Dr. Kevin Ann Huckshorn is a licensed and certified mental health nurse and substance abuse clinician with practical knowledge based on 37 years of professional frontline experience. She has extensive experience in inpatient and outpatient program development, including developing and managing peer-run projects, leading state hospital service re-design, and directing recovery-based mental health and substance abuse services.

Dr. Huckshorn is published on adult and youth topics including violence, treatment adherence, trauma-informed care, and workforce development. She serves on the editorial board of one U.S. peer reviewed mental health-nursing journal and consults with two others. She has co-authored a book with William Anthony, PhD, titled “Principled Leadership in Mental Health Systems and Programs” (2008).

From 2009 to 2014, Dr. Huckshorn served as the Director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) for the State of Delaware. The Director of DSAMH is an appointed position that reports directly to the Cabinet Secretary for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS). Dr. Huckshorn directed the operations of the single state mental health hospital with a staff of 600+ and a budget of more than $120MM. She provided executive oversight for planning and program development, contractual obligations, contract monitoring, licensure, federal block grants, community mental health and addiction service providers, and all DSAMH community provider contractors. The position was also responsible for Delaware state hospital services, state-run outpatient clinics, the substance abuse service system, and a variety of other inpatient and outpatient programs.

In 2011, Dr. Huckshorn took the lead on the Delaware USDOJ Settlement Agreement. She and her team led Delaware to align with the settlement targets and achieved substantial compliance by July 2014.

Prior to her work with the State of Delaware, Dr. Huckshorn was the past Director of the Office of Technical Assistance for the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and the National Coordinating Center for Seclusion and Restraint Reduction. There she led the development of an evidence-based model to prevent violence and the use of seclusion and restraint titled “Six Core Strategies.” This model appears on the federal NREPP database of approved models (2001-2009).

Dr. Huckshorn has worked internationally in Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia on issues related to seclusion and restraint, trauma-informed care, compliance with the ADA and Olmstead, and implementing recovery-oriented systems of care.