MANDY PADGET

KINGSFORD — Northpointe Behavioral Healthcare System will have a new CEO effective Monday.

At a meeting Thursday, the Northpointe board announced Mandy Padget will take over for former CEO Jennifer Cescolini, who resigned in September.

Padget has more than 19 years of experience in the mental health and human services fields. She has held such roles as Health and Human Services administrator for the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, and director of quality innovation and compliance and lead recipient rights officer for OnPoint, a community mental health service in Allegan County.

She has a master’s degree in social work from Western Michigan University.

In a news release, the Northpointe board said Padget’s “deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within community mental health, combined with her proven commitment to serving vulnerable populations, makes her an ideal leader to guide our organization forward.”

Padget said she’s excited to bring “a solution-focused approach” to guide the work occurring within the organization.

“I look forward to applying the principles of transformational leadership to assist Northpointe in meeting the needs of the Iron, Dickinson and Menominee communities,” she said. “I am committed to advancing Northpointe’s mission to improve the lives of persons served through hope and empowerment, and believe that this can be achieved through tenacity in our daily work.”

Board members said Padget’s appointment reinforces its commitment to providing compassionate and effective mental health support locally. The board also thanked Chief Operating Officer and Interim CEO Brent Johnson for his service as they navigated the transition over the past several months.

The 12-member Northpointe board oversees community mental health services in Dickinson, Iron and Menominee counties. The board has five representatives each from Dickinson and Menominee counties and two from Iron County, each appointed by their respective county boards.