About Our Executive Team
Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan, MD
Commissioner
Dr. Sullivan has served as Commissioner for the New York State Office of Mental Health since 2014. She is responsible for implementing Governor Kathy Hochul's landmark plan to transform the state's mental health system and expand access to care for all New Yorkers. To date, this initiative has invested more than $2 billion into dramatically expanding services, supports, and capacity across the state.
Under Dr. Sullivan's leadership, the mental health system in New York serves over 800,000 individuals each year and provides over 53,000 units of supportive housing for individuals living with mental illness. She has expanded preventive services for youth and families, increased the availability of treatment services across the lifespan and provided individuals living with serious mental illness the intensive supports and treatment needed to thrive in their communities.
Dr. Sullivan has focused on ensuring integrated care throughout the mental health system, addressing the stigma around mental health, fostering equity and inclusion and incorporating the presence of peers with lived experience throughout the service system. A few major initiatives during her tenure include the implementation of 988 and expansion of crisis services across the state, a focus on school based mental health services for our youth and a comprehensive engagement and housing program for individuals with serious mental illness living unsheltered in the community.
Dr. Sullivan previously served as senior vice president for the Queens Health Network of New York City Health and Hospitals, and Director of Psychiatry at Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals where she developed a comprehensive inpatient and ambulatory psychiatric service system, youth programs, substance use services, mobile outreach, and school-based programs.
A native of Queens, Dr. Sullivan graduated from New York University's Washington Square College and it's School of Medicine. She completed her Psychiatric Residency at New York University/Bellevue Hospital. She has taught, lectured, and published on best practices in community care and is an active advocate for her patients and her profession.
She is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and has served as the speaker of the American Psychiatric Association's Assembly and on its Board of Trustees. She is a clinical professor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a member of the American College of Psychiatrists.
Ben Rosen
Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner
Ben Rosen directs agency operations for the Office of Mental Health (OMH), which provides public mental health services and supports to more than 800,000 New Yorkers each year. With a state workforce of nearly 15,000 employees and a multi-billion-dollar budget, the agency promotes the mental health of all New Yorkers with a mission to foster hope, recovery, and resilience for individuals living with mental illness and serious emotional disorders, and their families, each and every day.
With over 20 years of public service in both the Executive and Legislative branches of government, Ben has worked to advance social and economic justice issues for all New Yorkers. As chief of staff at OMH, Ben was instrumental in developing and rapidly implementing Governor Kathy Hochul’s historic $1 billion investment in mental health services and subsequent actions to strengthen New York’s mental health infrastructure. In previous roles, Ben served as both director of the OMH Planning Office and director of the OMH Public Information Office, where he organized the agency’s comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, directed agency-wide strategic planning efforts, and oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in community-based services reinvestment funding.
Ben also served as director of communications for the New York State Department of Health, managing the daily media relations and strategic communications of the agency. He began his career in government working for the State Assemblymember from Central Harlem, as his special assistant and then communications director. In this capacity, he assisted hundreds of constituents and helped secure passage of landmark legislation, including the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.
Ben is a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.
Nicholas Cartagena, JD
Deputy Commissioner and Chief Counsel
Nicholas Cartagena, OMH’s Deputy Commissioner and Counsel, has exemplary professional credentials, including more than two decades of legal experience and more than 16 years of distinguished public service.
He most recently served as Counsel to the New York State Public Campaign Finance Board, in which he played a vital role in the development and implementation of the state's Public Campaign Finance Program. Mr. Cartagena served as Deputy Counsel at the State Board of Elections, where he spearheaded initiatives aimed at enhancing the fairness, transparency, and impartiality of New York's electoral processes. He served at the Department of Health, where he had extensive experience in litigation, legal, and policy advice, and collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General. Additionally, Mr. Cartagena served with the State Assembly as Counsel to the committees on Health, Mental Health, Alcoholism, and Drug Abuse, where he assisted with the negotiation of important legislation, including the Protection of People with Special Needs Act, Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing Act, and legislation authorizing Developmental Disability Individual Support and Care Coordination Organizations.
Robert Moon
Deputy Commissioner, Community Program Policy and Management
Bob Moon is a social worker who has spent all his career working on mental health system reform, focusing on issues of access, equity, fiscal viability, cultural humility and the comprehensiveness and quality of community services.
He started his career in Washington, DC., at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, as the Coordinator of a federal court-ordered implementation monitoring committee that oversaw the planning and establishment of a more community-driven and recipient and family-member focused system of services. This included the expansion of community housing, establishment of the first Assertive Community Treatment teams in the district, and a full array of other services and supports. He then moved to NYC where he worked for 17 years at the New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation, in the Office of Behavioral Health.
