RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (Dec. 16, 2021)—When the Betty Ford Center—the most recognized addiction treatment and mental health care provider in the world—celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2022, it will do so under the guidance of Tessa Voss, who today was announced as the fourth administrator and first woman to lead the Rancho Mirage institution co-founded by former First Lady Betty Ford.
Voss, who takes the helm on Monday, Dec. 20, also will serve as vice president of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s California Region, overseeing clinics in San Diego and Los Angeles as well. She has devoted her entire 11-year career to the Foundation, which includes the Betty Ford Center and is the nation’s largest nonprofit system of substance use disorder treatment, mental health care, recovery resources and related prevention and education services.
“Tessa has achieved a lot in our organization and embodies the spirit of humility, empathy and grace that is so important to the work we do with patients, families and children,” said Hazelden Betty Ford President and CEO Joseph Lee, MD. “As the first woman to direct operations at the Betty Ford Center, Tessa broadens the banner of our leadership team nationally and extends the legacy and pioneering spirit of our co-founder and namesake Mrs. Ford, who—though not its operational leader—was the Betty Ford Center’s face and voice for almost 30 years. With Tessa as our ambassador and leader in California, I am very excited about the future and the many lives and families our teams there will be able to impact in the years ahead.”
