DeLoss Tapped as Illinois Association for Behavioral Health CEO

(Springfield, IL) – A leading Illinois behavioral health care lawyer has been appointed as the CEO of one of Illinois’ top behavioral health trade associations.

Gerald “Jud” DeLoss, an attorney at the Chicago-based law firm Gozdecki, Del Giudice, Americus, Farkas & Brocato LLP, and who has been the general counsel for the last five-years at the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health (IABH), will lead the group as the CEO effective July 1, 2020.

DeLoss replaces both long-time CEO Sara Howe who has taken a job as executive vice president of the Illinois Primary Health Care Association and interim IABH CEO Randy Wells.

“Jud has unmatched experience in mental health and addiction treatment policy, from drafting mental health parity legislation for the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health to testifying on Capitol Hill as an expert behavioral health witness,” said Wells. “Many of the recent behavioral health reform laws in Illinois championed by IABH have Jud’s fingerprints all over them.”

In 2012, DeLoss, 52, began as the deputy general counsel and in 2015 he became general counsel, and has touched all facets of the organization, including helping to navigate the group’s successful, two-year transition from the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association to IABH in June 2016. DeLoss helped write state legislation that eliminated prior-authorization for medically-assisted treatment, mental health parity, anti-deceptive treatment marketing, and more.

“Both Sara and Randy have been and remain respected behavioral healthcare leaders in Illinois, guiding the association through the dark years of Illinois’ budget impasse,” said DeLoss. “My aim is to build to on their success with plans to succeed in the short-term and long-term, such as navigating the COVID-19 and telehealth era and fixing the structural problems of Managed Care in Illinois, a system that fails to deliver the type of behavioral healthcare our clients need.”

“In the meantime, I want thank Randy for his steady hand as the interim CEO and welcome his continued role as Vice President of Government Relations for IABH,“ said DeLoss. “Finally, I want to thank the IABH board of directors for their vote of confidence and their partnership as we, together, forge a new bold path of for behavioral health in Illinois.”

DeLoss earned his J.D. at the University of North Dakota School of Law.

davidormsby@davidormsby.com