Joseph F. Rutherford, M.A., M.B.A., is the Chief Executive Officer of Gracepoint, Inc., in Tampa, Florida. He has extensive professional experience in managing community-base behavioral service delivery, including financial and technology management.
As CEO of Gracepoint (rebranded from Mental Health Care, Inc.), Joe manages a $36 million community mental health agency. Prior to his current position, Joe served as the Chief Executive Officer of Avi
ta Community Partners, a Georgia community service board. Prior to joining Avita, he was the Assistant Director of Northside Mental Health Center in Tampa, overseeing the administrative functioning at this organization.
Areas of Expertise
- Administrative and leadership of service provider organization
- Financial management and design of financial indicator systems
- Development of funding and clinical program initiatives
- Managed care implementation and revenue maximization
Professional Highlights
- Chief Executive Officer of Gracepoint, Inc.
- Chief Executive Officer, Avita Community Partners
- Associate Director, Northside Mental Health Center
- Partner, Behavioral Management Solutions
- Quality Assurance Director, Helen Ross McNabb Center
Joe’s current focus is the integration of health care within a large Behavioral Health organization. Working closely with local FQHCs and hospital systems, models for care are now being finalized to better coordinate the health care for the patients served. Prior to this, he led the turn-around process necessary for a Georgia Community Service Board suffering from a $4.8 million reduction in funding. Mr. Rutherford also became a certified independent consultant with CMHC Systems, and was involved in management activities ranging from new system implementations to managed care information systems setup.
Mr. Rutherford started his career working as a Licensed Psychological Examiner for the Clinton City School System. After three years in this role, he was appointed as the Assistant Administrator and Director of Quality Assurance for the Helen Ross McNabb Mental Health Center. Mr. Rutherford directed the implementation and management of the first management information system at the McNabb Center.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Mr. Rutherford received his B.A. and Master degrees in psychology in 1979 and 1982 respectively from Tennessee Technological University. In 1995, he completed a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) with Nova Southeastern University.