In 2015, he joined the NYS Office of Mental health, first as the Director of the New York City Field Office and now as the Deputy Commissioner of Community Services where he oversees the program and managed care policy aspects of the OMH statewide community system. This includes treatment, crisis stabilization, housing, homeless services such as the Safe Options Support program, psychiatric rehabilitation, and other programs OMH offers to promote a recovery-oriented system for all New Yorkers across the lifespan.
Joe Katagiri, DrPH, MPA, CPH
Deputy Commissioner and Chief Fiscal Officer
Before being named Deputy Commissioner and Chief Fiscal Officer, Dr. Katagiri served as OMH’s Deputy Division Director for Managed Care and Bureau Director of Finance and Data Analytics. Dr. Katagiri worked as the Team Leader for Long Term Care within the New York State Division of Budget. Prior to his tenure with DOB, he was a Health Program Administrator for the Department of Health, working on long term care Medicaid waiver programs.
Dr. Katagiri holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton, a Master’s in Public Administration from Rockefeller College, and Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health degrees from the University at Albany School of Public Health.
Martha Carlin, Ph.D.
Associate Commissioner, Division of State Operated Services
As the Associate Commissioner for State Operated Services, Dr. Carlin is charged with the oversight of 19 civil state psychiatric centers as well as their corresponding outpatient and residential services for adult and children. She brings over 30 years of experience to this position and has previously held clinical roles in OMH as a licensed psychologist, team leader for inpatient services, clinic director and associate director for quality management. She also has many years of experience in academic instruction, forensic evaluations, and other clinical service roles.
Dr. Carlin recently served as the Director of the OMH Long Island Field Office for eleven years where she was a leader in policy development, and the expansion of programs designed to improve the quality of life of people with behavioral health challenges. These included peer respite programs, hospital diversion programs a crisis stabilization center and the implementation of new clinics, and children’s ACT Teams.
During her time with OMH, Dr. Carlin has collaborated extensively with mental health providers, local government leaders, families, recipients, and other constituents. She is committed to advocating for and meeting the behavioral health needs of the people in New York State and looks forward to continuing to effect positive systemic change within the state operated mental health system.
Dr. Carlin holds Bachelor and Master of Arts Degrees from New York University. She earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University – CW Post Campus and has been a licensed psychologist since April 2000.
Gerald M. Engel, RPH, MBA
Associate Commissioner and Chief Medical Informatics Officer
The clinical application of technology is growing rapidly and is essential to the behavioral health system of the future. As Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO), Jerry is responsible for overseeing the expanded use of technology to advance clinical care within OMH and the larger public mental health system.
He is the executive sponsor and clinical business owner for all OMH clinical IT systems, including the Empire State VistA which is the largest VistA implementation outside of the Veterans Administration. In addition, he is leading efforts for the OMH Health Information exchange for all OMH hospitals and clinics across the state.
The CMIO also serves as the OMH liaison with the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) to ensure that technology resources are used most efficiently and effectively to meet the OMH mission.
Jerry has been with OMH since 2000 and has served in various positions including: Pharmacy Director of Capital District Psychiatric Center, OMH Director of Pharmacy Services, and prior to taking this position he was the OMH Director of Health Services. Jerry received his Pharmacy degree from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and his MBA from the State University of New York Empire State.
Audrey Erazo-Trivino, PsyD
Associate Commissioner, Office of Prevention and Health Initiatives
Dr. Audrey Erazo-Trivino currently serves as the Associate Commissioner of OMH’s Office of Prevention and Health Initiatives. This Office is charged with advancing new mental health policy and programs emphasizing widespread prevention efforts with a foundational goal of promoting mental health equity for all New Yorkers.
Prior to joining OMH, Dr. Erazo-Trivino has close to three decades of experience and expertise in working with vulnerable populations across the lifespan. She has provided both direct mental health services and executive administration of a wide variety of programming across the lifespan including health, behavioral health, education, care coordination, home and community-based services, child welfare, and runaway and homeless youth services. She is passionate about promoting and advocating for increased trauma-informed, trauma-responsive, and culturally humble care across all service systems.
Dr. Erazo-Trivino has been a NYS certified school psychologist for over 20 years and holds a Doctorate Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in School Psychology.
Michael J. Izzano (He/Him)
Associate Commissioner & Director, Center for State & Community Workforce Development & Human Resources
Michael Izzano has worked in New York State human resources management since 2006. Mr. Izzano has worked on various classification and compensation issues at the Department of Civil Service, participated in collective bargaining and workforce management activities at the Division of the Budget, served as Human Resources Director at Hutchings Psychiatric Center in Syracuse and Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center in Utica, and most recently served as the Deputy Director of Human Resources & Director of Employee Relations.
