Kimberly Boswell was sworn as Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Mental Health on December 16, 2020.

Governor Kay Ivey said of Commissioner Boswell, “She has spent the entirety of her professional career devoted to helping struggling individuals and I appreciate her willingness to serve in this new capacity. Her background as a mental health provider as well as administrator makes her uniquely qualified.”

Boswell’s goals include furthering an accessible, interconnected, effective and just system of care for individuals served by the Department of Mental Health.

Boswell has more than 36 years of experience working with individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders and developmental disabilities.  Boswell previously served as Chief of Staff, Associate Commissioner for Administration and Director of Human Resources for the Department.  Over the course of her career, she worked as a planner to improve human service delivery systems, a program evaluator, a School to Work transition coordinator, and also served as the state office administrator for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services.

Since November 2019, Commissioner Boswell has served as a member of the Milbank Memorial Fund Reforming States Group. She is currently a member of the National Academy for State Health Policy and the Long Term and Chronic Care Committee.

Commissioner Boswell is a member of the Friendship Mission Board – a long-term shelter for men, women and children who are homeless in the River Region, and Mescal’s Children Center for Hope, which is a Christian ministry serving children in Kenya.

She earned her Master of Social Work from the Florida State University College of Social Work in 1984, with a specialization in planning and program evaluation. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.