County Insider Hired to Run Mental Health System

Marcia P. Coggs Health & Human Services Center, 1230 W. Cherry St. photo taken June 13, 2025, by Graham Kilmer.

A longtime county official has been selected to run Milwaukee County’s Behavioral Health Services (BHS), after the former administrator, Mike Lappen, was unceremoniously pushed out of the job in March.

Amy Lorenz, the former BHS deputy administrator of operations, was tapped to lead the mental health system, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced Wednesday. Lorenz was chosen from a pool of 19 candidates who began interviewing for the job less than three weeks ago.

Lorenz has served the county for more than 20 years and brings extensive experience with the county’s community-based behavioral health system to the role, as well as expertise in budgeting and resource management, according to DHHS. Lorenz is also involved with community organizations such as the Trans Center for Youth and the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness.

She took over on June 8. The office had sat vacant since March, after the administration forced Mike Lappen, the long-serving administrator of Behavioral Health Services, out of his job. He had served in the role since 2016 and was well-regarded by members of the board and other professionals in the field of health and human services.

DHHS Director Shakita LaGrant-McClain and County Executive David Crowley‘s office have refused to explain Lappen’s departure to the public or the Mental Health Board tasked with oversight of the behavioral health system. After Lappen left, the administration maintained that Lappen resigned. But Lappen told a different story, saying he was given a choice between resigning and being fired and he chose the former.

The abrupt separation was a source of tension between the Crowley administration and the Mental Health Board, which had been kept in the dark. The tension snapped at a meeting of the Mental Health Board when Crowley’s Chief of Staff told the board to get behind the county executive or consider resigning their seat.

The administration has since sought to mend fences, inviting members of the board to join hiring panels for the new administrator.

“The Milwaukee County Mental Health Board is pleased to have been part of a collaborative process to select a strong leader with impeccable experience who will lead the county’s behavioral health services,” said Kathy Bottoni, board chair, in a statement released by DHHS. “Amy has a deep commitment to the community and we look forward to working with her in the future.”

BHS is the largest service area in DHHS, with an annual budget in 2026 of approximately $215.9 million. The agency is responsible for the county’s Mental Health Emergency Center, crisis intervention services, youth mental health services and substance abuse recovery services.

DHHS also announced the hiring of former City of Milwaukee Health Department official David Comer as Administrator for Child Support Services.

“We look forward to the experience, vision, and transformational leadership they will bring to our department and to the communities we serve,” LaGrant-McClain said in the DHHS announcement Wednesday.