Mr. Izzano holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at SUNY Albany.
Sarah Kuriakose, PhD, BCBA-D
Associate Commissioner, Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families
Dr. Kuriakose oversees services and supports in the children’s public health system at OMH. She previously was the State-wide Director of Psychology for OMH and the Senior Director for Autism and Developmental Neuroscience at NYU Langone Health.
She is a licensed psychologist and licensed behavior analyst, and her research and clinical specialization is in evidence-based behavioral and cognitive-behavioral interventions for individuals who are dually diagnosed with intellectually/developmental disabilities and psychiatric illness and with substance use disorder and psychiatric illness.
Mary LaPoint
Acting Deputy Commissioner, Division of Planning and Quality
Mary M. LaPoint is the director of the Office of Quality Improvement, which is responsible for risk identification and mitigation, process improvement, and compliance with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ evidence-based standards.
A graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam, Mary has more than two decades of service experience in the mental health field at the local and state levels, with concentrations in clinical, supervisory, and quality assurance. Prior to joining OMH, she worked at Mohawk Opportunities in Mental Health, Ellis Hospital, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York.
Mary became a clinical risk reviewer at OMH in 2013 and rose to the position of manager after two years. She became the agency’s director of Clinical Risk Management in 2019, before being appointed to her position heading the Office of Quality Improvement in 2021.
Li-Wen Lee, MD
Associate Commissioner, Division of Forensic Services
Dr. Lee’s Division coordinates delivery of mental health services to individuals involved with New York State's criminal justice system. These services include restoration to fitness to stand trial, assessment and management of insanity accedes, assessment and treatment of sexual offenders under MHL Article 10, and correctional mental health treatment.
These services have grown into a system of care that includes three Joint Commission-accredited secure forensic psychiatric centers, one of which serves the prison population, two secure regional forensic units, a network of prison-based mental health satellite units and residential programs located within correctional facilities, and centers within DFS that deliver community-based training and technical assistance to enable local governmental units to better serve forensic mental health populations in the community.
Dr. Lee joined OMH in 2008. Prior to that, she provided acute inpatient psychiatric treatment on a forensic unit established for jail detainees in New York City. She served as the Medical Director for DFS for more than 10 years prior to becoming Associate Commissioner. She received her MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch and has also served as assistant clinical professor at Columbia University.
Talia Santiago-Bonds, MPH
Chief Diversity Officer & Director, Office of Diversity & Inclusion and Bureau of Reasonable Accommodation
As the Chief Diversity Officer at the Office of Mental Health Talia leads transformative efforts to advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access. Her leadership has been pivotal in driving systemic changes that enhance access and improve treatment outcomes for underserved and historically marginalized communities.
In recognition of her exceptional contributions, Talia was honored with the 2024 DEIA Leadership Award for Distinguished Individual Leadership.
Previously, Talia served as Deputy Director of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and as OMH’s Statewide Language Access Coordinator. Her lived experiences have profoundly shaped her commitment to fostering equitable systems, with a focus on addressing the unique challenges faced by individuals navigating intersectional identities.
In her current role, Talia oversees and implements comprehensive strategies to eliminate disparities in New York’s mental health system. She leads the Office of Diversity & Inclusion in coordinating data-driven policy initiatives, ensuring agency-wide compliance with key executive orders, and providing critical guidance to improve mental health services for diverse populations, including people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, older adults, rural residents, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and immigrants.
With over 15 years of experience in advocacy and policy development for individuals with disabilities, Talia’s background as a civil rights advocate has equipped her to champion workplace inclusion. Her dedication to advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access - related initiatives, reflects her unwavering commitment to creating systems that promote dignity and respect for all New Yorkers.
Christopher Smith, PhD
Associate Commissioner, Adult Community Care Group
Dr. Smith is the state-wide program lead for Adult Services in community settings, including: Supportive Housing; Crisis Services; Outpatient services including Clinic, Assertive Community Treatment and CCBHC; and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services including PROS and CORE.
Previously, he was the Deputy Director of the Group and focused on statewide initiatives including COVID-related regulatory relief, telehealth implementation, and integrated care. He has served as Director of Adult Services in OMH’s New York City Field Office focusing on managed Medicaid implementation and systems transformation in the public behavioral health system in New York City.
Prior to coming to OMH, Smith was a clinical administrator at H+H - Bellevue, with responsibility for forensic, psychiatric emergency, and substance abuse services. He also spent a decade working on schizophrenia risk and prevention research at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in the Northwell Health system.