Nonprofit and public health leader focused on protecting emotional health and preventing suicide for teens and young adults.

Successful track record launching and growing new products and organizations - participated in or led the launch of more than 30 new products and services.

John MacPhee

The recent decision to restore billions in federal #MentalHealth and substance use grants was the right thing to do, and it was a life-saving measure.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-34. Yet more than $1.9 billion in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants were initially terminated across 2,800+ programs — including suicide prevention, youth mental health, and community recovery services. Within hours, organizations were preparing for layoffs and closures. 

While the reversal was welcome news, the brief cancellation of essential funding exposed just how fragile our nation’s mental health infrastructure truly is, and how quickly lives can be put at risk. Communities across the country depend on these investments to keep counseling centers open, retain clinicians, and provide vital prevention and recovery services. Restoring this funding prevented immediate disruption for thousands of providers and millions of people, including youth, who rely on them.

At The Jed Foundation (JED), we know that prevention, early intervention, and strong community-based systems work. Now we must ensure stronger guardrails to protect the urgent mental health needs of all Americans.

Read the full statement here:

Chief Executive Officer @ The Jed Foundation | MPH, Health Policy

Open article: Restoring Mental Health Funding Was the Right Move. It Saved Lives. | The Jed Foundation by bit.ly

Restoring Mental Health Funding Was the Right Move. It Saved Lives. | The Jed Foundation

Solome Tibebu is a behavioral health entrepreneur passionate about frontier technologies and solutions transforming mental health, equity and access. 

She is the founder and host Behavioral Health Tech, the largest community and conference focused on expanding access to mental health, substance use and autism/IDD care through technology and innovation.

Solome was also the founding Fund Director for The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health, a philanthropic fund focused on youth mental health, funded by Melinda French Gates' personal office, Pivotal Ventures. Since 2020, The Upswing Fund has funded nearly 100 organizations focused on the mental health and well-being of adolescents of color and LGBTQ+ youth. Today, she is co-chair of Pivotal Ventures’ council designing the next youth mental health fund.

Solome has served as a scout and venture partner for Andreessen Horowitz and GreyMatter Capital, respectively. She is a board director or advisor to various non-profit healthcare organizations and for-profit companies. Solome’s work as an investor, entrepreneur, non-profit consultant and behavioral health technology expert has been featured as a Harvard Business Review case study, TEDx Talk, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Inc Magazine, Upworthy, Psychology Today and more.

Previously, Solome's work has spanned behavioral health and human service consulting, venture capital, corporate development and various operating roles at behavioral health software companies large and small. Solome founded and ran a mental health tech startup and, as a former anxious teen, founded and ran the non-profit AnxietyInTeens.org for ten years.

Solome is the recipient of the SAMHSA National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Youth MOVE National Dare to Dream Award (Washington, D.C.), the MN Association of Children’s Mental Health 2010 Outstanding Service Award (Minneapolis, MN), the Margaret Clark Morgan Mental Health Scholar Award (Cleveland, OH), GSCU Dr. Martha L. Colvin Docent (Atlanta, GA), and was selected as 1 of 20 young social entrepreneurs to represent the US internationally at the G20 Summit Young Entrepreneurs Alliance in Sydney, Australia.

Solome Tibebu

"Admitting you need help during a mental health crisis takes extraordinary bravery. But in a fragmented healthcare system, that courage is rarely rewarded with quick access to the care you need. I learned this the only way I learn anything - through first-hand experience, incredibly painfully. 

When I finally gathered the strength to say I was struggling with suicidal ideation, my therapist let me know that my needs were too severe to continue care with her. I was faced with an impossible choice: wait six weeks for an open spot in an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) or go to the emergency room. She told me she knew going to the ER felt extreme, but that it would be the fastest way for me to be connected to care." 

Thank you so much Lauren Morrell, for sharing your incredible story of hardship and turning it into something amazing for others, on the Behavioral Health Tech blog:

Founder of Behavioral Health Tech community & conference; Sep 22-24, 2026 in Nashville- Save the date!

Open article: In My Darkest Moment, I Discovered How Broken Our Mental Health Care System Really Is. by behavioralhealthtech.com

In My Darkest Moment, I Discovered How Broken Our Mental Health Care System Really Is.

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