Leadership Team
James Button
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Button began his healthcare career as a licensed master social worker, and gained extensive experience in the clinical setting as a case manager, psychiatric crisis clinician and a children’s residential supervisor. During his tenure at Citizen Advocates he has held a variety of progressive leadership positions over the course of a decade. Mr. Button gained a broad understanding of the industry during his experience as the Director of Corporate Compliance and Quality Assurance, where he led the agency to achieve its first national quality accreditation in 2014.
Pursuing his passion for public policy, he left the organization briefly to work closely with state healthcare agencies in Albany as the State of NY transitioned providers from ‘fee for service’ to managed care. During his time in Albany, Mr. Button was responsible for overseeing a statewide regional planning initiative aimed at preparing providers for the move to value based care. He also served as a key liaison between the respective regions and State healthcare executives. While this experience provided him with valuable knowledge of the community behavioral health industry, his deep ties to the North Country were calling him back.
He returned to Citizen Advocates in 2017 to accept the COO position. As COO, Mr. Button was responsible for launching Northwinds Integrated Health Network, IPA and was instrumental in moving the entire network into risk-bearing contracts with managed care companies. Mr. Button’s expertise is in CCBHC, contracting, team building, public speaking, systems change and growth initiatives. He was elevated to CEO in July, 2020.
Karen Lee
Chief Financial Strategy Officer
With a primary responsibility for financial strategy at Citizen Advocates, Karen is actively seeking out opportunities for expanded revenue streams, innovative programs, and managing the expenses that are often created as a direct result of a highly-regulated healthcare environment. This is in addition to being responsible for the sound fiscal stewardship of the organization on a daily basis.
Prior to Citizen Advocates, Karen was the Chief Executive Officer for Adirondacks ACO in Plattsburgh. The organization works with healthcare providers, like Citizen Advocates, and insurers, who have a shared goal of improving healthcare outcomes while managing and taking financial responsibility for the quality and total cost of care. She also held several executive-level leadership positions in the Pacific Northwest with employed and independent physicians, physician/hospital organizations, independent practice associations, accountable care organizations and health insurance plans.
Dr. Joshua Frank
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Frank first worked for Citizen Advocates from 2010 to 2017, when he left to serve as Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. In addition to providing treatment services at Citizen Advocates Behavioral Health Clinics and Crisis & Recovery Center in Malone, Dr. Frank has direct oversight over other physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nursing staff.
Kati Jock
Chief Integration Officer
As the Chief Integration Officer, Kati is responsible for leading Citizen Advocates’ efforts to strategically align services under three main areas: Health Operations, Community Living and Community Supports. This leading-edge, whole health strategy strengthens Citizen Advocates’ position as a leading provider of exceptional, high-quality clinical services, programs and community supports. In addition, Kati oversees the Population Health Team, which is charged with data analytics as well as the oversight of the Electronic Health Record development with a focus on transforming information into a meaningful resource and tool for the enhancement of health outcomes.
Kati has over a decade of experience in Strategic and Business Planning for Hospital Health Systems where she played a key role in affiliations and mergers, designed business plans supporting primary care expansion, and collaborated with system executives to shape organizational vision to drive profitability and sustain growth. In addition to her current role, Kati has served as Director of Behavioral Health Services for Citizen Advocates.
Jennifer Dishaw
Chief of Staff
As Chief of Staff, Jennifer is directly responsible for managing the day-to-day priorities for the Executive Leadership Team. In addition to her duties related to the Executive Team, Jennifer has management oversight of Information Technology, Support Services and Communications & Government Affairs. Prior to becoming Chief of Staff in 2019, Jennifer led a major initiative to modernize Citizen Advocates’ Electronic Medical Record system, known as NetSmart. Jennifer is familiar with the billing aspects of healthcare delivery, having managed the Billing Department for 11 years.
Heather Perrin
Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer
A North Country native, Heather returned to the area in 2016 after a decade in Florida to accept the position of Director of Corporate Compliance and Quality Assurance at Citizen Advocates. Prior to completing her law degree in 2011, she has held several positions in the human services field. Under her leadership, the Compliance Department has expanded to a team of eight individuals responsible for improving the quality of our services and advocating for the people we support. The scope of the Compliance and Quality Assurance Department also includes ethics and overall risk management. In addition to Compliance and Quality Assurance, Heather has oversight of Human Resources for Citizen Advocates.