Debra Pantin, MSW, MS

Debra Pantin joined Outreach in July 2018 as President and CEO – the second person to hold that position in the agency’s 42-year history. The industry veteran possesses more than 30 years of experience in the substance use and mental health treatment, housing and homeless, and healthcare fields. Her exceptional background ranks Pantin among New York City’s top nonprofit professionals today. 

To mitigate the impact of the opioid Pandemic New Yorkers have endured for many years, Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Ms. Pantin to serve as a Member of her Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Board. Ms. Pantin serves as the Board Chair. 

Ms. Pantin began her career as a social worker and rose through the ranks to executive-level positions. Leveraging her leadership skills, she instituted and managed organizational changes that redefined agencies. She strategically expanded service portfolios, adding substance use treatment facilities (residential, outpatient, ambulatory detoxification and mental health, Federally Qualified Health Centers) and a multitude of housing and special projects.  

Previously, Pantin was the CEO of VIP Community Services, a Bronx-based social services organization offering housing/shelter, outpatient counseling, medical and mental health services to approximately 15,000 clients. While there, she successfully integrated healthcare into the agency’s continuum of care and supported VIP’s efforts to successfully gain a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) designations. During her tenure, VIP opened a mental health clinic, added care coordination services and brought ambulatory detox to its OASAS-funded outpatient clinic. The agency experienced unprecedented growth during her tenure with annual operations doubling from $18 million to $38 million. 

Ms. Pantin formerly served as Chief Operating Officer at Palladia Inc. (formerly Project Return). She directed operations and programs that annually served 26,000 clients with a budget of $50 million. As a key member of the leadership team, Ms. Pantin influenced programmatic and organizational change such as the launch of three outpatient programs in the Bronx and Manhattan. She also established a CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) intervention for the agency’s community-based substance use disorder and mental health services. Additionally, she championed the adoption of NIATx (Network for the Improvement of Addiction Services) process as well as data-driven management to measure program performance. Ms. Pantin spent 25 years at the agency, working in a range of social work, clinical, program administration and executive positions. 

Currently, Ms. Pantin is the President of the Transitional Board of the merged Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York State (ASAPNYS and The Coalition); President of Therapeutic Communities Association, NY (TCANY); and is the Immediate Past Board Chair of Mental Health News Education’s Board of Directors (June, 2018 – October, 2022). She participates in numerous national, state, and local boards. 

Ms. Pantin received her Master’s in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work, Master of Science in Management and Health Care Management from the University of Rochester Simon Business School, and Bachelor of Arts from SUNY College at Purchase. 

Ms. Pantin has received the following Rewards & Recognitions: 

  • 2021: City & State New York: Mental Health Power Fifty 
  • 2022: Regent’s Community Leadership Award 
  • 2023: Crain’s Notable 2023 Black Leaders 

When you walk into any program at Outreach, you immediately sense the organization’s commitment to quality in every corner, from the compassion and energy of staff, to the environments in which services are being carried out.