About Joan M. Englund

Joan M. Englund is the Executive Director of the Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy Coalition (“MHAC”) and has served in that position since February 2003. The MHAC is comprised of over 120 organizations around the state of Ohio, including: behavioral health agencies serving both adults and children, health and human service agencies, the faith based community, government and advocacy organizations, major medical institutions, and the corporate arena. The MHAC fosters education and awareness of mental health and addiction issues while advocating for public policies and strategies that support effective, well-funded services, systems and supports for those in need, resulting in stronger Ohio communities. As the MHAC Executive Director, Ms. Englund has advocated extensively at the local and state levels regarding behavioral health public policy issues. Additionally, she provides administrative and strategic support for MHAC membership and leadership, working with consultants and local and statewide organizations and coalitions to achieve MHAC goals.

Prior to serving as the MHAC Executive Director, Ms. Englund was the Director of Advancement and Legal Affairs for Bridgeway, Inc., a Cuyahoga County mental health agency.  In this role, she provided legal management for a network of mental health and recovery services, developed and implemented marketing tools, managed new property acquisitions, coordinated strategic plan development, and conducted annual campaigns.   Additional responsibilities included government relations, oversight of HIPAA compliance, planning and coordination of fundraisers and special events, and procurement and maintenance of insurance coverage.

From 1995 to 1998, Ms. Englund served as the Legal Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, directing a coalition of statewide volunteer attorneys addressing a wide variety of constitutional issues, including separation of church and state, search and seizure, prisoners’ rights, freedom of speech, reproductive rights, and freedom of the press.  From 1988 to 1995, Ms. Englund was a litigation associate in the Cleveland office of Arter and Hadden. She represented varied clients, including pharmaceutical companies, major medical centers, a women’s reproductive services clinic, and insurance companies.

 Ms. Englund obtained both her Bachelor of Science Degree, in Social Work, and her law degree from The Ohio State University.

About Loren Anthes

Loren Anthes serves as the and leads Community Solutions’ Center for Medicaid Policy. Anthes has significant public and private sector experience and has worked extensively with both legislative and executive branches of local, state and federal governments. He also holds board and committee positions with the May Dugan Center, Magnolia Clubhouse and Brite Winter and is a lecturer at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine specializing in quality improvement and health systems science. Anthes holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Ohio University and a Health Care Master of Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace University.

About Habeebah R. Grimes

Habeebah R. Grimes is the Chief Executive Officer of the Positive Exchange Program. Serving our community’s most vulnerable children has been Grimes’ life’s work. She first joined PEP in 1999 as a one-on-one aide. After earning her master’s in clinical psychology and a specialization in school psychology from Cleveland State University, Grimes returned to PEP as a clinical supervisor for one of its Day Treatment Centers. After being promoted to the chief clinical officer role in 2015, Grimes led PEP’s embrace and ultimate certification in evidence-based, trauma-informed practices, working closely with The ChildTrauma Academy. She is a graduate of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders program. In 2015, Crain’s Cleveland Business recognized Grimes as a 40 Under 40 honoree.

About Jean Polster

Jean Polster, RN, MS is of Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP), a Federally Qualified Health Center with locations on Cleveland’s west side. Jean has held this position since 2003, growing the organization to seven locations offering primary medical care, behavioral health, dental, midwifery and pharmacy services.

With over 35 years senior management experience in health and human services, Jean has developed strategies for improving access and quality of care and service in both Ohio and California. She has worked in leadership roles in both hospitals and social service organizations.

Jean serves on several boards in leadership roles including Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, OCHIN – an Oregon based information systems network and Cleveland-based Hispanic Alliance and the Three Arches Foundation. Jean has a BS in Nursing from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and a MS in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health.