Craig Poe is the Chief Executive Officer of High Plains Mental Health Center, serving rural and frontier communities across Northwest Kansas. He leads a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic responsible for outpatient services, 24 hour mobile crisis response, and a Crisis Stabilization Unit, with a strong focus on access, workforce sustainability, and operational resilience in under resourced settings.
Since joining High Plains Mental Health Center in 2024, Craig has overseen significant system expansion, including launching one of the first Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation programs within a Community Mental Health Center nationally and advancing development of a regional Crisis Intervention Center to strengthen crisis response and reduce pressure on emergency rooms and law enforcement.
Craig brings extensive experience in rural behavioral health operations, workforce strategy, reimbursement challenges, and cross sector partnerships. Prior to his current role, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Pawnee Mental Health Services, overseeing operations across ten rural counties. His background also includes leadership roles in human resources, business management, and operations outside healthcare, giving him a practical, systems focused perspective on organizational leadership.
A sixth generation Kansan, Craig holds a master’s degree in management and leadership and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. His work is grounded in real world experience and a deep commitment to building sustainable behavioral health systems that meet rural communities where they are.