Melinda Lehman is the Executive Director of Business Development for the Behavioral Health Care and Human Services program at The Joint Commission. In this position, she develops and executes strategies to maintain and improve the program, in alignment with The Joint Commission’s mission to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.
As Executive Director, Ms. Lehman serves as the Business Development leader for the behavioral health and human services team and serves as The Joint Commission’s primary representative to all customers and critical external stakeholders.
She is also responsible, in collaboration with Marketing, for the development and implementation of annual strategic business plans for all products within the Behavioral Health Care and Human Services programs. She oversees all existing federal / state deeming relationships. In addition, she coordinates all Standards revisions and additions in accordance with leading practices, behavioral health and human services advances and customer needs and manages the advisory council relationships.
Previously, Ms. Lehman spent 15 years with the Joint Commission’s marketing department, working closely with the Executive director on business planning and program goals while planning and implementing the marketing for the behavioral health and human services program. During that time, she contributed to the program doubling in size from 1,800 accredited organizations to almost 4,000.
Ms. Lehman has worked in healthcare for over 25 years. She has previous pharmaceutical sales experience with DuPont Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington DE, and has worked in several healthcare advertising/marketing agencies in Chicago, IL. Her career has been dedicated to improving the quality of care for individuals with chronic conditions including mental health and substance use, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease.
Ms. Lehman has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. She received her Master’s in Business Administration from DePaul University, Chicago, IL. Through The Joint Commission, she is a Robust Process Improvement Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. In her spare time, she is an award-winning gardener who has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens and Chicagoland Gardening magazines. She loves spending time in her lovely garden watching her two active dogs destroy her work.