Elise Simonsen

Elise is NACo's program director for behavioral health and justice. Elise oversees NACo's behavioral health and justice portfolio which provides thought leadership to counties related to mental health, justice, and public safety. She will oversee all strategic aspects of the portfolio, including identifying current and near future priority areas of county needs, emerging trends and best practices in local behavioral health and justice. Before joining NACo, Elise served as a senior policy analyst at National Governors Association (NGA). Elise holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Florida.