Welcome Session
Setting the Stage, Goals, and Priorities for the Summit.
— Sarah Potter, MPA, NCDHHS Division of MHDDSAS and Secretary Mandy Cohen, MD, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)
Sarah Potter, MPA, NCDHHS Division of MHDDSAS
Sarah Potter is the Team Leader for the Prevention and Early Intervention section of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. Previously she served as President of Creative Alliance where she specialized in program development and evaluation, strategic planning, and resource development. She has also served as Director of Program Development for the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association and Policy Specialist for Illinois Office of the Attorney General. Mrs. Potter’s experience has involved successful collaborative public-private partnerships between workforce development, education, economic development, and business communities as well as working partnerships with courts, law enforcement, public health and mental health agencies. Mrs. Potter received her Master’s Degree of Public Administration and Undergraduate Degree of Social Work from Southern Illinois University.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, NCDHHS Secretary
Cohen is an internal medicine physician and has experience leading complex health organizations. Before coming to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services she was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She brings a deep understanding of health care to the state and has been responsible for implementing policies for Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Federal Marketplace. A graduate of Cornell University, she received her medical degree from Yale School of Medicine, a Master’s in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health and trained in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.