A New Chapter for BHT
Tamika LaMere, Chair Board of Directors
Wednesday, March 11th 2026
To our BHT community,
On April 10, 2026, Alison Poulsen will step down as President of Better Health Together to accept a new role as the Superintendent of the Verdant Health Commission. Alison has served as BHT’s leader for the last 12 years. She has led us from start-up to being a high-performing Accountable Community of Health. We are grateful for her leadership and impact on the region.
Alison has been around since the very early days, turning BHT’s first audacious goal of enrolling 10,000 people in the Affordable Care Act into mobilizing 300 In-Person Assisters to enroll more than 100,000 people in the first year. Her leadership positioned BHT to accept the once-in-a-organizational lifetime opportunity to manage the region’s share of the 1115 Medicaid waiver. Under our collective stewardship, our region has earned more than $90 million—$40 million of which was invested in advancing the integration of physical and behavioral health, opioid response, and chronic disease management.
Upon the renewal of Waiver 1115, Alison has set the organization up for success moving forward. She has worked to position BHT’s Community Care Hub as a state leader with a diverse Social Care Network to serve communities, a strong team prepared to manage contracting and data goals, and connections with other state agencies to support the organization’s sustainability.
On a personal note, Alison has supported our Board of Directors to build our capacity. Her unwavering support of our region, and of us as individuals and representatives of the communities we serve, has made us stronger as a Board. She will be dearly missed, and we wish her all the best in her next chapter.
So, what’s next for BHT?
We remain committed to our mission to radically improve the health of our region! Charisse Pope (MA, MBA, LHMC) will step into the Interim leadership role until December of 2026. During this interim period, the Board of Directors will determine the next steps for a permanent President for BHT.
BHT stands ready for our next chapter hand-in-hand with our board, our staff, our partners, and our community. We will update you on this transition in the months to come.
Sincerely,
Tamika LaMere,
Chair, Board of Directors
