Mark Bontrager and Albert Rowlett were appointed to the Commission by Governor Newsom last week.
SACRAMENTO – The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission is pleased to welcome Mark Bontrager of Napa and Albert Rowlett of Sacramento as its newest Commissioners. Bontrager was appointed to fill the position of health care service plan provider or insurer, and Rowlett will fill the position of mental health professional.
“As the Commission continues to work through strategic partnerships to initiate transformational change, we welcome our new Commissioners and their unique perspectives and commitment to furthering this work,” said Mara Madrigal-Weiss, Commission Chair and Executive Director of Student Wellness and School Culture, Student Services and Programs Division, San Diego County Office of Education.
Bontrager has been Behavioral Health Administrator for the Partnership HealthPlan of California since 2021. He was Director of Regulatory Affairs and Program Development for the Partnership HealthPlan of California from 2018 to 2021 and Executive Director of Aldea Children and Family Services from 2007 to 2018, where he was Deputy Director from 2005 to 2007. Bontrager was an attorney in private practice from 2002 to 2006 and held multiple positions at the Villages of Indiana Inc. from 1996 to 2003, including Program Manager, Therapist and Social Worker. Bontrager is vice chair of the Napa County Workforce Investment Board. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Indiana University School of Law and a Master of Social Work degree from the Indiana University School of Social Work.
Rowlett was named Turning Point Community Programs’ Chief Executive Officer in 2014. Rowlett has been with the agency since 1981 and today provides leadership and guidance to over 40 programs in several Northern and Central California counties. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ottawa University, a Master’s in Business Administration in Health Services Management from Golden Gate University and in Social Work from California State University (CSUS). He is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Rowlett was appointed as a trustee to the Elk Grove Unified School District in 2009 serving through 2012. He is currently a Volunteer Clinical Professor at the University of California Davis Department of Psychiatry co-directing the Community Psychiatry seminar for residents and formerly served as an adjunct professor for the CSUS Mental Health Services Act cohort. In 2020, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon re-appointed Rowlett to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Board.
Interview Opportunities by Request
Mara Madrigal-Weiss – Commission Chair
Toby Ewing – Executive Director
About the Commission
In enacting Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, California voters in 2014 created and charged the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission with the responsibility of driving transformational change in public and private mental health systems to achieve the vision that everyone who needs mental health care has access to and receives effective and culturally competent care. The Commission was design to empower stakeholders, with members representing consumers and their families, service providers, law enforcement, educators and employers. The Commission puts consumers and families at the center of decision-making. The Commission promotes community collaboration, cultural competency and integrated service delivery. The Commission is committed to wellness and recovery, using its authorities, resources and passion to reduce the negative outcomes of mental illness and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Californians.