“I’m pleased to announce Kim Boswell as commissioner for the Alabama Department of Mental Health,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. “She has spent the entirety of her professional career devoted to helping struggling individuals and I appreciate her willingness to serve in this new capacity. Her background as a mental health provider as well as administrator makes her uniquely qualified.”

Kimberly (Kim) Boswell (MSW, 1984) will take over the role as commissioner of the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) after the retirement of Commissioner Lynn Beshear on December 16, 2020. Boswell served as Chief of Staff for Beshear and has been both Associate Commissioner for Administration and Director of Human Resources for the ADMH.

Beshear led the ADMH since 2017, creating what Alabama Governor Kay Ivey described as a collaborative team approach within department to solve intricate problems regarding delivery of services for mental illness, substance abuse disorder and intellectual disability. Ivey stated, “I am truly grateful for her service to our state and wish her best in her next chapter.”

In the last four years, the ADMH launched a major initiative, Stepping Up Alabama which uses the national model to reduce the number of individuals with mental health issues in correctional facilities. Alabama is the only state to expand the goal to include emergency rooms and substance use disorder in this initiative. Also, three crisis diversion centers, announced in 2020, were added to the continuum of services with the aim to provide individuals with “the right care, at the right time, in the right place.” The diversion centers are the first in Alabama and will be a leading step in the direction of a statewide system of care.  

Building on the work started under Beshear’s tenure, Boswell will move forward with developing an accessible, interconnected, effective and just system of care for the individuals served by ADMH.  “My social work education has served me well in understanding human and organizational interactions and how they work together to serve people.  I am excited about the future of mental health and the opportunity to work with our dedicated employees and community partners to serve, empower and support the individuals we serve.”

Boswell has more than 36 years of experience working with individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders and developmental disabilities. During her career, she worked as a planner to improve human service delivery systems, a program evaluator, a School to Work transition coordinator, and has also served as the state office administrator for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services.

She earned her MSW from the FSU College of Social Work in 1984, with a specialization in planning and program evaluation. She also holds a BSW from the University of Alabama Birmingham.