Commissioner Emily Hawes was appointed to lead the Department of Mental Health in July 2021. Originally from Kansas, Emily spent 10 years working in community mental health with adults enrolled with community support programs before relocating to Vermont. Prior to joining state government, Emily worked for Clara Martin Center in Randolph overseeing their criminal justice and substance abuse programs.
Commissioner Hawes has worked for DMH in several capacities for more than eight years, beginning as a Care Manager (liaison to the Department of Corrections and the Health Department's Division of Substance Use Programs) and then promoted to the Care Management Director role with statewide oversight over acute care beds for those under the care and custody of the Commissioner. In 2017, Emily moved into the Director of Operations, Planning and Development position with oversight for all grants, contracts, and the DMH Continuity of Operations Plan. She then took the helm of the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital (VPCH), the state-run 25-bed acute care psychiatric hospital, serving as the CEO for four years preceeding her appointment as Commissioner of Mental Health.
Hawes earned her BS in Rehabilitation Services and MS in Rehabilitation Counseling, both from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. She is also a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor (LADC) in the State of Vermont.