John brings more than 30 years of experience in behavioral health systems design, financing, and implementation. He has worked with Medicaid, mental health, and substance abuse authorities in numerous states to develop federal Medicaid Waivers, Medicaid state plan amendments, and federal grant applications. He previously worked at TAC before joining the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where he has spent the past six years working for CMS and SAMHSA. At CMS, John led several key initiatives including the Innovation Accelerator Program for Substance Use Disorder and Primary and Mental Health Integration. In addition, John played a significant role in the implementation of the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and the Home and Community Based Services regulations. At SAMHSA, John was the Senior Advisor to the Administrator on Health Care Reform where he helped the agency to redesign its block grant approach.

John O’Brien will direct TAC's work on substance use disorders with an emphasis on helping states increase access to services, integrate with primary care, and reduce unnecessary costs by using Medicaid and other sources to support effective systems.