MHNE 2026 Leadership Awards Reception Details
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
NYU Kimmel Center – Rosenthal Pavilion, 10th Floor
60 Washington Square South, NYC
Purpose: To celebrate and bring awareness to exceptional leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to improving the lives of individuals and their families in the behavioral health and autism communities.
Attendance: 150 guests
Typical Guests: Attendees include influential leaders and decision-makers from prominent healthcare providers, behavioral health and autism treatment and support agencies, nonprofit community organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies. Individuals with lived experience and their family members also attend.
Event Format: The event begins with a networking reception featuring live jazz music and a buffet, followed by the Awards Presentation Program. All seating is assigned and tables of 10 are reserved.
Virtual Event Journal: Color advertisements are purchased in celebration of the honorees by Board Members, family members, colleagues, and event sponsors.
Proceeds From This Event will help expand and develop the educational mission of Mental Health News Education (MHNE). Through our publications Autism Spectrum News and Behavioral Health News, MHNE is dedicated to reducing stigma, raising awareness, and providing trusted, evidence-based information to improve the lives of individuals living with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and autism while also supporting their families and the professionals who serve them.
A Look Back at Last Year’s Event:
MHNE Event Honorees Since 2013:
For more information, contact David Minot, Executive Director, at (978) 733-4481 or dminot@mhnews.org.
2026 Event Sponsors
For more information, contact David Minot, Executive Director, at (978) 733-4481 or dminot@mhnews.org.
Meet Our 2025 Honorees!
President and CEO
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Supportive Housing Leadership Award
Deborah De Santis is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), the country’s largest Community Development Financial Institution devoted to housing solutions for those at risk of homelessness. Ms. De Santis has led CSH since 2007 tripling its lending and support toward the creation of over 450,000 permanent stable homes for individuals and families struggling through multiple challenges, including the trauma of homelessness, lack of healthcare, and intergenerational poverty.
Ms. De Santis has spearheaded the reorganization of CSH to deepen its focus on data-driven results, innovative funding models such as Pay-For-Success, and expansion into high-need communities. Prior to her position at CSH she served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor of NJ.
Deb has been recognized as one of the top 10 leading women in the affordable housing industry by Affordable Housing Finance Magazine. She has also been cited as one of the 10 Most Influential Americans for Homelessness Reform. She serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees for Babson College in Wellesley Massachusetts, as Trustee of Rutgers University and as board member of Triple C Housing in New Jersey. She resides in New Jersey with her wife and their two children.
President and CEO
Coordinated Behavioral Care
Behavioral Health Leadership Award
Pamela Mattel, LCSW is the Chief Executive Officer of Coordinated Behavioral Care (CBC), a network of 78 nonprofit organizations advancing integrated, community‑based behavioral health, primary care, care management, social care, and supportive housing across New York. Under her leadership, CBC has become a trusted backbone organization supporting safety‑net providers to deliver high‑quality, equitable, whole‑person care.
With more than four decades of nonprofit experience, including 17 years in senior executive roles, Ms. Mattel has led highly complex service delivery systems with a clear focus on quality, integration, and financial sustainability. Her leadership has consistently expanded access to care, strengthened organizational performance, and supported innovation across behavioral health and social service systems.
Ms. Mattel previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Acacia Network, as Chief Program Officer at Public Health Management Corporation in Philadelphia, and as Chief Operating Officer at the Institute for Community Living. Across these roles, she has championed innovative models such as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, care transition initiatives, opioid response collaborations, and value‑based performance strategies.
A recognized leader in policy and system transformation, Ms. Mattel serves on the New York State Medicaid Managed Care Advisory Board, the Healthix Board, and served on multiple Medicaid Redesign subcommittees focused on health equity and social determinants of health.
Guided by a lifelong commitment to equitable, whole‑person care, Ms. Mattel holds a Master of Social Work from Columbia University and remains dedicated to inspiring collaboration and meaningful change across the behavioral health field.
Angelo Santabarbara
Chair
Assembly Committee
for People for Disabilities
Autism Advocacy Award
Angelo Santabarbara, PE, is a source of inspiration for his family, friends and colleagues, as he is deeply committed to enhancing the well-being of his community. Angelo’s upbringing was rooted in the values of hard work and determination as the son of immigrant parents who believed that success would follow diligent effort. He was born in the city of Schenectady and lives in the town of Rotterdam with his wife, Jennifer, where they are nurturing their two children, Michael and Marianna.
Angelo’s educational journey took him through public schools and furthering his academic pursuits. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY Albany to become a licensed professional engineer. Angelo assumed the role of President of the Capital District Chapter New York State Society of Professional Engineers and contributed to various boards, including the Autism Society of the Greater Capital Region, Family and Child Service of Schenectady and Cornell Cooperative Extension in Schenectady County.
Angelo’s commitment to serving his country and community is evident through his eight years of honorable service in the United States Army Reserve. He remains actively engaged with local veterans’ service organizations and proudly founded the first AMVETS Post in his hometown of Rotterdam, where he served as post commander.
When his son Michael was born, he was diagnosed with autism. This life-altering event prompted Angelo to transition from his more than 15-year career as a civil engineer to embark on a path of public service and advocacy for people with disabilities.
In 2007, Angelo Santabarbara was elected to the Schenectady County Legislature, where he held the responsibilities of Chairman of the Transportation Committee and Vice Chairman of the Veterans Committee. He devoted five years to public service as a Schenectady County Legislator before achieving a significant milestone in his career. In 2012, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, making history as the first representative of the newly created 111th District, which includes areas of Montgomery County and Schenectady County. As a member of the New York State Assembly, Angelo assumes key leadership roles, including Chairman of the People with Disabilities Committee and memberships on various committees, including Energy, Governmental Employees, Mental Health and Racing & Wagering Committees. His unwavering dedication to public service and passion for being a voice for people with disabilities continues to make a positive impact on his community and beyond.
