Dr. Olivia Garland is a seasoned leader in behavioral health, corrections, and healthcare management with decades of service in both state government and the private sector. She made history as the first female Warden of a major men’s prison in Virginia and later served as Director of Central State Hospital, where she led the facility to full accreditation and launched a residency program with VCU.

She went on to serve as Assistant and Deputy Commissioner for Virginia’s Department of Behavioral Health, overseeing policy and operations across 16 state facilities and leading 7,500 employees. In the private sector, Dr. Garland held executive roles at First Health Services and Optum, where she led large-scale Medicaid and mental health initiatives across multiple states.