Bonnie White

Bonnie White always was driven to help people.

White, executive director of Mid-South Health Systems Inc. of Jonesboro, started at the agency in 1973 when it was called the George W. Jackson Community Mental Heath Center.

She worked her way up from case manager to executive director in 1980.

“I began to see that there were changes that can occur as a result of mental health services … [and] as a result of more intense outpatient services,” White said.

In 1997, the agency transformed itself from a state agency to a private nonprofit. White said George W. Jackson was the only one of the 15 community mental health centers that the state operated.

“It seemed to be the direction that we needed to go, and that it was going to be a move that would help us expand our services,” White said.

Mid-South’s revenue has grown from $5 million in 1997 to $32 million currently. A big move came in 1998 when Mid-South was awarded the contract to manage Counseling Services of Eastern Arkansas.

Mid-South serves 6,500 clients in seven counties in northeast Arkansas and serves 3,000 clients for Counseling Services. Mid-South has 350 staff members; Counseling Services has about 150.

White’s management style calls for an open-door policy, which she said has worked well.

“It’s encouraged the staff to just stop by and share with me some of the experience that they are having on the job,” White said. “And I get to hear about the successes and I get to hear about some of the problems they’ve encountered.”

Recently, Mid-South was awarded a $6.5 million federal grant to provide extra services for children and their families in four counties in northeast Arkansas.

White said she sees Mid-South continuing to look at the needs of the area and offer any services that she feels clients should have.