Expert Panel Member - Appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine

With 30 years of experience in the health and human services sector and more than 20 of those years focused on community mental health and substance use disorder treatment, Custard has dedicated his career to helping organizations successfully design, deliver, and manage programs and services. Since 2010, Custard has served as the President and CEO of Murtis Taylor Human Services System, where he’s grown and expanded the agency to ten locations providing comprehensive community mental health and substance use disorder treatment, including intensive outpatient treatment, chemical dependency counseling, day treatment, residential services, crisis services, and much more. Custard has also served as a board member of various nonprofit organizations, including NAMI Ohio, The Woodruff Foundation, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, and the Mental Health Advocacy Coalition. Custard holds multiple degrees from Cleveland State University, including a bachelor’s in social work and an MBA.

Custard sees his service on the Expert Panel as an opportunity to build upon his work to address the pressing need for action in his community. He added, “…my work in providing opioid treatment has shown me the profound toll it takes on my community. … It’s a crisis that demands not only treatment but also increased awareness, education, and community support to help heal the wounds inflicted by opioid addiction.”