Forge Health has named Rondi Rabuse as its new CEO.

She succeeds co-founder and founding CEO Eric Frieman, who announced he will transition to the chief revenue officer role in late April. She comes to the White Plains, New York-based behavioral health provider with 30 years of experience in health care. Her most recent role was as the CEO of UCM Digital Health, a company that offers 24/7 integrated digital behavioral and physical health care focused on high-acuity care and emergency room diversion. She served as CEO of UCM for the past two years and joined the company as chief operating officer about six months prior.

“I’ve seen firsthand the gaps and barriers in the health care system, and they’re especially obvious as it relates to behavioral health care services,” Rabuse told Behavioral Health Business. “I’ve dedicated my entire career to working with organizations that have been looking to really challenge the status quo, to innovate, to break down these barriers, and to deliver truly effective, compassionate, individualized care.

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“That’s why I’m going to join Forge.”

Rabuse’s career has involved working in both the health care provider and health insurance spaces. In each, her work in leading the development and implementation of new initiatives, especially care models, has prepared her to step into the CEO role at Forge Health, Rabuse said.

She has previously worked at Bright Health, Brighton Health Plan Solutions, Montefiore Medical Center and Aetna.

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Rabuse’s move to Forge Health is something of a return to roots. One of her first major career opportunities was working at a Medicaid managed care organization, helping patients coordinate care access with behavioral health providers, she said.

Early priorities include the necessary and traditional listening and learning period many new leaders undergo. They also include deepening and adding new relationships that further the reach of Forge Health’s services, especially with niche and hard-to-reach populations. Personally, she plans to have a presence in the communities of health care providers that Forge Health seeks to work with.

“I think Forge is enormously well positioned to close gaps in care, to serve the needs of diverse populations, particularly populations with unique stressors, and to set a new standard for what we think about when we think about accessible, effective behavioral health care,” Rabuse said.

Forge Health offers mental health and substance use care services. It delivers care via intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), individual therapy, psychiatric support, medication management and group therapy. It operates both digital and in-person services.

The company also seeks to differentiate itself by building population-specific clinical programming. This includes members of the LGBTQ+ communities, cancer patients, veterans and first responders.

Today, it operates in five Northeastern states: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, according to its website.

“Rondi is a transformative leader who brings the right mix of discipline, vision, and empathy,” Jeremy Moskow, a Forge Health board member and managing partner at MFO Ventures, said in a statement. “Her leadership enhances Forge Health’s strong foundation and positions us for continued success.”

MFO Ventures is the lead investor behind Forge Health. The company announced its engagement with MFO Ventures in August 2024.

After Frieman announced his transition to chief revenue officer, Forge Health Executive Chair Simeon Schindelman took on the CEO role on an interim basis. Frieman co-founded the company in 2016.

There have been a number of other top-level executive changes across behavioral health over the past few months. This includes several internal promotions of COOs to the CEO office. Guidelight Health and Family Care Centers each moved their COOs to CEO roles — for Guidelight, that’s Stephen Bewley, and for Family Care Centers, that’s Dr. Chris Ivany. Both work in the outpatient mental health space. In addiction treatment, at-home provider Aware Recovery Care announced that its CEO, Brian Holzer, would step away from the company. He was succeeded by company COO Roy Sasenaraine.