NASW Board of Directors
Director, Region I

Bisrat Abebe, MA, LCSW, LICSW

Bisrat Abebe, MA, LCSW, LICSW, is the Associate Vice President for Adult Behavioral Health Services at Community Health Resources (CHR). In this role, he provides strategic and operational oversight for CHR’s adult Mobile Crisis Response programs, Mental Health Emergency Department Recovery Support Specialist (RSS) initiatives, and community-based Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs), including services delivered in seven Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) facilities.

Originally from Ethiopia, Abebe holds dual master’s degrees in Social Work and Theology from Boston College (2005). He is a licensed clinical social worker in both Massachusetts and Connecticut and brings over two decades of experience in clinical practice, supervision, and behavioral health administration. His past roles include Mobile Crisis Clinician, Mental Health Program Director at Suffolk County House of Correction, Director of Young Adult Programs in Boston, and Assistant Dean for Academic Support Services at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has also served as a long-time adjunct professor in several MSW programs and currently teaches clinical social work courses at the University of Connecticut.
Throughout his career, Abebe has led initiatives to expand access to behavioral health care for young adults and individuals involved in the criminal legal system, with a consistent focus on equity, recovery-oriented practice, and community engagement.