, and CCBHC/Federally Qualified Health Center implementation, advising executive teams and boards on scalable operating models and strategic growth.
• Design and develop care coordination programs for client organizations, building the scopes of work, referral workflows, and cross-agency partnership agreements that connect behavioral health, primary care, and community-based services, and redesign internal workflows across the agency to improve continuity of care and strengthen the accuracy and usability of the data behind it.
• Design QAPI frameworks and partner with IT on data-driven dashboards, giving leadership teams the tools to monitor performance, outcomes, and fidelity to evidence-based practices.
• Oversee the grantsmanship process and department for client organizations, managing the full grant lifecycle from prospect research and proposal writing through award negotiation, budgeting, and compliance reporting, and putting the project management structure in place to keep grant-funded programs on schedule.
• Use AI tools where they save real time (policy drafts, documentation review, gap analysis) while keeping the judgment calls with the client's leadership team.
• Provide training and technical assistance on regulatory standards (HRSA, SAMHSA, CARF, CMS) and audit preparation, supporting organizations through complex accreditation and compliance transitions.
• Advise on community access and health equity strategies, ensuring underserved populations (Veterans, unhoused, justice-involved) receive equitable care.

Regional Chief Operating Officer - Brightli / Preferred Family Healthcare - Missouri & Illinois

(2022 - 2024)

• Served as CEO's operational partner, providing executive leadership and day-to-day oversight across 21 FQHC and behavioral health sites in two states including residential and outpatient SUD/MH programs, primary care, dental, pharmacy, and psychiatric services.
• Led and integrated core operational functions including finance, HR, compliance, IT, and administration, ensuring alignment with organizational mission and strategic goals.
• Partnered with finance business partner on all agency budgeting and forecasting; managed all HR functions through the growth phase overseeing recruitment, credentialing, and employee relations until HR was built out as a standalone division.
• Engaged directly with the Board of Directors, providing operational reporting, governance support, and strategic updates; served as organizational representative with state associations, payers, and community partners.
• Built and managed MOUs, care coordination agreements, and stakeholder partnerships across the service region, giving agencies a formal framework for cross-agency referrals, data sharing, and integrated care.
• Defined enterprise performance metrics and partnered with IT on the dashboards behind them, enabling data-driven accountability across all sites, service lines, and leadership teams.
• Led the organization through CCBHC implementation and certification readiness, standing up the Medicaid PPS reimbursement structure, performance metrics, quality measures, and regulatory reporting behind it.
• Recruited, credentialed, and directly supervised senior clinical and medical leadership (Medical Directors, Dental Directors, Psychiatric leadership), holding them accountable to mission standards.
• Led CARF and HRSA site reviews and drove continuous improvement through site audits, achieving multiple zero-deficiency state and HRSA surveys; led large-scale change management through post-acquisition integration across two states.

Sr. EVP of Operations – Community Health | VP, Integrated Health Services - Preferred Family Healthcare - Hannibal, MO / Quincy, IL

(2018 - 2022)

• Directed multi-state operations for integrated care and behavioral health programs including CCBHCs and FQHCs, overseeing finance, compliance, HR, and program delivery.
• Served as Project Director for multiple HRSA and SAMHSA federal grants, from proposal writing through award: built grant budgets, managed project timelines and deliverables, and kept compliance and performance reporting on schedule.
• Developed and managed external stakeholder relationships, MOUs, and care coordination agreements with community partners, referral networks, and payers to support integrated service delivery.
• Championed culture of continuous improvement and accountability, leading successful CARF reaccreditations and QAPI program overhauls.
• Used data-driven insights to refine workflows, panel sizes, and staffing models, improving access, productivity, and contribution margins across key service lines.
• Authored and was awarded an Innovation Grant to develop a health home model for justice-involved individuals, then led full implementation from design to execution.
• Directed integrated primary care and behavioral health service lines serving SMI, SUD, Veterans, unhoused, and high-risk Medicaid populations.

Director of Behavioral Health | Program Director | Clinical Manager - Preferred Family Healthcare / Clarity Healthcare

(2014 - 2018)

• Provided leadership for outpatient and residential behavioral health programs, supervising multidisciplinary teams and ensuring compliance with state and accreditation standards.
• Conducted internal quality reviews, led staff training initiatives, and authored policy and compliance manuals.
• Managed corrective action planning and performance improvement based on audit findings.

Therapist, Quality Supervisor, and Clinical Process Manager - Missouri & Illinois

Earlier Roles

• Residential and outpatient behavioral health settings

M.S. - Mental Health Counseling - Walden University

B.S. - Criminal Justice - Quincy University

Community Health Center Executive Fellowship (CHCEF) - University of Kansas