Hal Farrier, M.P.A., of Suffield Township, is now serving the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County as a board member where he was once the executive director. He was appointed by Portage County Commissioners to a four-year term.
Farrier served as the Executive Director from 2007 to 2012, Associate Director from 2003 to 2007 and Director of Planning and Evaluation from 1990 to 2003. Before coming to the MHRB, he worked as a planner for similar boards in Franklin County and a multi-county board in southern Ohio.
“I have always been drawn to public service, plus it is a good way to connect with some great people,” Farrier explained his attachment to the MHRB.
Farrier’s experience on staff will assist the board’s mission as he has “worked in the system for many years and offers historical memory about how we arrived at decisions which always helps when you are planning for an organization.”
He supports the roles of the Mental Health & Recovery Board and its partner agencies in providing a vital safety net for the communities of Portage County.
“We are local people helping our neighbors,” Farrier said of the Board, its mission and its collaboration with its contract agencies. Those agencies are Coleman Professional Services, Townhall II, Children’s Advantage and Family and Community Services.
Farrier is also currently on the Board of AxessPointe Community Health Center which operates non-profit health care centers in Kent, Akron and Barberton. In June of this year, he retired from The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) Board of Trustees after thirteen years of service.
He has a master’s degree in Public Administration with a specialty in Healthcare Planning from The Pennsylvania State University where he also received his undergraduate degree.
He and his wife Carol live in Suffield Township and have been Portage County residents for 23 years.
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