Community Mental Health Executive Director John North Retires After 25 Years With County, Replacement Picked

Andrew Trzaska | July 27, 2011

Muskegon County’s Community Mental Health (CMH) will have a new executive director this fall, after long-serving director John North’s retirement later this summer.

Muskegon’s county commissioners approved the hiring of Scott Tiffany as the new director after the CMH board selected him several days ago.

Tiffany hails from Idaho and will be relocating his family in the coming months.

He currently commutes from his home to Ontario, Oregon where he is clinical operations manager for a community mental health organization.  He also served as mental health bureau chief for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

This ends a 25-year period of service by North in Muskegon County, the last 4 of which he was executive director.

North worked with CMH during a period of time where attitudes and procedures concerning mental health and its role in society have dramatically changed.

North worked during the transition from government-run mental institutions to new methods and locations that carry less of the negative reputation of days past.

Giving some of his final words to the county board, which CMH sometimes butted heads with, North said, “Thank you to you all for your encouragement, your support, your criticisms.”

District 3 Commissioner John Snider applauded North’s time in Muskegon County:

“We’ve been served well.”

Rules for approving this appointment are slightly different from other typical votes.  The only way the CMH board’s recommendation could not stand would be if over 2/3 of the commissions voted no.  Any more yes votes than that equals an approval.

The board unanimously approved Tiffany’s hire.