Brattleboro Retreat Appoints Louis Josephson as President and CEO

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The Brattleboro Retreat announced that its board of trustees has appointed Louis Josephson as the hospital’s new president and chief executive officer. He will start on March 1.

Josephson, a native of New York City, comes to the retreat from Los Angeles, where he has served as the president and chief executive officer of Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services since 2013. Prior to moving to Los Angeles he served for eight years as president and CEO of Riverbend Community Mental Health in Concord, N.H. During that same period Josephson was also vice president of behavioral health at Concord Hospital, also in New Hampshire.

Before joining Riverbend Community Mental Health he served as assistant commissioner in the Office of Child and Adolescent Services for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and as director of Family Court Mental Health Services for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.

“I am thrilled to have been chosen to lead such an outstanding organization, and grateful to be following Rob Simpson after all he has accomplished at the Retreat,” said Josephson. “Vermonters and people in surrounding communities deserve an outstanding mental health resource and I am committed to continuing the Retreat’s drive to provide premier psychiatric and addiction care.”

Josephson holds a doctorate in clinical social work from NYU, a master’s degree in social work from the Columbia University School of Social Work, and bachelor’s degree in English from Tufts University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

The appointment of Josephson is the culmination of a lengthy national search to replace the retreat’s outgoing president and CEO Dr. Robert E. Simpson, Jr., who will step down on Dec. 31 after nine years with the organization, according to Board Chair Elizabeth Catlin.
“It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Dr. Josephson to the Brattleboro Retreat and to the entire state of Vermont,” Catlin said. “Our ability to attract such a high caliber candidate speaks volumes about the Retreat’s mission, history, and ongoing commitment to providing quality, compassionate care. We are blessed to be passing the torch to another exceptional leader who has the vision, skill, and heart to continue growing and strengthening the hospital and also to provide an exciting new start that’s filled with opportunities.”