Trina Dutta
Trina Dutta, MPP, MPH, joined the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute with almost 20 years of experience in behavioral health policy and financing. Prior to joining the Meadows Institute, Trina served as Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In this position, she focused on coordination, analysis, development, and implementation of national policy to promote behavioral health services across the country. Prior to this, Trina held multiple leadership roles within SAMHSA working across agency divisions to support operational effectiveness and advance national behavioral health priorities. Previously, Trina spent six years helping lead the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health as Policy Director and Special Projects Officer to DC’s Medicaid Director in the Department of Health Care Finance. Trina started her career at SAMHSA as a Presidential Management Fellow, and where she focused on behavioral health integration and health equity.
In her role at the Meadows Institute, Trina is a member of the Organization Steering Team (OST) and is responsible for ensuring that the Meadows Institute’s strategy, programs, and operations are aligned with its long-term vision and mission. This includes translating the mission and theory of change across all implementation activities and ensuring the refinement of the conceptual and programmatic basis of the Meadows Institute’s work over time. Her role centers on supporting the strategic direction and growth of the organization, and she provides oversight for the Children, Youth & Families team, the Adult Systems of Care team, the Regional Initiatives team, and the Trauma and Grief Center.
Trina grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University. After serving in Peace Corps as a water sanitation coordinator in Nepal, Trina received a Master of Public Health-Master of Public Policy dual degree from UC Berkeley. She resides with her family in Washington DC near the National Zoo and can often hear the lions roaring in the morning.
