Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services

Marquita C. Williams, Ph.D., was named Interim Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) in April 2024, taking over for Commissioner Jill Bowen, who served in the role since 2020.

As interim commissioner, Williams oversees a vast network of providers offering treatment and services to address mental health challenges, substance misuse, and the impact of social determinants of health on behavioral health and wellness, which were disproportionately heightened during the pandemic.

Williams previously served as Senior Executive Advisor to Commissioner Bowen. In this capacity, she was responsible for creating and coordinating opportunities for direct dialogue between organizations, government and community stakeholders, providers, academic institutions, and the community at large in an effort to ensure all voices are reflected in the policies, practices, and behavioral health wellness programming across the system.

As  Deputy Commissioner with DBHIDS and Senior Advisor at Community Behavioral Health, Williams provided leadership for the DBHIDS service system including identifying system goals and priorities, creating innovative solutions to address departmental priorities, and provided direct oversight for the programmatic visioning, planning, and operationalizing of the public health vision for Philadelphia’s $1.1B Comprehensive Child and Adult Behavioral Health System.

Prior to working with DBHIDS, Williams had over 20 years of experience working in the field of mental health. In various capacities across the system, Williams has been an innovative contributor and guiding force as she rose through the behavioral health ranks from academic researcher and trauma-based clinician to university faculty member, and program and organizational consultant.

Williams holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Temple University, an MA in Counseling Psychology, and an Ed.M. with a specialization in Cross-Cultural Psychology from Columbia University in New York City.