Richard S. Knecht

Richard Knecht has delivered program operations, leadership, strategic planning and training services to public and private healthcare and human service systems for more than 26 years. He is highly regarded in California for his work in designing, adapting and implementing integrated Systems of Care for public human service agencies.

He has unique experience assisting organizations in the creation of authentic engagement and stakeholder planning processes. Increasingly, payers and funders require agencies to genuinely involve their service recipients when planning or implementing services. Whether you are conducting MHSA planning or Welfare System Improvement Plan conversations, Richard can assist you in the development of genuine engagement and community assessment, and in fostering a truly transparent and shared planning process.

Richard’s consultation capacities include assisting organizations to create and implement Strategic Planning processes and Quality Management plans to meaningfully support the monitoring and measurement of team performance, and to communicate those outcomes to others with clarity. When properly executed, these internal systems allow you to focus your energies and implement lasting change in the pursuit of your “True North.” Behavioral Healthcare organizations in need of Physician Recruitment, Practice Management or development of Telehealth services may benefit from Richard’s experience in operational and clinical administration, as you build service teams and put organizational processes in place in support of effective service outcomes.

Richard has conducted Accreditation Readiness and site visit preparation in multiple settings. Your team will often benefit in unpredictable ways from an investment in accreditation, and he can assist your agency to measure its readiness, and complete and maintain successful accreditation.

He can assist non-profit service organizations to identify real world solutions that will support and sustain long-term success, with leadership coaching, revenue expansion, board development or program design and implementation. Grant writing and fund development are the life blood of your agency. Richard has managed grant application and fulfillment in both public agency and community-based settings, and can assist you in tapping into and maximizing your financial partnerships.

Richard is the former Chief Operating Officer of a large behavioral health hospital, and the former Sr. Vice President of Program Operations at the River Oak Center for Children. He recently served as California’s first Transformation Manager, providing guidance and cross-system statewide technical assistance to multiple agencies in building shared management processes for children and families. With special awareness of the unique challenges public child serving agencies face, Richard brings creative and effective solutions from his 10 years directing Placer County’s highly regarded children’s system and his 16 years in private nonprofit leadership. He is currently Chair of the Board of Directors at Ifoster.org, the country’s online resource portal for Foster and Kinship care youth and their providers.