Tim Stanley
Tulsa World Staff Writer
One of Tulsa’s oldest service agencies has named a successor to its longtime president and chief executive officer.
Family & Children’s Services officials revealed last week that Dr. Adam Andreassen, a leader in behavioral health care in Missouri, has accepted an offer to take Gail Lapidus’ place upon her retirement.
Lapidus announced recently that she plans to retire in December from the agency, which she has led for the last 38 years.
Andreassen is chief operating officer for Columbia, Missouri-based Brightli, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit behavioral health and addiction treatment providers.
He will take over as president and CEO of F&CS effective Dec. 1, officials said.
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“Gail and F&CS are known among community mental health centers throughout the United States for their quality and creativity,” Andreassen said. “She is leaving behind an extremely strong team and organization. I am committed to ensuring we honor that legacy with continued growth as we relentlessly pursue ensuring quality access to care.”
Andreassen, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Forest Institute in Springfield, Missouri, has also served as the president and CEO of the National Psychology Training Consortium, an organization that provides doctoral psychology internships to member agencies.
Brightli is the parent organization of Burrell Behavioral Health, which has sites in 18 Missouri counties.
F&CS, which turned 100 years old in 2021, serves some of Tulsa’s most vulnerable populations, with a focus on families and children in crisis, abused children, and Tulsans struggling with addiction and mental health challenges.
“Adam is a dedicated leader who shares F&CS’s commitment to providing quality access to care,” Lapidus said. “I’m confident that the future of F&CS is bright, and the organization will continue to make a real difference in the lives of so many.”
Under Lapidus, F&CS grew from a small family service provider into what it is today: an organization with a $153 million budget, a workforce of 1,200 and a network of eight accessible locations across the city, along with 25 co-located sites within various organizations.
Andreassen said he met Lapidus and the F&CS team for the first time in 2020.
“I was immediately impressed with their innovation and passion for access in the thriving city of Tulsa,” he said. “But I never imagined the story would lead to the point of joining this amazing system in such a dynamic and passionate community.”
“Access to behavioral health care,” he added, “is vital for the health and well-being of every community. Access is a concept more than a place; it is more than being open for business. Every barrier to care must be removed.”
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