Teen Health Connection, a provider of medical and behavioral health services for adolescents and young adults in the Charlotte region, has selected Dr. Jennifer Thomas as its new executive director.
Thomas, who holds a doctorate from UNC Chapel Hill, currently serves as the organization’s chief psychologist. She will begin her new role on Dec. 1, succeeding Libby Safrit, who is retiring.
Thomas has more than 15 years of experience as a behavioral health care leader and licensed psychologist focusing on adolescents and their families. She first joined Teen Health Connection in 2012 as the organization’s first full-time psychologist.
In her current role, Thomas and her team provide behavioral health triage, assessments for youth involved with child welfare, and social work services for teens receiving specialized medical care. Teen Health Connection partners with Mecklenburg County and other community organizations.
Thomas’s promotion coincides with the retirement of Safrit, whose tenure with the organization began in 1998 as its first behavioral health clinician. Safrit was named executive director in 2009.
“I could not be more confident in Dr. Thomas’s ability to lead Teen Health Connection into its next chapter,” Safrit said in a statement. “Her heart for this work, her expertise, and her unwavering dedication will continue to elevate our organization locally and nationally. As I pass the torch, I do so knowing that Teen Health Connection is in the most capable hands.”
Thomas said she was excited about her new role and the future of the organization.
Thomas received her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, all from UNC Chapel Hill. She completed her predoctoral psychology internship in Clinical Child Psychology at Duke University Medical Center.
Teen Health Connection serves adolescents and young adults ages 11 through 25 and is a community collaboration with Atrium Health.