Renowned national children’s behavioral health policy advisor, Sheila Pires, appointed Special Assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and then to the White House as Senior Staffing Specialist for President Jimmy Carter. She specialized in recruiting women, minorities and people with diverse cultural backgrounds, abilities, and experiences.
By Patrick Kanary
Sheila Pires, Managing Partner, Human Service Collaborative Core Partner, National TA Network for Children’s Behavioral Health, speaks with former CIP Director and Innovative Conversations host, Patrick Kanary present a national perspective discussing the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFSPA). It is the first installment of a two-part discussion, the second of which will explore Family First from a state-wide perspective in Ohio with Ohio specialists Carla Carpenter, Angela Sausser and Crystal Ward Allen. To listen to FFSPA Part 2, click here.
If you’re lu
cky in your career to meet and work with the caliber of person as Sheila Pires, fortune has truly smiled upon you. Sadly, Sheila recently passed away but her knowledge and wisdom will echo for a very long time. Her legacy is one of an indelible mark on the field of child and family behavioral health and systems of care. Some of you will recognize Sheila as one of our expet guests on our Innovative Conversations podcast series (link here). With her trademark insight, knowledge and ability to explain complex policy initiatives, she guided us though the discussion of the Family First Prevention Services Act. But beyond her wide scope of financing, policy and programs, Sheila brought her kind and thoughtful persona to many colleagues and friends and those she collaborated with.
Visit Innovative Conversations and Listen to Sheila Pires’ Innovative Conversation Session #6
More About Sheila
Sheila A. Pires is a founding partner of the Human Service Collaborative of Washington, D.C., a policy and technical assistance group specializing in child and family service systems. Ms. Pires has over 35 years of experience in national, state, and local government and non-profit agencies serving children, youth and families at risk.
She has held senior staff and management positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the Carter White House. She co-chaired the children’s mental health and substance abuse committee of President Clinton’s Task Force on Health Care Reform and co-authored the children’s issue brief and policy recommendations for President Bush’s New Freedom Mental Health Commission.
In the Obama Administration, she was invited to present on children’s behavioral health at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Grand Rounds. She serves as the Senior Consultant to the Children in Managed Care and Child Health Quality Programs at the Center for Health Care Strategies and is a core partner of the National Technical Assistance Network for Children’s Behavioral Health, co-leading the Network’s work on policy, system design and financing.
Ms. Pires served as Deputy Commissioner of Social Services for the District of Columbia and led a reorganization of the city’s child mental health system as head of child mental health services. She has consulted with most states, as well as counties, cities, neighborhoods, foundations, and family-run organizations, and has authored numerous publications on systems change, including Building Systems of Care: A Primer.
She has served on the National Board of the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health and currently is on the National Advisory Council of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Ms. Pires received her B.A. from Boston University and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.
Read Sheila’s Memorial Bio at Legacy.com Here
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