Journey Mental Health Center Welcomes Sarah Valencia as New President & CEO
Journey Mental Health Center is excited to welcome Sarah Valencia as their next President & Chief Executive Officer, starting January 22.
Sarah steps into a role shaped by Tanya Lettman-Shue, who spent 25 years at Journey – starting as a frontline staff member and growing into a CEO who led with deep compassion and an unwavering belief that mental health care should be within reach for everyone. Tanya built a foundation of belonging, strong partnerships, and quality care that has prepared Journey for what comes next.
That kind of legacy doesn’t get replaced – it gets carried forward. And that’s exactly what Journey will continue to do under new leadership.
This decision wasn’t made lightly. Journey needed someone who understood the weight of this work, whose values matched theirs, and who was deeply connected to this community. Sarah brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across health and human services in Wisconsin, including senior roles in behavioral health, population health, and state government. She most recently served as Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, where she provided executive leadership across multiple divisions and large-scale public health and Medicaid systems. She’s fluent in Spanish, local to Madison, and knows firsthand what it takes to lead in a system that’s underfunded, overstretched, and absolutely essential.
“Sarah brings the strategic leadership, deep systems knowledge, and strong values alignment that Journey needs at this pivotal moment,” said Heidi Pankoke, chair of Journey’s Board of Directors. “Her commitment to equity and her collaborative leadership style position her well to lead Journey into its next chapter.”
As CEO, Sarah will lead organizational strategy, operations, and community partnerships – expanding access to mental health and substance use services while strengthening the foundation that makes that work sustainable. “I am incredibly excited and honored to serve as the next President and CEO of Journey Mental Health Center,” Sarah said. “Journey plays a critical role in our community, and I am eager to lead alongside a talented team to strengthen services, expand impact, and continue to ensure accessible, high-quality mental health care.”
The work continues. The mission stays the same. And they’re confident in their new leadership that will carry it forward.
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