30 Years in Mental Health: What Actually Works | Kevin Martone
Wed Feb 04 2026
Kevin Martone, President and CEO of Bay Cove Human Services, shares what he's learned leading a mental health organization serving 25,000 people annually with 2,000 employees and a $190 million budget—from navigating federal funding cuts to changing how communities think about mental illness.
In this conversation, you'll learn:
✅ How to scale mental health services from 300 to 25,000 people without losing human connection
✅ Why the biggest barrier to mental health treatment isn't clinical—it's housing, employment, and communication access
✅ Strategies for nonprofits navigating federal funding cuts and state budget challenges in 2025
✅ How to shift public narrative around mental health, homelessness, and substance use disorders
✅ Kevin's 30-year journey from wanting to join the FBI to leading one of Boston's largest human services organizations
✅ The role of AI in mental health (and why guardrails matter more than innovation)
✅ What really fills a nonprofit leader's cup after decades in this work
This episode is perfect for nonprofit executive directors, operations leaders, and anyone managing large-scale mental health, behavioral health, or human services programs.
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Kevin Martone, President and CEO of Bay Cove Human Services, shares what he's learned leading a mental health organization serving 25,000 people annually with 2,000 employees and a $190 million budget—from navigating federal funding cuts to changing how communities think about mental illness. In this conversation, you'll learn: ✅ How to scale mental health services from 300 to 25,000 people without losing human connection ✅ Why the biggest barrier to mental health treatment isn't clinical—it's housing, employment, and communication access ✅ Strategies for nonprofits navigating federal funding cuts and state budget challenges in 2025 ✅ How to shift public narrative around mental health, homelessness, and substance use disorders ✅ Kevin's 30-year journey from wanting to join the FBI to leading one of Boston's largest human services organizations ✅ The role of AI in mental health (and why guardrails matter more than innovation) ✅ What really fills a nonprofit leader's cup after decades in this work This episode is perfect for nonprofit executive directors, operations leaders, and anyone managing large-scale mental health, behavioral health, or human services programs.