RFK Community Alliance is proud to share that Dianne Walsh, LICSW, Vice President of Clinical Services and Director of the Center for Behavioral Health, has been named Worcester Business Journal’s Mental Health Provider of the Year for 2025. This honor recognizes her extraordinary leadership, compassion, and unwavering commitment to service.

For nearly two decades, Dianne has been a cornerstone of RFK Community Alliance. Currently, she guides the Center for Behavioral Health, ensuring its day-to-day operations run smoothly and continue to evolve to meet community needs; and oversees clinical services across the entire organization, shaping standards of care, guiding clinicians, and driving initiatives that improve outcomes for every person we serve. Leading with integrity always, she has dedicated herself to ensuring that every individual we serve - children, teens, and adults alike - has access to trauma-informed, client-centered care.

RFKCA’s programs reach more than 1,600 people annually, each of them having access to mental health care or consultation and deliver over 8,000 mental health sessions each year.

Transforming Care Through Innovation and Collaboration

Dianne has made a real difference in North Central Massachusetts, a region historically underserved in mental health resources. Through her vision and determination, RFK Community Alliance is a trusted provider of mental health care in Lancaster, and in both the Clinton and Nashoba Regional public schools.

Dianne’s leadership embodies our Theory of Change by ensuring that every person we serve can become more connected, capable, and healthy. It’s marked by collaboration and continuous improvement. She spearheaded the launch of telehealth services during the COVID19 pandemic to ensure clients wouldn’t lose access to their mental health care, and the Center continues to offer telehealth today. She implemented clearer treatment planning so clients can understand their goals and progress, and she is now leading the Center’s transition from a group practice to a licensed clinic. This is a move that will allow us to train early-career clinicians and strengthen the pipeline of mental health providers in Central Massachusetts.

Her commitment to professional development is equally inspiring. Dianne has worked tirelessly to bring together clinical staff from across RFK Community Alliance’s programs for advanced training and peer collaboration.

She advocates for diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion, and has championed specialized trauma training through partnerships with UMass’s Lifeline for Kids program. These efforts ensure that our clinicians are equipped with cutting-edge tools to support individuals and families facing complex challenges.

A Holistic Approach to Healing

One thing that sets Dianne apart is her belief that mental health care must go beyond traditional therapy. Under her guidance, our clinicians provide not only counseling but case management support - helping families access critical resources that address their broader needs from food and housing assistance to life skills classes and beyond.

This holistic, compassionate approach has given countless people and families renewed hope, stability, and the ability to thrive during their most difficult times.

A Leader with Heart

Dianne’s leadership style is deeply collaborative and grounded in integrity. She mentors clinicians, invites staff into decision-making, and models professionalism, warmth, and respect. Her daily practices reflect both discipline and compassion - beginning each morning with reflection and ending each day with a commitment to growth. She is a trusted thought partner within RFK Community Alliance’s senior leadership team and a source of strength and support for colleagues across the organization.

Beyond her professional role, Dianne brings creativity and heart to her work. One of the most memorable examples is the addition of Vivie, her beloved Bernedoodle and trained therapy dog, whose comforting presence has brought joy and healing to clients and staff alike.

A Well-Deserved Honor

Dianne’s recognition as Mental Health Provider of the Year is a testament to her extraordinary contributions—not only to RFK Community Alliance but to the broader community. Her work has transformed lives, strengthened people and families, and created lasting change. We are honored to celebrate this achievement and grateful for the passion, expertise, and compassion she brings to everything she does.

Please join us in congratulating Dianne on this well-deserved honor.