Pawnee Mental Health CEO Robbin Cole Announces Retirement

After 28 total years of service, Robbin Cole, CEO of Pawnee Mental Health has announced her retirement.

Cole graduated from Kansas State University in 1983 with a bachelor’s in social work. She worked as a social worker at Wharton Manor Nursing Home, worked part-time in the social work department at what is now Ascension Via Christi, volunteered at the Crisis Center, and was a co-founder of the Manhattan Emergency Shelter (MESI.)

Cole completed her master’s in social work at the University of Kansas in 1987. She started her career at Pawnee as an MSW intern in 1986 and worked as a therapist for Pawnee from 1987 to 1992. Cole and her family lived in the Wichita area from 1992 to 2002 where Cole worked as the Director of Counseling and Adoption Services for Catholic Charities and then as the Clinical Director of MHNet, a managed behavioral healthcare organization.

Cole returned to Pawnee in 2002 as the Clinical Director. She became CEO in 2006. Under her tenure, Cole directed the agency through some of the most challenging years in community mental health. She oversaw layoffs in 2009 and 2010 following cuts in state funding and led the agency through the COVID pandemic of 2020.

Despite these challenges, Cole oversaw the growth of the agency budget from $12 million annually to $28 million annually. The agency purchased buildings in Junction City and Beloit and increased leased space in Mankato, Wamego, and Manhattan to meet the growing demand for services. Under Cole, the agency opened the CSU (Crisis Stabilization Unit), formed the Diversity Inclusion Group, implemented a new electronic health record, transitioned to the CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) model of care, and updated its logo.

Cole was instrumental in the formation of the Riley County Mental Health Task Force and the establishment of the Mental Health Co-responder program. She serves on the RCPD CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) Council and has served as a representative of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas to the Governors Behavioral Health Services Planning Council since 2015.

Cole was named Social Worker of the Year by KNASW, Provider of the Year by NAMI Kansas, received the Chamberlin-Rapp Exemplary Leadership Award from the Kansas Consumer Advisory Council for Mental Health, and received the Award for Service to Kansas Families from the Kansas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

In addition to her community mental health service, Cole and her family were a host family to seven AFS high school exchange students between 2009-2018. Cole was a liaison for countless others. She served on the AFS Board as co-chair from 2011-2018. She and her husband are actively involved with the Manhattan Helping International Student Association, where Cole served as Board Chairperson from 2007-2014. Since 2018, the Coles have hosted annual gatherings in their home for the Washington Mandela Fellows at the Kansas State University Staley School of Leadership Studies. Cole is a member of the Manhattan Rotary Club and served as Club President from 2021 to 2022. She was named Rotarian of the Year in 2023.

Cole will retire on May 1, 2024. She was the first woman and the longest-tenured CEO of Pawnee. In her retirement, Cole plans to help her siblings with the care of their aging mother, spend time with her family, and consider how to best continue serving the community. Cole says, “If I waited until the work was done to retire from my career at Pawnee, I would never retire, because the work will never be done. Pawnee will accomplish great things in the future because of the amazing staff, leadership, board members, and volunteers across ten counties who are committed to addressing the mental health and substance abuse treatment needs of our communities. With Pawnee’s recent transition to CCBHC, now is the right time to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders who will successfully guide Pawnee into the future.”

Anne Browne, Governing Board Chair says, “It’s been a rare privilege to work with Robbin. She is the captain of our ship. She has set our course for continuing excellence and the ever-expanding role of our vital community service. No words can thank her enough.”

The Pawnee Governing Board will immediately begin the process of searching for the next CEO.