Governance

Seal of the American Board of Otolaryngology, featuring a caduceus with a snake wrapped around a staff and wings at the top, surrounded by laurel branches, and the text 'American Board of Otolaryngology' and 'First Responder Behavioral Health Care'.

National Oversight for Responder Behavioral Health Standards & Accreditation

The American Board of First Responder Behavioral Healthcare (FRBH) operates under an independent governance structure designed to safeguard public trust, ensure ethical integrity, and provide objective oversight of national responder behavioral health standards and accreditation activities.

Governance authority is intentionally separated from executive leadership and advisory functions to preserve independence, transparency, and national accrediting credibility. This separation ensures that standards development and accreditation oversight remain impartial, consistent, and insulated from operational or commercial influence.

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Board of Directors (Governing Authority)

FRBH is governed by a national Board of Directors, which serves as the organization’s highest fiduciary and ethical authority. The Board is responsible for protecting FRBH’s mission, independence, and public trust as a national standards-setting and accrediting body.

The Board of Directors is responsible for:

  • Safeguarding the integrity and independence of FRBH’s national standards and accreditation oversight

  • Establishing governance policies and ethical safeguards

  • Providing fiscal oversight and nonprofit accountability

  • Ensuring compliance with applicable legal and ethical obligations

  • Approving long-term strategy and standards evolution

The Board does not conduct day-to-day operations and does not participate in accreditation reviews or determinations for individual organizations. Final authority for governance policy, standards adoption, and accreditation framework approval resides exclusively with the Board.

Executive Leadership (Non-Governing Leadership)

FRBH is supported by an Executive Leadership structure that provides strategic, operational, and subject-matter support in alignment with Board-approved priorities.

Executive Leadership:

  • Serves in non-voting, non-fiduciary capacities

  • Supports implementation of strategic initiatives

  • Provides technical and professional expertise

  • Does not participate in governance decisions or accreditation determinations

Executive Leadership operates under authority delegated by the Board of Directors and does not exercise independent governance authority.

Advisory Council (Subject-Matter Experts)

FRBH is further supported by a national Advisory Council composed of recognized subject-matter experts who contribute field-informed insight and professional perspective.

The Advisory Council:

  • Informs the development and refinement of FRBH’s national standards

  • Contributes expertise related to responder behavioral health systems and workforce protection

  • Support standards-related and educational activities

Advisory Council members do not hold fiduciary responsibility and do not participate in governance or accreditation determinations.

Governance Principles

FRBH governance is grounded in the following principles:

  • Integrity – Ethical, principled leadership

  • Transparency – Clear, accountable governance practices

  • Independence – Protection from conflicts of interest

  • Accountability – Responsible fiduciary and ethical oversight

  • Representation – Multidisciplinary national perspective

  • Continuity - Governance structures designed to endure beyond individual leadership

Board Composition

The FRBH Board of Directors reflects a diverse cross-section of national expertise, including experience in:

  • Public safety operations and leadership

  • Behavioral health system design and governance

  • Organizational oversight and compliance

  • Higher education and workforce systems

  • Law, ethics, and public accountability

All Board members are subject to strict conflict-of-interest and disclosure requirements and must recuse themselves from matters involving an actual or perceived conflict.

Committees and Oversight

To support focused governance and accountability, FRBH maintains standing committees of the Board, including:

  • Standards & Accreditation Oversight Committee – Oversees national standards and accreditation criteria

  • Ethics & Compliance Committee – Oversees ethics, conflicts of interest, and governance policy

  • Finance & Audit Committee – Oversees fiscal stewardship and nonprofit accountability

  • Outreach & Partnerships Committee – Supports mission-aligned collaboration

Committees operate under Board-approved charters and do not participate in individual accreditation determinations.

Scope Clarification

FRBH governance applies exclusively to:

  • National standards development

  • Accreditation oversight

  • Ethics and institutional integrity

FRBH operates solely as a national standards-setting and accrediting authority. It does not provide clinical services, individual professional certification, licensure, or disciplinary regulation.

FRBH accreditation evaluates organizational systems and governance structures, not individual clinical judgment or provider competence.

Governance structures and policies are reviewed periodically to ensure alignment with best practices for independent national accrediting bodies.