Richard S. Edley, PhD, is the lead executive for the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) in Pennsylvania, one of the largest state trade associations in the country representing providers of mental health, substance use disorder, intellectual and developmental disabilities, children’s, brain injury, medical and pediatric rehabilitation, criminal and juvenile justice, and physical disabilities and aging services, across all settings and levels of care. The association includes over 400 members and organizations.
His professional career began in 1988, and prior to leading the association, he was President and CEO of PerformCare/Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania (CBHNP), a national, full-service, behavioral health managed care organization. Dr. Edley serves on the Board of Directors of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, a Washington, DC-based organization representing behavioral health providers and associations throughout the country. He also is a member of the PA Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC) and numerous other state task forces. In 2022, Dr. Edley was asked to serve as a member of the Human Services Transition Team for PA Governor-elect Josh Shapiro. He served on the IDD Legislative Task Force and is a governor appointed member to both the Employment First Commission and the BH Advisory Committee.
Dr. Edley’s baccalaureate degree is from Boston University and he holds master’s and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from Emory University. He was an intern and post-doctoral fellow at McLean Hospital, where he held a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Edley is a national presenter and is published in a broad variety of health care areas.