Speaker
Wayne Young, FACHE
Wayne Young is CEO of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Harris County, Texas. As the CEO of one of the largest behavioral and developmental disability care centers in the nation, Mr. Young is passionate about the planning and delivery of behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities services to a population who relies upon safety net systems of care. Under his leadership, The Harris Center was recently recognized with an Excellence Award in Innovation by the National Council on Mental Wellness and recognized as a “Best Place to Work” by the Houston Business Journal. Prior to joining The Harris Center, Mr. Young served as the senior vice president of behavioral health and administrator of two inpatient psychiatric facilities for JPS Health Network in Ft. Worth, Texas. He also previously served as the regional executive director of a managed behavioral healthcare organization and held other leadership positions within the behavioral health and insurance industries. Mr. Young previously served as chair of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Behavioral Health Advisory Council and has served in governance and leadership roles in various professional organizations such as the American Hospital Association and the Texas Hospital Association. He was honored to have received the Charley H. Shannon Advocate for Justice Award from NAMI Texas in 2019 and to have been named to Modern Healthcare’s list of “Top 25 Innovators” in 2019 and again in 2021. Mr. Young was also appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to serve on the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in human development and family studies and a Master of Education degree in community counseling from Texas Tech University. Subsequently, he completed a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in healthcare administration from the University of Dallas. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Mr. Young is board certified in healthcare management as an ACHE Fellow.