OhioMHAS recently announced the appointment of Melissa Bacon as Deputy Director for Behavioral Health Policy. Bacon is an experienced policy professional with more than 25 years in legislative and executive state government. As Deputy Director for the Bureau of Behavioral Health Policy, Bacon will work with the OhioMHAS leadership team to formulate the policies, strategies, procedures, and administrative rules necessary for defining agency goals and objectives. She will also develop policy papers to communicate key positions and initiatives.

Most recently, Bacon served as the director of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Ohio where she helped to advance research and data-driven policies to support the health and early education of Ohio’s youngest children and their families. Before joining Groundwork Ohio, Bacon worked as the director of government affairs and stakeholder engagement for OCALI, a non-partisan organization advancing policies that improve the lives of people with autism and related developmental disabilities.