Heather O'Donnell

Heather O’Donnell is Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy at Thresholds. Heather has nearly 20 years of behavioral health, healthcare, Medicaid, and affordable housing policy experience and expertise. She drives systems-change public policy initiatives aimed at addressing the social determinants of health and racial health disparities. Heather has led a number of major policy changes in Illinois, including increasing Medicaid reimbursement for the mental health and substance use treatment sector by nearly $200 million to improve access, passing legislation improving early treatment of serious mental health conditions in youth and young adults, expanding substance use outreach services to reach people living in severe poverty, and establishing a housing program that pairs a rental subsidy with support services to move people with serious mental health conditions from homelessness to housing. Heather leads the Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives Coalition, a coalition of over 100 mental health and substance use advocates across Illinois. Prior to joining Thresholds, Heather served as Director of Planning for Healthcare Reform at CJE SeniorLife where she launched a federal demonstration program for older adults with chronic medical conditions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In addition, she served as the Policy Director for Health Care and Human Services at the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability for six years with a focus on public healthcare finance. Heather also worked for Lawyers for Human Rights in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before joining the public interest sector, Heather practiced corporate law for eight years. She holds a J.D. and a B.A. in political science.