Meet Our Management Team

Deborah L. Stephens is Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Behavioral Health Systems, Inc., in Birmingham. She was the principal founding member of the company in 1989.

Ms. Stephens has over twenty years experience in healthcare finance and administration, and formerly served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of both a 100-bed hospital and its parent holding company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ms. Stephens has achieved national recognition for her work in the areas of multi-corporate planning and reorganization, zero-base budgeting and physical rehabilitation finance. She has been included in the 2003 Birmingham Business Journal Top 100 Healthcare Professionals in Alabama, 2000 edition of Who's Who in the World, 1993-96 editions of Who's Who of American Women, the 1994-95 Who's Who of Science and Engineering, and the 1996-97 edition of Who's Who of Finance and Industry. In 1984, Ms. Stephens was cited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals as one of eleven women nationally to hold a VP or higher status in the hospital field.

Awards include 1995 Small Business Person of the Year (Birmingham Chamber of Commerce), 1995 Small Business of the Year (Business Council of Alabama), 1995 Top 5 Thriving Business Women (Business to Business), 1994 Top 25 Fastest Growing Specialty PPO's in the Nation (Managed Healthcare Magazine), 1996 Top 78 National Entrepreneurs (feature profile - Entrepreneur Magazine 4/96), 1996 feature story in Birmingham Post-Herald, 1995 feature story in Birmingham News, 1995 feature profile in HealthWatch (Alabama Healthcare Council), 1995 feature profile in Open Minds Magazine.

A graduate of the University of Iowa, Ms. Stephens conducted post-graduate work at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and completed the Western Institute of Healthcare Executives program at the University of California - Berkeley.

Ms. Stephens has been an active director on numerous governing boards, and served on an advisory committee to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on healthcare prospective payment issues.

Since establishing permanent residence in Birmingham in 1988, Ms. Stephens has been active in the Rotary Club of Birmingham, Business Council of Alabama, Venture Club, Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Board of the Applecross Homeowners Association. In her "off" hours, she enjoys jogging, traveling and reading.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR
William M. Patterson, M.D., a graduate of the University of Alabama, completed his medical internship and psychiatric residency program at Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and held the rank of Professor while serving as Director of Psychiatry Residency Training at UAB. Dr. Patterson is also currently Director of the Birmingham Research Group and received the 1995 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for Mentally Ill.

MEDICAL REVIEW OFFICER, SAFETY FIRST
Michael L. Cloyd, M.D., M.P.H. is certified by the American Board of Preventative Medicine for Occupational Medicine. In 1993, he was certified by the MROCC as a qualified Medical Review Officer. Dr. Cloyd presently serves as MRO for many large companies.

PRESIDENT, SAFETY FIRST
Danny Cooner is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Health Administration, and has over twenty years experience in the health field with concentration in reference lab operations.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & MCO
Pat Friedley has eighteen years experience in the claims and contract/compliance aspects of group insurance. She was Contract Coordinator at Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of Wisconsin for six years.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & COO
Kyle Strange is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA with a B.A. in Psychology, and earned the degree of Master of Social Work from the University of Alabama. He is a Licensed Certified Social Worker by the Alabama Board of Social Work Examiners. He has worked in the field of mental health for eighteen years.

SR. VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE & CFO
Mark Gordon has over 23 years experience in the accounting and finance field, including 18 years in the managed care industry. His managed care experience includes eleven years with CIGNA Healthcare as Director of Finance.

VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC RELATIONS & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Shannon Goff Flanagan joined BHS in 2006 as the Director, Public Relations. Since then she has become very active with current and prospective clients as well as generating BHS' positive community presence. Prior to BHS, she served as Account Executive at Luckie & Company and The Zimmerman Agency working on a variety of corporate clients in the field of tourism, healthcare and finance.

SR. VICE PRESIDENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & CIO
Paul Ivey joined BHS in 2005 in a consulting role for software development. His career experience includes project management, methodology, system design, development and system integration. Additionally, he has worked in consulting and training roles to develop business plans and corporate information technology.

DIRECTOR, BHS A.S.S.I.S.T.
Judi Braswell has earned a BS in Psychology and M.Ed. in Counseling from the University of Montevallo. She has over 15 years experience in EAP management and is a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). She is also qualified as a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) under Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. In addition to education and training coordination, Ms. Braswell is also involved in new service development.