Thursday | Sessions & Speakers
Cl Bd Bu
#206 | From the Capitol to the Community: CBHC Budget and Policy Updates for 2026
Following a legislative session shaped by a $1.5 billion state budget shortfall, lawmakers made difficult decisions with significant implications for behavioral health providers and the communities they serve. At the same time, federal policy shifts are creating new challenges and opportunities. This session will connect decisions made at the Capitol to their real-world impact, providing an overview of key 2026 state and federal policy and budget developments and exploring how fiscal pressures, financing reforms, and evolving federal priorities are shaping the future of Colorado’s behavioral health system. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the changing policy landscape and the issues most likely to influence behavioral health funding, advocacy, and system reform efforts in the years ahead. Frank Cornelia, MS, LPC is Deputy Executive Director of Policy & Strategy for the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council (CBHC), where he leads the organization’s advocacy agenda and strategic policy development. A licensed clinician and public policy professional, he has helped shape Colorado’s behavioral health reform efforts since joining CBHC in 2012. Veronica Bell, MPPA is the Public Policy Manager at Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council (CBHC), where she leads policy analysis, legislative advocacy, and stakeholder engagement on issues impacting Colorado’s behavioral health safety net. She works closely with policymakers, providers, and partner organizations to advance policies that support Colorado’s behavioral health system and the communities it serves. Veronica holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Spanish and a Master’s of Public Policy and Administration from Colorado State University. Karen Wick, MPP is a Principal at Swift Strategies, a government relations firm in Denver, Colorado. She has more than 15 years of legislative and political experience honed while working for top advocacy organizations in Colorado and Washington, DC. As Political Director and Lobbyist for the Colorado Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, she led strategic campaigns to advance their political and legislative goals and engage their 35,000 members across the state. Her previous experience also includes advancing rights for LGBTQIA+ individuals nationally with the Gill Foundation; advocating for union members with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and advancing the rights of working women at Women Work! The National Network for Women’s Employment. A native of New Jersey, Karen completed her Bachelor’s degree at Montclair State University. She later earned her Master’s in Public Policy at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Gilbert Romero, JD is a Principal/Attorney with Capitol Success Group, a government affairs and lobbying firm he started in 1999. He is currently the lead lobbyist for CBHC. Gil served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1984 to 1998; 8 of those years he served on the powerful Joint Budget Committee. He is a former Judge Advocate General and a Major in the Army National Guard. He holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Colorado Law School, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, University of Colorado, with a Master’s degree from Harvard University. Clinical Board Business/Upper Management Bd Cl Bu
28 | www.cbhc.org
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