APPLETON, Wis. (Aug. 13, 2018) – Catalpa Health, a mental health and wellness service provider for children and adolescents in Northeast Wisconsin, has named Mary Downs as its new President/CEO. Downs joins Catalpa after serving as the executive director of the Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) Foundation. Before her time with the FVTC Foundation, Downs worked at ThedaCare and was involved in the formation of Catalpa in 2012.
“We could not have designed someone more qualified than Mary for this position,” Dave VanderZanden, board chair for Catalpa Health, said. “With her extensive expertise in mental health and her proven track record in leadership, Mary is a tremendous asset for us and I can’t wait to see how she leads Catalpa in transforming the way mental health care is provided to children and teens in our community.”
As a dedicated community volunteer, Downs has served on the board of directors of CHAPS Academy and Samaritan Counseling Center, and is currently a member of the board of directors of NAMI-Fox Valley and LEAVEN. In 2017, Downs was named the Janet Berry Volunteer of the Year for her leadership in mental health.
“I have worked closely with Catalpa since its inception and being given the opportunity to lead such a fantastic organization is an honor.” Downs said. “I am excited to work with the caring professionals at Catalpa to find ways to continue to help children in our community get the mental health care they need.”
Scott Radtke, director of clinic operations and interim president/CEO, will continue at the helm of Catalpa until Downs joins the organization on September 28, 2018.
“On behalf of Catalpa’s board, I would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to Scott for the wonderful job he has done serving as our interim president/CEO,” VanderZanden said. “We are so very fortunate to have Scott and the entire excellent team at Catalpa.”
Since its founding more than five years ago, Catalpa has served more than 20,000 children and teens, and has decreased the wait time for an initial mental health evaluation from 60 days to 3.6 days. The organization has grown from 30 employees to more than 100 and now has offices in Appleton, Oshkosh and Waupaca, in addition to providing care in more than 37 schools.
