Ken Libertoff, a leading figure in the Vermont mental health community, will be presented a Legendary Leadership Award by Mental Health America on June 9 at its 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The honor recognizes Libertoff's lasting contributions to the mental health field and his leadership locally and nationally.
"Ken has dedicated his life to serving people, building opportunities, and creating a place in the community for everyone," said David Shern, Ph.D. president and CEO of Mental Health America. "This award recognizes the indelible footprint he has left that has ensured so many others can follow a path toward recovery and productive lives."
The executive director of the Vermont Association for Mental Health (an affiliate of the national Mental Health America organization), Libertoff has served as a key advocate for the development of high-quality mental health care services that are accessible and affordable for all citizens in Vermont. He will retire from that position later this year.
After graduation from the University of Connecticut, Libertoff headed to Yale University to work for a professor as a research assistant, and simultaneously he started career-molding associations with anti-poverty groups in New Haven.
His work in the inner city of New Haven inspired him to enroll at Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and public practice, writing a dissertation on runaway children that he completed after moving to Vermont to serve as director of the Washington County Youth Services Bureau.
In 1981, Libertoff accepted the position of VAMH's executive director and the challenge of working for an organization with minimal financial or staff resources. Over the past 29 years, Libertoff's inspiring leadership built the organization into a vital voice for Vermonters and major breakthroughs in the delivery of high-quality mental health services to Vermonters.
A recent newspaper article noted that "every major mental health bill in Vermont since the early 1980s has Libertoff's fingerprints on it," including the 1997 law that mandated parity in health insurance plans in Vermont between mental health care and physical health care services.
