Washington, D.C. (January 14, 2025) – National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute (NRI) is pleased to welcome Carrie Slatton-Hodges as its new Executive Director and CEO. Slatton-Hodges has started in the role and is currently working alongside Tim Knettler during the transition. Knettler has served as Executive Director and CEO of the organization for 12 years and will be retiring on February 1.
Slatton-Hodges has extensive clinical and leadership expertise in the mental health field. She joined NRI from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), where she served as Senior Behavioral Health Advisor. She previously held several key roles at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, where she started as Director of Community Based Services, advanced to Deputy Commissioner, and was then promoted to Commissioner. Slatton-Hodges has also held positions at Red Rock Behavioral Health, including Director of Emergency Services, Regional Program Director, and Chief Operating Officer.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Southern Nazarene University and a master’s degree in applied psychology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Slatton-Hodges is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
She is an active volunteer in the field and previously served on the boards of directors of NASMHPD and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD). Slatton-Hodges was honored with NASADAD’s State Service Award in 2022.
About National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute
NRI is a national not-for-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to informing the public behavioral health system. NRI has national and state-level information on over seven million consumers served by state behavioral health systems each year and collects data on the more than $38 billion expended financing these services. NRI evaluates these data on national, state, and regional levels to help states better plan, budget, and evaluate the delivery of their services. NRI also provides quality improvement and performance measurement services for psychiatric hospitals through data analysis and support, technical assistance, and reporting services to meet The Joint Commission reporting requirements, ultimately improving the delivery of care in inpatient settings.
For more information, please visit www.nri-inc.org.
