The Sangamon County Mental Health Board chose a Springfield native and nonprofit leader to fill the executive director position at its September monthly meeting, as criticism of the board’s proceedings persist.
Dr. Tatyana Gardner grew up on the city’s east side and currently serves as the director of health initiatives for the Springfield Urban League. In that role, she managed several programs including those focused on addressing mental health, substance abuse prevention and mobile health, according to a written statement.
She earned her doctoral degree in public health from Mercer University in 2026.
Gardner told Illinois Times one of her strengths she brings to the board is her experience providing “fiscal oversight, transparency and accountability” in overseeing grants and budgets.
Gardner was among 11 candidates who applied for the role.
“She understands we have an opportunity and a responsibility to build something that will have a lasting positive impact on Sangamon County,” said Sangamon County Mental Health Board chair Steve Nardulli in a press release.
The board was formed as a result of recommendations from the Massey Commission and the Mental Health Commission. The board is responsible for approving funding for mental health services from dollars collected through a newly enacted 0.5% countywide sales tax, which is anticipated to generate more than $14 million annually.
Gardner, calling herself a “grassroots girl,” said she’s interested in the board partnering with community-based organizations and “not pushing dollars in ways that aren’t going to be beneficial to the community.”
The board continues to wrestle with its processes and procedures.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the board approved changing its monthly meeting time from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. after receiving frequent public criticism during previous meetings, including from Kelly Hurst, who served as the managing director of the Massey Commission.
Numerous public speakers have argued the scheduled afternoon hour is not convenient for many residents who hold nine-to-five work schedules, thereby making the meetings inaccessible to the very people the board ought to engage with and seek input.
A majority of the Sangamon County Board’s committee and regular monthly board meetings are held at 5 p.m. or later.
Following the board’s decision to move the meeting an hour later, some speakers during public remarks said the change was not enough.
Ken Pacha, a local activist, noted that the Massey Commission met after 6 p.m., which allowed for the meetings to be very accessible.
“The fact that you’ve heard us for five months and you still aren’t listening is a problem,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the board reaching out and possibly funding county departments such as the jail through the Sheriff’s Office.
Another attendee, Erin Kirkpatrick, told the board, “I believe meeting outside of bankers’ and retirees’ hours will help build trust by demonstrating that you are willing to receive feedback and continue to take action based on it.”
“Please demonstrate that you are willing to center the community’s ability to engage over your own personal scheduling needs,” she said.
Gardner said she has no position on whether to change the meeting’s time.
“I’ll speak with the board, and we’ll see what we can do to better serve our communities in ways that they’re expressing to us.”
When Illinois Times asked Nardulli for his reaction to the pushback, he shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m sorry that so many people are unhappy with it,” Nardulli said. “I just don’t see us moving these meetings to the evening. We may someday, I don’t know.”
He said the board plans to hold community forums early next year during evening hours, which is intended to gather feedback from residents.
The forums will be held throughout the county in churches where there’s space to hold large meetings and will entail a short presentation from experts. Breakout discussion groups will follow that will allow for many people to participate, he said.
“Not everybody wants to come in (a board meeting) and has the courage to make a public comment in front of a room full of people,” Nardulli said. “We want to make sure that those people are also reached.”
He said the board hasn’t received any tax dollars so far.
When it does, the board will review and discuss applications in order to approve funding to various organizations and agencies.
“We are a funding agency,” Nadrulli said, versus a mental health services provider.
He said the board plans on moving its monthly meetings to the former State Journal-Register building, now part of the county complex, where meetings will be held in an auditorium.
The auditorium is equipped to enable recordings of the meetings that at present are not available. The board will soon be able to provide the option for residents to submit written comments, the chair said.
He said Gardner’s office will also be in the building located at 1 Copley Plaza in Springfield.
“…we have an opportunity and a responsibility to build something that will have a lasting positive impact on Sangamon County.”
Hiring some woke black female who just graduated this year to staff an government agency created in kneejerk response to some nutjob black lady killed by a nutjob white guy isn’t really groundbreaking. I am speaking as someone whose ancestors were early pioneers to the county 200 years ago.