We are a team of behavioral health experts who care deeply about improving the lives of people with mental health and substance use challenges.
The California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions (CIBHS) is a behavioral health consultancy for systems, organizations, and providers who desire to improve outcomes for people with mental health and substance use challenges. We do this through clinical practice and policy implementation, behavioral health training, evaluation, and customized solutions.
Every person deserves the opportunity to pursue a life that by their definition, provides meaning, purpose & valued identity.
We must all address implicit bias and aggressively deploy collaborative strategies of change that mitigate the impact of racism.
We continually seek efficient, collaborative and equitable solutions to improve the health of individuals and communities.
CIBHS works to improve the ability of behavioral healthcare providers to serve the needs of their clients.
The relationship with our customers is important. Our success is measured by the success of our customers and their constituents.
Cultural and linguistically responsive services are critical. CIBHS employs strategies rooted in co-design to increase inclusivity.
Better outcomes are our true north concerning service delivery.
CIBHS strives to be a catalyst for the delivery of care that is accessible, culturally relevant and delivered with fairness and justice.
Percy Howard, LCSW has 35 years of expertise in private practice, county behavioral health, child welfare systems, nonprofit organizations, and juvenile justice settings. He catalyzed CIBHS’ ability to implement recovery-oriented and family-directed evidence-based practices, change management and evaluation supports throughout California.
Victor Kogler, former executive director of the Alcohol and Other Drug Policy Institute, has worked in the substance use disorder field in California since 1971. He was Santa Barbara County Alcohol and Drug Program administrator for 20 years and was president of the County Alcohol and Drug Programs Administrators Association of California.
Jennifer Clancy has over 15 years of experience leading complex Medicaid/Medicare-related programs to improve outcomes for people with behavioral health conditions or barriers to wellness. She develops strategic initiatives with community, government, and foundation partners to improve the quality of county behavioral health programs.
Crystal Flexman is a deeply experienced nonprofit management and business development professional with nearly 20 years of expertise in locally driven program design. Crystal has a breadth of experience working with all different types of funders on both the program design as well as award implementation, including federal and state governments, cities, counties, philanthropy, corporate foundations, and individual donors. She has led the startup of +$100M global/public health initiatives, addressing critical issues such as workforce development, equity, organizational capacity building and process improvement. Crystal is a motivated leader who is deeply passionate about promoting the vital conditions for better health outcomes, advancing health equity and improving access to care for all communities. She holds a B.A. in Communications and Linguistics from UC Davis and an M.A. in Communications, Culture and Technology and an International Business Management certificate from Georgetown University. She speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese.
Gayaneh Karapetian, is a licensed clinician who delivers training and implementation support on trauma-informed care trainings and other resiliency promoting practices for California counties, community-based organizations and individual practitioners.
Expertise in innovative project design, change management, policy implementation and business operations. Passionate about mentoring innovative change leaders in their pursuit to improve patient outcomes, streamline business operations and engage staff in meaningful results-oriented work. PI Framework: LEAN Six Sigma, IHI, NIATx.
Pranab Banskota, MBBS MPH, is a healthcare professional dedicated to transforming Behavioral Healthcare with a focus on patient-centered practices and operational excellence. Uniquely qualified in primary care, public health, and behavioral health, both nationally and internationally, he creates innovative solutions to make healthcare modern, efficient, and transformational. Pranab enjoys challenging the status quo and embracing unconventional ideas to drive progress.
Danette has dedicated her career to promoting health equity, addressing social determinants of health, and empowerment. She has a range of experience that spans more than 20 years in program management, community organizing, and policy development. Danette graduated from Tuskegee University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and received her Master of Social Work and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
Phanit Dy has over 6 years of experience providing integrated behavioral health training and technical assistance to Federally Qualified Health Centers, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Rural Health Clinics, and Tribal Health Programs. Phanit has a range of experience from policy development/implementation, program management, and behavioral health workforce development. He has earned his Bachelors of Science from California State University, Sacramento.
Elizabeth Gagnon, CPA, is a finance professional specializing in healthcare, non-profit, and governmental sectors, with a passion for process optimization, data-driven decision making, and leveraging technology to streamline operations. She has a proven track record of leading accounting operations in healthcare and non-profit organizations and providing subject matter expertise to clients in the public accounting sector. Elizabeth graduated from California State University, Chico, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant in California.
Amanda Carbajal is a public health professional with over eight years of experience in healthcare access and equity, specializing in program development, education, and policy implementation. She has led initiatives to enhance community health centers’ capacity to deliver equitable care, addressing critical issues like aging populations, social drivers of health, clinical affairs and climate health resilience. Amanda is an effective leader who drives organizational success by building partnerships, mentoring teams, managing change, and fostering cross-departmental collaboration to achieve high-impact results. She holds a B.A. in Public Health Policy from UC Irvine and an MPH from Drexel University.
