Brittney Dobson-Ellis, MA, LMFT

Associate Principal

Health Management Associates

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Brittney Dobson-Ellis is an accomplished public-sector health and behavioral health executive who specialized in behavioral health transformation, managed care strategy, cross-sector integration, and implementation of complex policy and financing reforms. Her work connects behavioral health, public health, healthcare, social services, justice partners, and community-based organizations to improve access, outcomes, and the experience of individuals navigating public health systems.

At Health Management Associates (HMA), Brittney partners with counties, health plans, providers, and public-sector organizations on transformation initiatives spanning behavioral health, managed care, organizational design, regulatory implementation, system integration, and stakeholder engagement. She helps organizations translate regulatory requirements into actionable implementation strategies, operational workflows, and measurable outcomes.

Prior to joining HMA, Brittney served as assistant director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services for Stanislaus County, providing executive leadership across a countywide behavioral health system. She established the county’s first Behavioral Health Plan and Provider Relations Division, strengthening infrastructure for Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services, the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System, provider oversight, quality, compliance, and system performance.

Brittney previously served as the county’s chief of Crisis, Access & Medication Services, overseeing critical components of the behavioral health continuum and leading major system transformation efforts. As an early adopter of Senate Bill 43 (SB 43), Stanislaus County was among the jurisdictions implementing California’s expanded grave disability standard, and Brittney helped translate the new statutory framework into operational practice across the crisis and Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) continuum. This work required coordination across behavioral health, hospitals, law enforcement, emergency response, legal and judicial partners, and community stakeholders to prepare the broader system for implementation.

Across her public-sector leadership roles, Brittney has led organizational and service delivery transformation spanning crisis services, access, outpatient behavioral health, substance use treatment, medication services, managed care, provider networks, quality, compliance, and administrative infrastructure. She is particularly skilled at designing governance structures and convening key stakeholders in support of healthy community outcomes.

Brittney earned a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Touro University Worldwide, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Sierra Nevada College, and an Associate of Arts in Psychology/Communications from Sierra College. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California.