Monica Johnson, MA, LPC

Managing Director

Health Management Associates

Atlanta, GA

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A skilled state and federal government executive, Monica Johnson has over 25 years of experience in the behavioral health field. Leveraging her expertise, she has directed numerous behavioral health service areas at the government policy level, has led the formation of several high-profile change initiatives, chaired several collaborations, and served as a board member for a variety of governing boards.  

Before joining Health Management Associates, Monica served as the first director of the 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Health & Human Services Department (HHS). In this role, she was responsible for overseeing SAMHSA’s primary aspirations regarding the launch of the three-digit number, 988 and enhancing broader behavioral health crisis services.   

In addition to her experience at the federal level, Monica has over a decade of state-level experience. Most recently, she served as the interim commissioner for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). Prior to this appointment by Governor Brian Kemp, she served in other key leadership roles at DBHDD as the Behavioral Health division director, the Community Mental Health director, and the Child & Adolescent Mental Health director.   

With DBHDD, Monica led a team of executive directors for the offices of Adult Mental Health; Addictive Diseases; Children, Young Adults & Families; Deaf Services; Recovery; Prevention, Federal Grants & Culture Competency; Field Operations; and Crisis Coordination. She managed an extensive budget of over $600 million dollars and developed the strategic plans for all community behavioral health programs. She also developed and oversaw policies and behavioral health practices, program development, and workforce development.   

Monica has worked in community behavioral health as well, in a variety of clinical, management and leadership roles, including program development and implementation of federally funded initiatives. She has overseen and successfully implemented a number of programs funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention & Department of Education. 

Monica earned an undergraduate degree in psychology, minoring in communications, from Kennesaw State University and her graduate degree in professional counseling and psychology from Argosy University. She is an alumnus of the Georgetown University Leadership Academy and a recipient of the Intensive Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Schizophrenia Certification at the Aaron T. Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Philadelphia. She is also a fellow in the Milbank Memorial Fund Leadership Fellows Program.