The Menninger Clinic Names New President and CEO

The Menninger Clinic, a nationally ranked psychiatric hospital for 30 consecutive years, names Armando E. Colombo its new president and chief executive officer. With 30 years of experience in health care operations and national marketplace knowledge, Colombo is equipped to lead Menninger toward its 100th anniversary by building upon Menninger’s patient care services and expanding access to people seeking mental health care.

 

Colombo has been executive vice president and chief operating officer the past two years at Sheppard Pratt Health System, the nation’s largest private, nonprofit provider of mental health, substance use, developmental disability and social services. Colombo joined Sheppard Pratt in 2017 from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he served as chief executive officer of Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital and interim chief executive officer of Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital.

 

At Sheppard Pratt Health System, Colombo has implemented operational strategies and assisted with quality of care initiatives to provide patients with better care and services across Sheppard Pratt’s programs.

 

“We are confident that Armando’s veteran experience and positive approach to leadership will guide Menninger’s growth strategically and elevate Menninger’s visibility in the community,” said Jeff Paine, chair of The Menninger Clinic’s Board of Directors, who led the national search for the new CEO.

 

Founded in 1925, The Menninger Clinic is a national nonprofit psychiatric hospital that affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in 2003 when it relocated to Houston from Kansas.

 

BCM’s Wayne K. Goodman, MD, said, “Mr. Colombo's experience with another top psychiatric hospital and trailblazing approach to mental health care is bound to bring The Menninger Clinic to the next level. Together with Baylor College of Medicine, The Menninger Clinic can become the number one destination in the nation -- and internationally -- for patients with complex psychiatric conditions." Goodman, who served with Paine on the search committee, is the D.C. and Irene Ellwood Professor and chair of the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at BCM.

 

Colombo is experienced in diversifying financially affordable options for people with psychiatric and addictive disorders. “I am looking forward to maintaining and building upon Menninger’s prominence in mental health and increasing the services to serve a broader range of people with mental health needs,” Colombo said. “Menninger is a tremendous brand in mental health with talented clinicians who get outstanding results with their patients.”

 

Colombo will join the Menninger executive team September 16. He succeeds C. Edward Coffey, MD, who led The Menninger Clinic for three years. Since November 2017, Tony Gaglio, MBA, CPA, Menninger’s chief financial officer, has served as interim CEO.