0i2i center announces change in leadership

The i2i Center for Integrative Health is announcing the upcoming retirement of Mary Hooper at the end of December 2020.  Hooper has served as Executive Director since the organization’s inception in 2018.  Ann Rodriguez, i2i’s current Assistant Director, will take over as the new Executive Director in January 2021.

The i2i Center is a convener organization, focused on fostering collaborative and evidence-based initiatives designed to improve the quality and efficacy of behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and substance use services within a comprehensive system of whole person care.  Working with a diverse group of stakeholders, i2i has secured state contracts and national grants that address community inclusion for adults with serious mental illness, cross-system navigation for consumers and families with intellectual and developmental disabilities, value-based contracting, and child and family System of Care.

“I’m very proud of the achievements i2i has had in such a short time.  We are making a difference for those served in the behavioral health/IDD system.  We have been able to capitalize on the strengths of our legacy organization, the NC Council of Community Programs, while engaging the expertise of a wider audience of stakeholders to make a true impact on those being served,” said Hooper. “Our team’s skills and decades of system experience have positioned i2i to take on the challenges of an evolving managed care system.  And because we are a neutral, non-member organization, we are not constrained by the limitations of representing a single point of view. We are working across organizations and people to address issues and solutions in whole person healthcare as we make critical transitions in North Carolina’s healthcare system.”

As i2i Executive Director, Hooper has provided leadership in all aspects of the organization, responsible for all areas of organizational functioning and decision-making. She brought to i2i almost 30 years of professional experience in behavioral health both as a clinician and as an administrator, including work at multiple inpatient and residential facilities, and nine years as Director of Children and Youth Services for the Orange-Person-Chatham Mental Health Center. Hooper joined i2i’s legacy organization in 2003, served in a variety of roles, and became Executive Director of that organization in 2013.

In her role as Assistant Director, Ann Rodriguez has had primary responsibility for the identification of key issues and the direction of i2i’s policy work.  She plays an integral part in all aspects of collaborative development, serves as i2i’s representative on a number of statewide committees, investigates grant opportunities, and provides leadership with training activities.

Her prior professional experience includes legislative support to the US Congress as well as nursing home administration.  Since 1994, Ann’s work with i2i’s legacy organization and her skills in lobbying, facilitation, and policy development have earned her recognition as a key player in the development of numerous policies related to Medicaid and to general system improvements in North Carolina.

Rodriguez balances her historical knowledge of the strengths of i2i with her vision for the many ways that i2i can expand its services and products to move the BH/IDD/SUD public system toward integrated, whole person care. 

“Mary has created a clear path for the i2i Center to fill a need in the state as a neutral convener that offers everyone a seat at the policymaking table,” says Rodriguez. “I am so pleased that i2i’s work encompasses providers, advocates, consumers, public and private MCOs, and stakeholders statewide, with an increased focus on individuals and their families in their care planning. “

Kurtis Taylor, i2i Board Chair, offered the following comments regarding Hooper’s retirement and Rodriguez’s appointment as Executive Director: “We are extremely proud of the rich legacy that Mary Hooper has established as the leader of i2i.  She has been a powerful advocate for society’s most vulnerable citizens, and her work has positively impacted thousands of North Carolina families.  At the same time, we are excited about the future of i2i, as Ann Rodriguez steps into the role of Executive Director.  We know that Ann will carry on Mary’s firm belief in the power of collaboration, the importance of integrated care, and the absolute need to acknowledge, invite and respect the voice of consumers. Ann is a powerhouse – stay tuned for greatness.”

To learn more about i2i, please click here .