Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Principal Deputy Administrator, SAMHSA

Ms. Enomoto was appointed in August 2011 as the Principal Deputy Administrator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this capacity, Ms. Enomoto shares responsibility with the Administrator to provide executive direction and policy leadership for an agency with more than 500 employees and a fiscal year budget of approximately $3.5 billion.

Ms. Enomoto brings 13 years of experience in the behavioral health field. She previously held the positions of Director of the Office of Policy, Planning, and Innovation and Principal Senior Advisor to the Administrator. In these roles, she coordinated activities on behalf of the Administrator across the full spectrum of mental health and substance abuse policy issues, SAMHSA’s grant and contracts portfolio, process improvement, and interagency/inter-sector collaborations. Ms. Enomoto also served as the Acting Deputy Administrator for SAMHSA, between 2008 and 2009. Among her accomplishments, she developed an employee led PeopleFirst team to encourage vertical and horizontal communication and collaboration and to create a environment that promotes a learning organization across a multi-generational, diverse and engaged workforce. Ms. Enomoto began her tenure at SAMHSA in 1998 as a Presidential Management Fellow and Public Health Advisor.

Ms. Enomoto’s background is in clinical psychology. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles and is a 2011 graduate of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Senior Managers in Government Program.

Last updated: 10/19/2012