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BETTS APPOINTED TO NATIONAL ACADEMY
FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION GROUP

NASHVILLE –Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Virginia Trotter Betts has been named to the National Association of Public Administration, headquartered in Washington, DC.

Comprised of over 550 fellows from across the nation, the Academy is dedicated to improving the performance of governance systems - the network of public institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private companies that share in the implementation of public policy. As an independent, nonprofit organization established in 1967, the Academy responds to specific requests from public agencies and non-government organizations. The Academy also promotes discourse on emerging trends in governance through its Standing Panels and with external funding.

“I am honored to be elected to the Academy,” Betts said. “The work of the Academy will enhance my abilities to lead the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities further toward the vision of productive, responsive and quality government that Governor Bredesen and I share.”

Prior to her appointment by Governor Phil Bredesen in January 2003, Commissioner Betts was the Director for Health Policy and Professor of Nursing at University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. She also previously served as the Senior Advisor on Nursing and Policy to the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Health of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Betts is a psychiatric mental health nurse and an attorney; she is a past president of the American Nurses Association (1992-1996) and served as President of the Tennessee Nurses Association from 1985-1987. She has received numerous honors and awards in nursing and health care including: the Pellegrino Award from Sanford University (April 2003), the US Surgeon General’s Medallion for contributions to public health (2000), the President’s Award for Outstanding Policy Contributions to the Field (2000), the Jessie M. Scott Award for Leadership in Health Policy from the University of Maryland (1999).

The Academy is dedicated to improving the performance of governance systems - the network of public institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private companies that share in the implementation of public policy. Academy fellows include public managers and scholars, business executives and labor leaders, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators and diplomats. Commissioner Betts was nominated for the Academy by Jeanette Takamura, former Assistant Secretary of Aging for HHS.

For more information about the Academy, go to www.napawash.org. For information about the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities or Commissioner Betts, visit the department’s website at www.state.tn.us/mental.