Founder and Chairman
SOMOS Community Care
Community Health Impact Award
Ramon Tallaj, MD, is a board-certified internist with over 40 years of experience in the medical field. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the School of Medicine at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena (UNPHU) in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Tallaj completed a residency at St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City.
He has served in various governmental positions, including the Undersecretary of Public Health and Social Services in his country, the Dominican Republic. At the request of the Archbishop of New York, John Cardinal O’Connor, Dr. Tallaj moved to the United States to provide medical care to New York’s Hispanic immigrant communities. He also established his first internal medicine practice in Washington Heights in 1997.
In 2015, he founded SOMOS Community Care (“We Are” in Spanish), a culturally competent physician-led network of 2,600 healthcare providers serving over 850,000 Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries in New York City’s immigrant communities. SOMOS was one of 25 Performing Provider Systems (PPS) in New York’s DSRIP program. Dr. Tallaj has pioneered the pay-for-performance model in New York State to improve health outcomes by enhancing preventive and chronic care management. Since 2018, Tallaj and his SOMOS network of doctors have saved New York taxpayers over 336 million dollars by reducing ER and hospital admissions by more than 35%.
His organization proved to be an even more significant community resource at the height of the COVID-19 crisis by being responsible for the operation of over 125 trilingual testing sites during the pandemic’s first wave when urban access to COVID-19 testing was nearly impossible. Dr. Tallaj led SOMOS throughout the darkest days of the pandemic. He was responsible for testing more than 1 million people, serving over 2 million fresh-to-go meals, and he and his network of physicians vaccinated millions of New Yorkers in local churches, schools, public housing, and the Yankee Stadium. Throughout the pandemic, SOMOS provided call centers, free health education, free PPE to hospitals, and COVID-19 protocols to immigrant communities and health workers in five languages nationwide.
Dr. Tallaj’s success during a severe medical crisis can be attributed to his determination to create a national model for equitable healthcare that places linguistic and cultural competency first in the most vulnerable immigrant communities. On February 17, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams appointed Dr. Tallaj as Co-Chairman of the New York City COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable and Health Equity Task Force. As Co-Chairman, he advises on all the comprehensive policies focusing on healthcare access and equity to help rebuild New York City’s post-pandemic economy and long-term growth for all New Yorkers.
Dr. Tallaj’s work also includes humanitarian missions. He led recent post-hurricane recovery efforts in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico following Hurricane Fiona and the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Maria. SOMOS’ physicians and city and state officials accompanied him in these missions. In September 2022, Dr. Tallaj and his network of doctors joined forces with the Secretary of the U.S. Health & Human Services, Xavier Becerra, in Washington Heights, to encourage vulnerable populations to get boosted and to advocate for health equity in lower-income communities.
On October 13, 2022, Dr. Ramon Tallaj received an Emmy Award from The New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Science for a documentary chronicling SOMOS Community Care’s leadership during the height of the pandemic titled “Doctor Tallaj: “The Hispanic Who Faced COVID-19 in New York.” On November 2022, Dr. Tallaj debuted his “Family Physician Master Class,” highlighting the importance of the leadership role in Family Medicine. This course continues to promote, share, and inform of the resources that provide quality and preventive healthcare to those in need.
Dr. Tallaj and the SOMOS network of physicians have recently been on the frontlines providing immunizations and preventive treatment for asylum migrants and children in New York City. His areas of expertise include internal medicine, health administration, PCMH implementation, disasters and emergency response, and population health & health equity.
Among his many recognitions are the 2023 City & State Healthcare Power 100, he was a 2022 Emmy Award winner, the 2021 Modern Healthcare Innovator Award, the 2020 ABC Healthcare Care Hero, 2020 Carnegie Great Immigrants Recipient. He has also received the Tribute to Excellence from United Hospital Fund; Great Immigrants, Great Americans recognized him, and as AHHE Physician Entrepreneur of the Year, as Best Doctor of the Year by Continuum Hospital, and he was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Board of Directors
Chair
Rachel A. Fernbach, Esq, Executive Director and General Counsel
New York State Psychiatric Association
Vice-Chair
Yvette Brissett-André, MPA, Executive Director and CEO
Unique People Services
Secretary
Mary Brite, LCSW, CASAC, Chief Compliance Officer
Outreach
Treasurer
Keri R. Primack, CFP, Managing Director, Senior Private Client Advisor
Quent Capital, LLC
Members of The Board
Anita Appel, LCSW, Senior Health Care Consultant
Sachs Policy Group
Peter D. Beitchman, DSW, LMSW, Principal
Behavioral Health Consultation
Jonathan P. Edwards, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, Program Consultant
NY City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Ann-Marie K. Foster, MPA, FACHE, President and CEO
Phoenix House NY|LI
Samuel Wesley Jackson, MD, Clinical Director of Psychiatry
Erie Family Health Center
Danika Mills, MSW, LCSW, MPS, LCAT, CCM, Head of Care Operations
Grayce
Debbie Pantin, MSW, MS-HCM
Barry B. Perlman, MD, Past President
New York State Psychiatric Association
Jorge R. Petit, MD, Founder/CEO
Quality Healthcare Solutions, LLC
Joshua Rubin, MPP, Principal
Health Management Associates
Jarod Stern, Senior Managing Director
Savills
Kimberly Williams, MSSW, Principal
Health Management Associates
Founder
Ira H. Minot, LMSW, Founder
Executive Staff
David Minot, Executive Director