We are proud to announce the appointment of Devarshi Bajpai, MBA, as our new Chief Executive Officer!
We engaged in a thorough process to determine our next CEO over several months. “Devarshi stood out as an executive with the right balance of leadership skills, professional and subject matter expertise, and community commitment,” said James Polo, Fora Health Board Chair. “We are confident that he will lead our organization to greater levels of excellence that will keep Fora Health at the front edge of substance use treatment.”
Bajpai began his career in the addiction field as an addiction counselor with Fora Health (then De Paul Treatment Centers) in 1994. His career progression since then includes several pivotal leadership roles, with his most recent position being the Behavioral Health Director for the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC). During his tenure at the DOC, Bajpai successfully secured $9 million in funding to establish new behavioral health services, benefiting nearly one-third of Oregon’s individuals in custody.
Before joining the DOC, Bajpai served as the Director of Clinical Behavioral Health with CareOregon and as the Medicaid and Addictions Services Manager for Multnomah County. Bajpai’s collaborative approach to working with providers, payors, and patients and his unwavering commitment to a recovery-oriented system of care have substantially strengthened the provider community and positively impacted those seeking addiction treatment.
Bajpai’s extensive contributions include work with the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. While there, he participated in Governor Ted Kulongoski’s Methamphetamine Task Force and helped to expand drug courts and prisoner reentry programs statewide. Bajpai has also served on the boards of the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon, Dual Diagnosis Anonymous of Oregon, NAADAC Certification Commission, and Oregon Recovers.
“It is an honor to be able to lead an organization that has, for almost 50 years, made the State of Oregon a better place to live,” Bajpai said of his appointment as CEO of Fora Health.
Bajpai holds his bachelor’s degree in human development from Warner Pacific College and earned his MBA from George Fox University. He will assume his position as CEO at Fora Health on November 20, 2023.