Vermont Business Magazine Dr Robert E Simpson, Jr, president and chief executive officer of the Brattleboro Retreat, was awarded the SoVermont Leadership Award for Excellence in Economic Development 2015 at a joint meeting of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) and the Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies group (SeVEDS) held on Tuesday afternoon, October 20, at the Governor Hunt House in Vernon. The annual award is given in recognition of sustained and effective efforts to mobilize leadership in the development of programs and projects, planning and designing of new and creative economic development activities, and deep commitment as a leader and advocate for economic development in Southern Vermont.
Simpson, who came to the Retreat in 2006, has announced his plans to step down at the end of 2015. During his nine year tenure he has overseen a more than doubling of the hospital’s workforce from approximately 450 to more than 900, along with significant expansion of both new and existing clinical services, and improvements to the Retreat’s buildings and grounds totaling nearly $25 million.
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Drew Richards and Rob Simpson. Courtesy photo.
“Rob became CEO of the Brattleboro Retreat almost 10 years ago with an eye towards improving the development, delivery, and effectiveness of mental healthcare services in our region,” said SeVEDS board member Drew Richards. “Under Rob’s leadership the Brattleboro Retreat has prospered by revamping, re-branding, and reimagining creative strategies and programs to meet the needs of those suffering from mental illness.Examples include the development of programs to meet the needs of underserved patient populations including the Uniformed Service Program and the Adult Inpatient Program for people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender.”
Simpson has supported SeVEDS from the time of its formation in 2011 and has been a strong champion of the community facilitation process and creation of the group’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS). He has been a generous contributor to the critical community processes necessary to both frame and implement the CEDS through his own direct participation as well as designating key Retreat staff to offer leadership, expertise, and time to southeastern Vermont’s economic development efforts.
Simpson told the gathering of more than 50 business leaders, “It is truly a great privilege to receive this award from you, my friends and colleagues over the past nine years. But moments like this do not happen without the force of others working alongside, inside, and outside of organizations. It always takes a team.”
BRATTLEBORO, VT (October 21, 2015)—Brattleboro Retreat. The Brattleboro Retreat, founded in 1834, is a not-for-profit, regional specialty psychiatric hospital and addictions treatment center, providing a full range of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services for individuals of all ages and their families. Recognized as a national leader in the treatment mental illness and addiction, the Brattleboro Retreat offers a high quality, individualized, comprehensive continuum of care including inpatient, partial hospitalization, residential and outpatient treatment.