2012 National Conference

Director of Planning and Programs

Lynda Frost serves as the director of planning and programs at the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, where she oversees major initiatives and grant programs, leads strategic and operational planning and manages program staff. She joined the foundation as associate director in 2003.

Dr. Frost is an experienced administrator and attorney with legal expertise in human rights, juvenile justice, criminal law and mediation. She also holds an appointment as a clinical associate professor of educational policy and planning at The University of Texas at Austin. She previously taught at the University of Iowa, the University of Richmond, the University of Virginia and American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Dr. Frost has a law degree and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Iowa, a master's in international education from Lesley University and a bachelor's in English and American Studies from Amherst College.

Program Officer

Becky Hayes Boober is a program officer who focuses on patient and family-centered care initaitives for the Maine Health Access Foundation. She oversees the Foundation's $10 million Integration Initiative investment in integrated behavioral/mental health and primary care with 43 grants, at over 100 sites and with over 150 partnering organizations. In addition to the grants, this initiative provides quarterly learning community meetings with international speakers, a state policy committee, research and evaluation, technical assistance and a virtual resource center. She is also developing a Continuum of Care Initiative for the foundation.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2008, Dr. Boober retired from the State of Maine with over 20 years in public policy and administrative leadership working in the Commissioners’ Offices of three state departments (Education, Health and Human Services and Corrections). She assisted with interagency, systemic improvement initiatives that won international recognition. Additionally, she has presented extensively at national and international conferences and training events.

Principal

Karen Linkins is co-founder and principal of Desert Vista Consulting (DVC), which specializes in planning and evaluating complex (multi-site, multi-system) programs and initiatives for vulnerable populations. Over the past 25 years, she has led more than 50 research, evaluation, technical assistance and strategic planning projects for federal agencies, states, foundations and community-based safety- net organizations. Her recent work has included evaluations of systems change initiatives concerning frequent users of emergency departments, primary care and behavioral health integration and person-centered health home innovations. On behalf of the Tides Center Community Clinics Initiative, she is currently directing a 3 year, statewide initiative in California, which aims to reduce stigma and discrimination for people with mental illness by promoting the spread of integrated behavioral health services. Linkins earned her Ph.D. in medical sociology at the University of California, San Francisco and an academic degree from Smith College.