Sonja Gaines

SONJA GAINES, MBA
DEPUTY EXECUTIVE COMMISSIONER
INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND BEHAVIOR HEALTH SERVICES
Sonja Gaines is the Deputy Executive Commissioner for Intellectual and Developmental Disability and Behavioral Health Services.
She came to Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) in 2014 as the first Associate Commissioner for Mental Health Coordination.
In 2016, she assumed leadership responsibility for the policy and delivery of community-based services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and behavioral health conditions.
During her tenure at HHSC, Commissioner Gaines spearheaded the development of the first Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan as well as the first IDD Strategic Plan. During her leadership at HHSC, outpatient waitlist has been eliminated, local mental health authorities have been certified as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).
More than $200 million of behavioral health services implemented through the Texas Opioid Response federal grant and mental health matching grant programs.
Commissioner Gaines has more than 20 years of community mental health experience. She previously served as Chief of Mental Health Services with My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, the second largest community mental health center in Texas.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Texas Women’s University as well as bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Maryland and William Paterson University, respectively.
Her vision is to create a unified approach to behavioral health services that allows Texans to gain access to care at the right time and place.