Former Rockwall Police Chief Max Geron Joins Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute as Senior Director of Health & Public Safety

AUSTIN – Max Geron, former Chief of the Rockwall Police Department, has joined the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute as Senior Director of Health and Public Safety, effective August 1.

In that role, Geron will advance the organization’s work in emergency response systems transformation, including early mental health emergency identification, call center triage, and Multi-Disciplinary Response Team (MDRT) advancement and implementation. He will also supply guidance and leadership in developing the Institute’s law enforcement peer network and workforce enhancement, in addition to assuming a key leadership role in Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement and Public Safety (ABLE)™ project development.

“Chief Geron brings nearly three decades of policing experience and a track record of strategic leadership to this new role, and we are excited to have him join our team,” said Andy Keller, President and CEO of the Meadows Institute.

Chief Geron will play a key role in our ongoing efforts to improve lives and outcomes by transforming mental health emergency response across Texas and elsewhere in the United States.

Geron served as Chief of Police for the Rockwall Police Department from 2020-2022. Prior to that, he spent over 27 years with the Dallas Police Department, rising to the rank of Major and serving as the Acting Deputy Chief over the Criminal Investigations Bureau.

“The Meadows Institute has been at the forefront of cutting-edge methods to improve policing and the way authorities respond to mental health emergencies,” Chief Geron said. “They are also dedicated to finding ways to improve the mental health of officers through initiatives like the Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network. I am looking forward to being a part of this team moving forward.”

Over the past several years, the Meadows Institute has assisted in the development and analysis of Dallas’ successful RIGHT Care program, which transformed the way authorities respond to mental health emergencies by dispatching a community paramedic, licensed mental health clinician, and specially trained police officer, helping eliminate the use of jails and police as the default response for the treatment of mental illness. The Institute has also assisted with similar efforts in communities such as Abilene, San Antonio, Galveston, and Austin.

Read the full press release here.