To appoint the large county agency’s new CEO, Macomb County Community Mental Health turned to its existing staff.
Traci Smith, who had been serving as interim CEO, was recently appointed permanent by Macomb CMH’s board of directors to replace Dave Pankotai, who left the company last December. Smith previously served as chief of staff and chief operating officer.
“Smith has been instrumental in moving MCCMH forward with her unwavering commitment to our mission and core values,” said Phil Kraft, MCH Circle board chair, in a press release. “We are proud to name her as our new CEO and know her vision and experience will guide us as we continue to provide high-quality services to the people we serve.”
Kraft, who is also a county commissioner, added at a county commissioner meeting last week that Smith “provides some stability in that position for a while.”
Pankotai held this position for five years.
Smith has worked at Macomb CMH for eight years.
“It is an honorable responsibility to be selected as CEO and to lead the organization in its mission to put people first,” Smith said in the release. “I look forward to continuing the journey of improving access to services and reducing the stigma of mental health in our community.”
As interim CEO, she successfully created a plan to lead the organization and improved the timely availability of MCCMH programs, special grant funding and collaboration with Macomb County emergency personnel to provide effective crisis mental health care, CMH officials said.
Kraft said earlier this year that public access to CMH’s services and attracting and retaining qualified employees were top priorities.
Macomb CMH and other CMHs in Michigan are also fighting a state proposal for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, to limit agencies’ reserve funds now and possibly in the past. That could cause Macomb to lose $20 million of its $46 million in planned reserves.
CMH offers a variety of services that promote recovery, community involvement, self-sufficiency, and independence. Funded largely by state and federal funds, CMH is the county’s second largest facility after the general fund. Its 2024 budget is $277 million and the organization employs approximately 350 people.
The salary range for the CEO position is between $118,000 and $168,000. The salary range for Smith’s last position as Chief of Operations was between $91,000 and $118,000, according to the 2024 budget.
Smith has more than 25 years of “successful experience in program and leadership development, working with diverse populations,” officials said. She serves on several advisory boards for graduate-level health programs and is a Mental Health First Aid instructor.
Prior to joining MCCMH, Smith served as regional director for ResCare Workforce Services, where she oversaw federal, state and grant-funded workforce development programs throughout the eastern United States, officials said.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a master’s degree in counseling from Oakland University.
