Betsey Zook is the NC Center on the Workforce for Health’s (the Center) first Behavioral Health Workforce Development Manager. In this role, she will collaborate closely with NC DHHS to help identify behavioral health workforce gaps and advance sustainable strategies.

Bringing 30 years of experience to this role, Zook joins the Center from Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, where she built and led one of the largest human services programs in the NC Community College system. Her most recent initiative was working with NCDHHS to develop and implement an Advanced Direct Service Provider (DSP) Training Pilot, designed to strengthen workforce pipelines and establish a bridge between higher education and the behavioral health workforce.

Earlier in her career, Betsey worked across a wide spectrum of behavioral health and human services, including brain injury rehabilitation, school-based substance abuse treatment, residential youth programs, and community-based services for children and adolescents. She also has experience in direct support and case management for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as legal advocacy for public assistance recipients. Betsey holds a Master’s in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Northern Colorado and a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Goshen College. She lives in Winston-Salem and enjoys camping, hiking, biking, and finding new adventures.