Michael Foust brings over 20 years of experience in the health and human services industry to the OPEN MINDS team. During his professional career, he has served in diverse and complex state, and local health and human service programs with a focus on behavioral health.

In Addition to his work with OPEN MINDS, Mr. Foust serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for Avita Community Partners. In this role, it is Mr. Foust priority is to execute Avita’s business activities and key strategic priorities with greater efficiency and value. Establish a collaborative relationship with senior leadership, board members, local governments and colleagues to align work initiatives with community need.

Prior to his work with Avita Community Partners, Mr. Foust was the. Chief Executive Officer for Guidance Center of Lea County, Inc (GCLC). He increased GCLC Money Market position by 24% and endowment by 19% and guided GCLC’s first Council on Accreditation certification.

Mr. Foust has also served as the Area Director of the Western Montana Mental Health Center (WMMHC) in Missoula, Montana. While at the Western Montana Mental Health Center, Mr. Foust has provided leadership change during reorganization and restructuring, improved the impact and value of a $15 million budget, and utilized lean management practices to ensure WMMHC as an accessible non-profit.

Prior to his role as Area Director, Mr. Foust served as the Executive Director for Western Montana Mental Health Center. In this role, Mr. Foust conducted oversight of administrative operations, was responsible for strategic planning, and managed over 85 professionals across 9 adult, child, and family programs.

Before his role with Western Montana Mental Health Center, Mr. Foust served as the Make it Click Program Manager and Training Program Manager for Families First in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Foust created the “Make it Click” program, a network of supportive community members for youth aging out of foster care. Mr. Foust also designed the Families First training program, which educated senior leadership, managers, and clinical staff on organizational ownership.

Previously, Mr. Foust served as the Permanency Cooperative Program Manager for Families First. In this role, Mr. Foust re-engineered group homes as permanency cooperatives for community collaboration.

Mr. Foust earned a Masters of Social Work from East Carolina University and a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from North Carolina Central University.