With the impending retirement of CEO Robbin Cole at Pawnee Mental Health Services, a new CEO is set to the take the reins in the coming months.
Michael Rezkalla was appointed by the Pawnee Mental Health Governing Board in late-January and he has been working with Cole through the transition before her retirement.
Rezkalla arrived in Manhattan from Worchester, Massachusetts where he worked for UMass Memorial Community Healthlink, which is a large multi-service, behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment and community health provider.
Outgoing CEO Cole said she couldn’t be more happy with the board’s choice of Rezkalla.
“The board did a nationwide search for the next CEO of Pawnee Mental Health,” she said. “We were very overwhelmed by the number of applicants for the position but in the end I’m confident the board made the right decision.”
Rezkalla says he’s humbled to be apart of Pawnee.
“I’m humbled by the board’s decision to hire me,” he said. “I also love the state of Kansas. I’ve been here several times before and I just fell in love with the state.”
Cole says that Rezkalla’s experience makes his hire a great addition to Pawnee.
“Michael’s experience with UMass just ties in perfectly with what Pawnee is doing in our communities,” she said.
Rezkalla’s first day with Pawnee was March 4. He will take over following Cole’s retirement on May 1.
