A vision for a stronger Georgia: A Q&A with Orion Mowbray

Orion Mowbray began his role as the inaugural executive director of the David Ralston Institute for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities on Jan 1 with an ambitious mission: delivering solutions for Georgians who are navigating significant challenges.

The institute, named in honor of the late Georgia Speaker of the House who championed mental healthcare reform, was established to generate and disseminate applied research and prepare future professionals for careers in the behavioral health and developmental disabilities fields.

A little more than six months on the job, Mowbray shares his vision, reflects on early victories and outlines how the institute is uniquely positioned to shape a healthier future for all Georgians.

What is the mission of the Ralston Institute and how does your own research and professional background shape the institute’s work?

The mission of the David Ralston Institute for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities is to advance research, education, service and community partnerships that improve the lives of individuals, families and communities across Georgia. Our work extends beyond academic research and instruction. We are committed to helping Georgia solve real-world challenges through evidence-informed solutions, workforce development and strong partnerships with state agencies, providers and communities.

The Institute is named for Speaker David Ralston because he understood that meeting the needs to address behavioral health statewide requires improved access, collaboration and building systems that meet people where they are, whether that’s in schools, communities, healthcare settings or the justice system.

My own background has been shaped through conducting innovative behavioral health research and working closely with public systems. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on understanding what works and how we can scale effective solutions in real-world settings. As executive director, I bring that same philosophy to the Institute, ensuring that our work is rigorous, practical, responsive and useful to the people making decisions and delivering services across Georgia.

Why is the work of the Institute so important?

Behavioral health and developmental disabilities affect every community in Georgia. Millions of families in Georgia are navigating mental health challenges, substance use disorders, developmental disabilities, workforce shortages and barriers to accessing care. While many organizations are working hard to address these issues, there remains a very high need for better data, cutting edge research, practical training and systems coordination.

The Ralston Institute is a unique space because we sit at the intersection of research, policy and practice. We have the ability to bring together universities, state agencies, providers, advocates and people with lived experience to identify challenges and develop solutions that can be implemented statewide.

Our work is important because it is driven to ensure that decisions affecting people’s lives are informed by evidence rather than assumptions. Whether we’re evaluating programs, preparing the future workforce, supporting providers or informing state policy, our goal is to help Georgians access the services and supports they need to live healthy, productive lives.

What are some victories you’ve celebrated in your first six months as director?

One accomplishment has been strengthening the Institute itself. We’ve expanded staffing, launched searches for key positions, brought new talent into the organization and completed significant renovations that have created a collaborative home for our team.

We’ve also launched several new initiatives that directly address priorities facing Georgia. Earlier this year, we introduced the Georgia Behavioral Health Professions Hub, which helps students, job seekers and employers better understand career pathways and workforce opportunities in behavioral health. Workforce development remains one of the state’s most pressing needs, and this tool provides a practical resource for addressing those shortages.

We’ve also awarded our first round of momentum grants, investing in innovative projects led by faculty across the University of Georgia. These projects address issues ranging from youth mental health and workforce development to rural access to care and recovery supports. The grants are designed to seed new ideas and create sustainable programs that can attract future funding and generate statewide impact.

Additionally, we’ve strengthened partnerships with agencies such as the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Community Supervision and others, positioning the Institute to play a larger role in addressing statewide behavioral health priorities. These partnerships have already led to new grant opportunities and collaborative initiatives that will continue to grow in the coming years.

For me, the biggest victory has been establishing the Institute as a trusted partner. We’ve spent the last six months building relationships and demonstrating that the Institute can serve as a resource for Georgia’s behavioral health and developmental disability systems.

What are your immediate and long-term goals for the Institute?

In the immediate future, our focus is on building infrastructure and expanding impact. We want to continue growing our research portfolio, strengthen our statewide partnerships, support innovative projects and develop workforce initiatives that address Georgia’s behavioral health shortages. We’re also investing heavily in data infrastructure and evaluation capacity. Policymakers and providers increasingly need timely, actionable information, and we want the Institute to be a trusted source of data, analytics and technical assistance.

Long term, I’d like to see the Ralston Institute become Georgia’s foremost behavioral health and developmental disabilities research and policy partner. That means expanding our statewide reach, supporting interdisciplinary collaboration across the University System of Georgia and translating research into meaningful improvements in practice and policy. I’d like the Institute to serve as a bridge by connecting communities, providers, researchers and government leaders around shared goals and evidence-based solutions.

Looking ahead, what would success look like for the Institute five years from now, and how will Georgians feel its impact?

Five years from now, success would mean that the Ralston Institute is recognized as a trusted statewide leader in behavioral health and developmental disabilities, a place people turn to when they need expertise, support and innovative solutions. Our reputation for producing research that directly influences policy and practice, for helping prepare the next generation of behavioral health professionals and for supporting communities across Georgia in addressing their most pressing challenges will be firmly established.

Georgians will feel our impact through a stronger system of care for both behavioral health and developmental disabilities. That means more behavioral health professionals entering the workforce, improved access to services in rural communities, better community support for individuals with developmental disabilities, stronger recovery services and more effective systems collaboration.

If families are finding help more easily, providers are better equipped to meet community needs and policymakers are making decisions informed by high-quality evidence, we will have succeeded in fulfilling both the Institute’s mission and Speaker Ralston’s vision for a stronger behavioral health system in Georgia.