On November 5, the Mental Health Services Oversight and
Accountability Commission
announced the appointment of veteran public servant Will
Lightbourne as interim executive director of the Commission, as a
search is initiated for a new leader following last month’s
resignation of its current executive director, Toby Ewing.
Most recently, Lightbourne served as a senior advisor in the
Office of Youth and Community Restoration at the California
Health and Human Services Agency, where he provided leadership
and support for increased integration of the juvenile system with
other public programs serving youth to support positive community
reentry.
In 2022, Governor Newsom appointed Lightbourne to serve as the
interim director of California’s Department of Health Care
Services (DHCS). Lightbourne also served seven years (2011-2018)
as the Director of the California Department of Social Services.
In addition to state service, Lightbourne has extensive
local leadership experience and served as the director of social
services in the Counties of Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Santa
Cruz.
