City of Tulsa hires first Chief Mental Health Officer

TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa announced the hiring of Dr. Rebecca Hubbard to fill the role of the City’s first Chief Mental Health Officer, which will be a part of the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Equity. This new position will be responsible for applying a mental health lens to the city’s work and increasing collaboration among mental health programs, crisis response systems, and related services. The new role was the result of a recommendation from the Housing, Homelessness, and Mental Health Task Force and was funded in the FY 23-24 budget.

“Mental Health has been a consistent priority during my time as mayor and I am excited to see this position come to fruition,” said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum. “This position will focus specifically on developing and implementing a comprehensive mental health agenda for Tulsa with an initial focus on strategies to support youth mental health and crisis response services. I have full confidence in Dr. Hubbard to make a huge impact on mental health services in Tulsa through this position.”

The position will also include building the inventory of services and recommendations from the Children’s Mental Health and Family Resilience Commission, developing a community engagement strategy to increase public awareness about mental health, establishing agreements to execute the crisis system protocol with public safety departments and organizations, and more. The position will also serve as the Deputy Chief Resilience Officer.

“The City of Tulsa has taken an important step in further advancing resilience in Tulsa. Improving the mental health and well-being our residents, especially the most vulnerable among us, is part of our resilience strategy,” said Chief Resilience Officer Krystal Reyes. “The city is lucky to have Rebecca join us and spearhead the city’s work to provide increased coordination and community connection, using a systems level approach to improving services, and filling gaps as they emerge in our crisis response and mental health systems.”

“The City of Tulsa’s creation of the Chief Mental Health Officer role confirms its extraordinary commitment to the health and well-being of Tulsans. This is an exceptional opportunity to not only support our city’s response to mental health, but also to support those serving our neighbors who are struggling with their mental health,” said Dr. Hubbard. “I look forward to working with partners across the city to apply a mental health lens in our everyday work, facilitate a focused and coordinated effort in our mental health crisis responses, identify and resolve gaps in our mental health system, and support related services and efforts to further advance Tulsa as a resilient, inclusive, and equitable community to live and grow.”

Hubbard has a Ph. D in Human Sciences with a focus in Human Development and Family Science from Oklahoma State University. She also holds a Master of Science in Professional Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

With over 30 years of experience in various roles related to psychology and mental health, Hubbard brings a wide variety of skills and knowledge to the Mental Health Coordinator position. She served as the Director of Outreach, Prevention and Education at the Mental Health Association Oklahoma and most recently worked as the Program Director for Oklahoma Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health Access Program (OKCAMAP) through the OSU Center for Health Sciences. Hubbard also served as an adjunct assistant professor and instructor of record at two local universities teaching several classes including Addiction in the Family, Adolescent Development, Vocational and Occupational Guidance, and Human Growth and Development.

Hubbard facilitates the Oklahoma Children’s Mental Health and Resilience Coalition, is a Tulsa National Alliance on Mental Illness board member and served as the co-chair for the Youth Mental Health and Family Resilience Commission.