James Wright, M.S., LPC, is serving as the Acting Director of the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office (BHCCO) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary. He previously served as the Division Director of Crisis Operations, responsible for 988 transition and services since 2021, including oversight of the SAMHSA 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Administration, the 988 State and Territory, Tribal Response, and Crisis Center Follow-up grant programs. Mr. Wright was proud to represent SAMHSA and the work of the 988 and BHCCO office as one of the finalists for the 2023 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals.
Mr. Wright first came to SAMHSA in 2011 and served as a Government Project Officer (GPO) in the Suicide Prevention Branch in the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). He was the GPO for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline before it became 988, Crisis Center Follow-Up grants, oversaw grants for the Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention program, and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. He co-led SAMHSA’s Bullying Prevention efforts, including serving on the federal cross-agency initiative Stop Bullying, and was the CMHS lead for Traumatic Brain Injury and Health Information Technology.
Before coming back to SAMHSA on the 988 team, Mr. Wright held both the Deputy Director and Chief of Staff positions for the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), overseeing all clinical and business operations for the VCL. Mr. Wright is a Licensed Professional Counselor and previously led psychiatric emergency services at Johns Hopkins Bayview and Austin Travis County Integral Care (ATCIC). At ATCIC, he co-developed the nation’s first multi-center crisis chat service in collaboration with and served on the board of directors for CONTACT USA, currently named the International Council for Helplines. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Tarleton State University. Mr. Wright is proud to be a Veteran of the United States Army, serving both stateside and deployed in Bosnia in 1997.