Wizdom Powell, PhD, MPH
Chief Executive Officer of Unified Youth
Dr. Wizdom Powell is a visionary leader at the nexus of mental and behavioral health, education, advocacy, and multi-sectoral community programming. As the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Unified Youth, she brings over two decades of experience driving systemic change through data-driven policy action, place-based interventions, and rigorous impact measurement. A tenured professor and nationally recognized thought leader, Dr. Powell has shaped national mental health policy, led groundbreaking public-private partnerships, and worked globally to advance equity-driven solutions that create measurable, lasting change across all facets of population health.
Dr. Powell received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Clinical Psychology and M.P.H. from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. and has held tenured professorships at some of the nation’s most prestigious academic institutions including: The University of Connecticut where she served as Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Health Disparities Institute and UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she served as Research Associate Professor in the Department of Behavior Health and Associate Director of the Center for Health Equity Research in the Department of Social Medicine
Most recently, Wizdom was the Chief Purpose Officer at Headspace where she oversaw the organization’s Social Impact, Legislative Affairs, and Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) portfolios as well as company-wide organizational culture and belonging efforts. During her time at Headspace, she spearheaded an innovative partnership with the City of Hartford, Connecticut that promoted a citywide culture of mindfulness and mental health through resource provision, evaluation, and training.
Dr. Powell serves as Co-Chair on the CHDI Board of Directors' Program, Equity, and Communications Committee.
Read our 2024 Q&A with Dr. Powell on advocating for youth mental health
Read Dr. Powell's 2/2/22 testimony at the Committee on Ways and Means hearing