New Leadership Presents a New Way Forward for CBHC

Meet our CBHC Board Chair, Dante Gonzales

In the often challenging landscape of behavioral healthcare, Dante Gonzales, the new Board Chair of Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council (CBHC) and the Chief Executive Officer of Centennial Mental Health Center, stands as a beacon of innovation and compassion. His leadership, born from tribulation of his own challenging beginnings, is transforming Centennial—which serves 10 counties in Northeast and East Central Colorado with a mission to help individuals, families, and communities enhance the quality of their lives—into a responsive, outcomes-oriented safety net provider. Gonzales and Centennial envision a future where youth are resilient, families are healthy, communities are thriving, and asking for help is normalized, all while charting a bold new course for the state’s behavioral health system.

Born and raised in Alamosa, Colorado, a community currently ranked in the 79th percentile of the Area Deprivation Index nationally and 95th in the state, Gonzales understands firsthand the systemic disadvantages that impact individuals and communities. “Growing up here, I definitely felt the disadvantages,” he reflects. Yet, he leveraged a natural aptitude for learning, staying local to earn both his BA and MBA from Adams State University. This academic foundation, coupled with his deep roots in an underserved area, laid the groundwork for a career dedicated to ensuring equitable access to care.

His journey into the safety net began unexpectedly, immediately after undergrad, when he took an entry-level purchasing role at his local Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). What started as a job delivering supplies quickly evolved into an intensive learning experience. “I spent more time asking questions than delivering goods,” he recalls. This insatiable curiosity allowed him to grasp “the importance of the safety net provider and how we were different.” Over thirteen years, he ascended through various roles, but it was as Financial Manager that he truly connected his business acumen with the FQHC’s mission. “Though I was not called to be any type of clinician,” he explains, “my skills in data, reporting, and finance were necessary to put the business in the best place to succeed so our providers could succeed at helping our clients and patients succeed.” This revelation solidified his commitment to leveraging administrative and financial strength to empower direct care.

Gonzales’s leadership style is characterized by what he calls “pragmatic vision.” He sets ambitious goals but remains firmly grounded in operational realities, a crucial balance in a field often subject to rapid policy shifts and funding challenges. “Whether navigating state policy shifts, system reform, or cultural reset, I believe in facing problems head-on and building solutions that last,” he asserts. He champions cultural transformation by reshaping mindsets and structures, expecting leaders to “think like leaders, not just fill roles.” This approach is underpinned by directness, transparency, and respect. “I won’t sugarcoat tough truths, and I don’t ask for anything I’m not willing to do myself,” he states, emphasizing a commitment to consistent, clear, and compassionate leadership. For him, resilience is not a static trait, but a daily practice fueled by “grit, structure, and purpose.”

His transition from the FQHC world to the behavioral health safety net at Centennial highlighted a significant difference in organizational oversight. FQHCs, under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), benefit from clear expectations and universal accreditation standards like those from Joint Commission or Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), fostering consistency and accountability. In contrast, the behavioral health safety net has historically been “self-governed,” a model with strengths in local responsiveness but lacking the “structural scaffolding that helps elevate performance and ensure accountability across the board.” He clarifies, “I believe the leaders who came before us did the best they could with the system as it was. But I also believe the next era of community mental health must be built on stronger foundations—clear standards, measurable outcomes, and clear accountability that supports equity, access, and quality across the state and the country.”

This perspective makes him particularly excited about Colorado’s fundamental transformation of its behavioral health system, culminating in the recent launch of Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations (BHASOs). “What excites me most…is the opportunity to finally bring structure, alignment, and shared accountability to the behavioral health safety net in a way we’ve never truly had before,” he shares. With Signal Behavioral Health Network as the BHASO for Region 2 and Rocky Mountain Health Partners for Region 1, he sees designated partners who can “organize, fund, and hold the system accountable for delivering on its promise.” This new structure represents “a real chance to build a more responsive, data-driven, and outcomes-oriented system—one that doesn’t just rely on legacy expectations or historical models, but that truly evolves to meet the needs of today.”

Centennial, like many safety net providers, faced significant challenges with the Public Health Emergency (PHE) unwind, and now confronts additional hurdles due to federal Medicaid cuts from H.R. 1, the federal budget reconciliation bill. While over 60% of Centennial’s revenue is tied to Medicaid, the region they serve has a low concentration of Medicaid enrollees – creating a “structural mismatch” for the sustainability of their operations. To counter this, Gonzales is actively modeling future scenarios and strategically positioning Centennial for success. A primary focus is “service expansion—particularly in case management.” By significantly scaling this capacity, Centennial aims to help clients, especially those exempt from new work requirements, navigate redeterminations and “safeguard continuity of care for the people who need it most.” His philosophy for navigating uncertainty is clear: “Fortune favors the bold. We’re leaning into that mindset—looking at how creativity, fearlessness, and unconventional thinking can help us not just survive this moment, but build something better through it.”

His recent assumption of the CBHC Board Chair role underscores his commitment to this broader transformation. “My leadership style was right for the moment CBHC finds itself in,” he explains, referring to the organization’s need to adapt to BHASOs and a shared safety net responsibility. As a relative newcomer to the specific behavioral health association world, he offers a fresh perspective “not rooted in how things have always been, but in where we can go next.” His vision for CBHC is an association that is “bold in our advocacy, united in our mission, future-focused, and grounded in a deep commitment to access, equity, and quality across every community we serve.” He views the current “rain” of change not as a burden, but as “a blessing” for growth, echoing a sentiment of leading from strength.

For Gonzales, the value of being part of an organization like CBHC extends beyond direct benefits like legislative advocacy or group purchasing. “The deeper value—the real value—comes from the grind with your peers,” he emphasizes. It’s a space for shared learning, tackling difficult questions, and navigating complex challenges like policy reform and workforce shortages together. For comprehensive providers who bear the brunt of the safety net, “that solidarity, that shared wisdom and support, is invaluable.” He concludes, “This work can be isolating, but in CBHC, we’re reminded that we’re not doing it alone. We’re part of something bigger.”

When not immersed in the complexities of behavioral healthcare, Gonzales finds joy and rejuvenation with his family. His wife, Kim, a first-grade teacher in Fort Morgan, shares his passion for helping others. Together, they navigate a bustling household with four children: Dante Jr., a senior at CU Denver studying Biology; Carmen, a senior at Fort Morgan High School; Brooklyn, a freshman at FMHS; and Ava, in 5th grade. Their family calendar is largely dictated by extracurriculars—volleyball, basketball, track, and soccer—keeping them active and connected. Outside of sports, they relish the outdoors, embracing mountain camping, hunting, and fishing as their preferred ways to unplug and simply be together. For Gonzales, leading the charge in behavioral health is not just a profession, but a deeply personal mission, one he approaches with the same grit, purpose, and commitment he instills in his team.