Lexicon Partner Wendy Tiegreen Honored with NASHP Academy Award for Leadership and Innovation in Behavioral Health

At the National Academy for State Health Policy’s (NASHP) 2025 Annual Conference, leaders from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and several territories gathered to share strategies, challenges, and opportunities in shaping state health policy. NASHP Academy Members are leaders, Commissioners, and directors in the state and federal Medicaid, Public Health, and Behavioral Health fields who have been nominated by their peers in recognition of their significant contributions to state health policy. The conference highlighted creativity and innovation in the face of tight budgets, federal policy shifts, and increasing demands on state health systems.

As part of the event, NASHP recognizes an outstanding state leader whose dedication has transformed health policy. This year’s Academy Award, which acknowledges an individual who has made significant contributions throughout their career, was presented to Wendy White Tiegreen, partner at Lexicon Strategies.

Wendy spent three decades at the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, where she served in senior leadership roles and became nationally recognized as an expert in Medicaid financing, workforce development, policy, and the peer recovery movement. At NASHP, her work was celebrated as groundbreaking in expanding access to behavioral health services and advancing innovative approaches that continue to influence states across the country.

Wendy’s career has been defined by innovation and collaboration. She was a member of the original team that developed the nation’s first peer support services to be recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and SAMHSA. She also co-created the first Certified Peer Specialist curriculum, building a workforce that has grown to nearly 65,000 nationally. Her leadership has shaped state and federal policy on behavioral health, parity, children’s systems of care, school-based mental health, and early childhood mental health. At Lexicon Strategies, she now serves as a trusted advisor and consultant, bringing her expertise to organizations and governments navigating the complex behavioral health landscape.

In addition to her recognition at NASHP, Wendy was honored in September with the Powerhouse Policymaker Award from Georgians for a Healthy Future. The award recognized her excellence and courage in championing health issues in the public policy arena, especially her role in prioritizing lived experiences and peer supports within Georgia’s mental health system of care.

These awards reflect the impact of Wendy’s career-long dedication to strengthening behavioral health systems and her continued commitment to innovation. As conversations about health equity, Medicaid, and behavioral health workforce development evolve, Wendy Tiegreen remains at the forefront—helping states, organizations, and communities chart practical, forward-looking solutions that expand access and improve outcomes.

Wendy White Tiegreen