Robbin Cole, CEO of Pawnee Mental Health, announces his retirement

By Madison Ogle – Pawnee Mental Health

After a total of 28 years of service, Robbin Cole, CEO of Pawnee Mental Health, has announced his retirement.

Cole graduated from Kansas State University in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She worked as a social worker at the Wharton Manor Nursing Home, worked part-time in the social work department at what is now Ascension Via Christi, volunteered at the Crisis Center, and was a co-founder of the Manhattan Emergency Shelter (MESI.)

Cole received her master’s degree in social work from the University of Kansas in 1987. She began her career in Pawnee as an MSW intern in 1986 and worked as a therapist for Pawnee from 1987 to 1992. Cole and her family lived in the Wichita area from 1992 to 2002, where Cole worked as director of counseling and adoption services for Catholic Charities and then as clinical director of MHNet, a managed behavioral health care organization.

Cole returned to Pawnee in 2002 as clinical director. She became CEO in 2006. Under her tenure, Cole led the agency through some of the most challenging years in community mental health. She oversaw layoffs in 2009 and 2010 following cuts in state funding and led the agency through the 2020 COVID pandemic.

Despite these challenges, Cole oversaw the growth of the agency’s budget from $12 million per year to $28 million per year. The agency purchased buildings in Junction City and Beloit and increased leased space in Mankato, Wamego and Manhattan to meet growing demand for services. Under Cole, the agency opened the CSU (Crisis Stabilization Unit), formed the Diversity Inclusion Group, implemented a new electronic health record, transitioned to the CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) model of care, and implemented update its logo.

Cole was instrumental in the formation of the Riley County Mental Health Task Force and the creation of the Mental Health Co-Responder Program. She serves on the RCPD CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) board and has represented the Kansas Association of Community Mental Health Centers on the Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council since 2015.

Cole was named Social Worker of the Year by KNASW, Provider of the Year by NAMI Kansas, received the Chamberlin-Rapp Exemplary Leadership Award from the Kansas Consumer Advisory Council for Mental Health, and received the Kansas Family Service Award of the Kansas Association. for marital and family therapy.

In addition to his community mental health service, Cole and his family served as host family to seven AFS high school exchange students between 2009 and 2018. Cole was a liaison for countless others. She served on the AFS board of directors as co-president from 2011 to 2018. She and her husband are actively involved in the Manhattan Helping International Student Association, of which Cole served as board president from 2007 to 2014. Since 2018, the Coles have hosted annual gatherings at their home for the Washington Mandela Fellows of Kansas State University’s Staley School of Leadership Studies. Cole is a member of the Manhattan Rotary Club and served as club president from 2021 to 2022. She was named Rotarian of the Year in 2023.

Cole will retire on May 1, 2024. She was Pawnee’s first woman and longest-serving CEO. During his retirement, Cole plans to help his siblings care for their aging mother, spend time with his family and think about how best to continue serving the community. Cole says, “If I waited until the job was done to retire at Pawnee, I would never retire because the job would never be done. Pawnee will accomplish great things in the future thanks to its extraordinary staff, leadership, board members and volunteers across ten counties who are committed to meeting the mental health and treatment needs of our communities of drug addiction. With Pawnee’s recent transition to CCBHC, now is the right time to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders who will successfully guide Pawnee into the future.

Anne Browne, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said: “It has been a rare privilege to work with Robbin. She is the captain of our ship. It set our course for continued excellence and the ever-expanding role of our vital community service. No words can thank her enough.

The Pawnee Board of Directors will immediately begin the search process for the next CEO.