Dana Lasenby

Dana Lasenby serves as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Oakland Community Health Network (OCHN), the public behavioral health authority for Oakland County, Michigan. OCHN uniquely functions as both a Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan (PIHP) and a Community Mental Health Services Program (CMHSP), managing a complex Medicaid-funded behavioral health system serving more than 30,000 individuals across a continuum of mental health, intellectual and developmental disability, and substance use disorder services.

As a Behavioral Health Care Executive and Limited Licensed Psychologist with more than 28 years of leadership experience, Dana oversees a multi-hundred-million-dollar public health enterprise responsible for network management, direct service operations, regulatory compliance, and integrated care strategy. She leads a workforce of more than three hundred professionals and collaborates closely with contracted provider agencies, hospitals, law enforcement partners, community stakeholders, and state and federal policymakers to ensure access, quality, fiscal integrity, and system sustainability.

Dana is recognized for her ability to navigate complex multi-stakeholder environments, including Medicaid financing, value-based care and outcome models, crisis system redesign, accreditation standards, and legislative oversight. Her leadership approach integrates transformational vision with disciplined operational execution. She blends strategic foresight with purposeful management practices to strengthen governance, enhance transparency, and drive measurable system performance.

Under her leadership, OCHN advances integrated physical and behavioral health coordination, crisis continuum transformation, justice-involved services innovation, and person- and family-centered care models that promote independence, equity, and community inclusion. She is known as a collaborative change agent who builds partnerships across sectors while ensuring strong fiscal stewardship and regulatory alignment.

Dana holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Michigan State University, a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University, and a Master of Business Administration. She is working toward her PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, further strengthening her expertise in organizational leadership, workforce development, and systems performance.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed her twice to serve on the Michigan Autism Council, representing Michigan’s PIHPs and CMHSPs and contributing to statewide policy advancement in autism and behavioral health services.

Beyond her professional leadership, Dana is deeply rooted in her community. Married for over thirty years and a proud mother and grandmother, she brings both personal commitment and professional rigor to her work. Her lived values reinforce her steadfast advocacy for a strong public community mental health system and her vision for OCHN to serve as a national leader in providing and managing integrated, equitable behavioral healthcare.