Michael Orth, MSW
Commissioner
Westchester County Dept. of Community Mental Health

Michael serves as the Commissioner of the Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) in Westchester County. He was appointed to serve as the Commissioner in January 2018 after serving as Deputy Commissioner since 2009.  He has worked with the Department of Community Mental Health since 1993 spending over 16 years in Children’s Mental Health Services. In this capacity he led the development of Westchester’s System of Care for children with emotional, social and behavioral challenges, and their families. He served as both the first CCSI and C-SPOA Coordinator for the county and also was responsible for Westchester’s successful SAMHSA – System of Care grant.

Michael leads several planning efforts in Westchester, including serving as Co-Chair of the Suicide Prevention and Awareness Task Force, the Coordinated Children’s Services Initiative (CCSI) Committee, the Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities Committee, the Psychological Mental Health Response Team, and Westchester County’s Response to Opioid Task Force. Michael serves on several NY State behavioral health advisory committees.

Michael has served on the CLMHD Executive Board as both 2nd Vice-Chair and 1st Vice-Chair and has been appointed to several state-level bodies, including the NYS Behavioral Health Services Advisory Council, the Daniels Law Task Force, the Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center Advisory Council, the NYS Opioid Settlement Board, and the NYS Behavioral Health Integration Planning Council.

First Vice-Chair

Suzanne Lavigne, MHA, CASAC-M
Director of Community Services
Franklin County Community Services

Suzanne has served as Director of Community Services for Franklin County since September 2009. She has 35+ years of experience in mental hygiene services and has worked with youth and adults in intellectual/ developmental disabilities and behavioral health. Suzanne received her graduate degree in Healthcare Administration from Seton Hall University and is credentialed by the Office of Addiction Services and Supports as a Master Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC).

Suzanne was previously a Program Surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) from 2005-2009 and served as an adjunct faculty member in the Human Services Department of North Country Community College (2004-2017). She is a certified Bridges out of Poverty Trainer. Suzanne is Chair of the CLMHD Addiction Services and Recovery Committee, and also serves on the NYS Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Council.

2nd Vice-Chair

Sarah Nies, LMHC-D
Director of Community Services
Schoharie County Community Services Board

Sarah Nies serves as the Director of Community Services for Schoharie County, New York.   She was appointed to serve as the Director in October 2022.  Prior to this role, she was the Chemical Dependency Program Coordinator and before that, the CCSI/SPOA Program Coordinator at the Office of Community Services.    Sarah has worked for the county for ten years.  Sarah has previously worked for community-based organizations, in educational settings and for a hospital system.

Working in a rural county setting, Sarah understands the importance of building practical, sustainable solutions that reflect the strengths and challenges of local communities.  She provides leadership and oversight for the county’s community behavioral health system. In this role, she works to strengthen access to high-quality mental health, substance use, and supportive services for county residents, while helping ensure that care is coordinated, community-based, and responsive to local needs.  She is committed to a person-centered approach that values dignity, recovery, resilience, and the importance of community connection.

In addition to her role as Director of Community Services in Schoharie County and serves as chair of various committees that naturally stem from this role.  Sarah serves as the Project Manager for the Compliance Program for Schoharie County and mentor’s other county staff.   Sarah is the vice chair of the Mental Health sub-committee for the New York State Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors, and she serves on the GLOWS Mental Health Statewide Advisory Board.  She also serves as the Secretary for the Mohawk Valley Behavioral Health IPA. Sarah was recently elected to her local school board where she has sat on the Citizens Budget and Strategic Planning Committees as a parent representative.    

Secretary

Jean-Marie Niebuhr, LCSW-R
Commissioner, Director of Community Services
Dutchess County Department of Mental Health

Jean-Marie Niebuhr, LCSW-R, is a behavioral health leader with more than two decades of experience in community mental health, substance use services, prevention, crisis response, and systems leadership. She currently serves as Commissioner and Director of Community Services for the Dutchess County Department of Mental Health, a department of more than 100 dedicated employees serving the community in a wide range of roles. Under her leadership, the department oversees innovative and essential programs including an Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) licensed alternative-to-incarceration program, a New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) licensed Intensive Outpatient Program, and a regional 988 call center serving Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan counties. Jean-Marie has served as Director of Community Services since 2020 and became Commissioner in 2024.

In her leadership role, Jean-Marie oversees community mental health, addiction, and intellectual and developmental disability services across Dutchess County while working collaboratively with community partners, healthcare providers, law enforcement, schools, and state agencies to strengthen behavioral health systems and improve access to care. Throughout her career, she has led numerous countywide initiatives related to opioid overdose prevention, suicide prevention, crisis intervention, recovery-oriented services, and community education. She has served as Chair of the Dutchess County Opioid Task Force and the Resiliency Council for Suicide Prevention and currently chairs the Dutchess County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and the Dutchess County Threat Assessment Group.

Prior to her leadership roles in county government, Jean-Marie held clinical and supervisory positions in outpatient mental health clinics, special education settings, residential treatment, and private practice. She earned her Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University School of Social Work and her Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy from State University of New York at New Paltz. Outside of work, Jean-Marie enjoys spending time with her rescue pups, Oliver and Elmer.

Treasurer

Richelle Gregory, M.Ed.
Director of Community Services
Clinton County Community Services Board

Richelle Gregory is the Clinton County Director of Community Services, serving as chief executive officer of the Community Services Board, the local government unit for the NYS Offices of Mental Health, Addiction Services and Supports, and People With Developmental Disabilities. She also directs the county’s Mental Health and Addictions outpatient clinic. She holds several leadership roles, including Chair of CLMHD's Children and Families Committee and lead partner on the Systems of Care implementation. Active in her community, Richelle teaches law enforcement mental health, serves on the Executive Committee of the local YMCA, and is a trustee of the University of Vermont Health Network–CVPH. In 2024, she was honored as a Woman of Distinction by NYS Assemblyman Billy Jones.

Previously, Richelle was the founding executive director of the Clinton County District Attorney’s Child Advocacy Center, where she developed and piloted a regional model serving Clinton, Essex, and Franklin counties and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. The initiative created multidisciplinary teams to prevent and investigate child abuse. Her work continues to focus on strengthening systems for vulnerable populations, with a priority on trauma education and resiliency. She collaborates with partners to promote practices that buffer the effects of trauma, has served on Clinton County’s Law Enforcement Review Committee, and is currently working with law enforcement and behavioral health agencies to develop a crisis intervention team.