Stephen C. McCaffrey, Principal

Stephen joins The Third House, LLC as Principal and brings extensive state and national experience in healthcare, government affairs, and association management as the President and CEO of Mental Health America of Indiana.

As the CEO at Mental Health America of Indiana, the Association has grown ten-fold in both revenue and staff size with legislative accomplishments that have been recognized nationally. He is a recipient of the nationally recognized Webster-Kipfer Award for special achievement in public policy advocacy, presented at the Carter Center in Atlanta Georgia by Roselyn Carter, the former First Lady. Stephen is a member of the Board of Directors of Mental Health America (national), where he serves as the Co Chair for Public Policy. Previously, Stephen served as a member of the HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Health Care Stakeholder Group, the Cenpatico National Advisory Board, and on the national Mental Health America Regional Policy Council.

In Indiana, Stephen is a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash award and currently serves as the Chairman of the Attorney General’s Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Managed Health Services and the Indiana Seclusion and Restraint Commission. Stephen is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Governmental Affairs Society of Indiana where he served as Secretary, and has been named by the Indiana Business Journal as a member of “Who’s Who in Indiana Health Care.”

Stephen has served on numerous board and commissions. He was appointed by Governor Frank O’Bannon to serve as a member of the Indiana State Operated Facilities Council and was appointed by then Governor Bayh to the Indiana Mental Health Commission to oversee the implementation of mental health reform legislation. Stephen was a gubernatorial appointee to the Indiana Homecare CHOICE Board, the Adult Guardianship Services Advisory Board, the Housing Trust Fund, and the Indiana Medicaid Advisory Committee. He has also served on the Government Affairs Committee of the Governor’s Planning Council for People with Disabilities and was elected vice-president of the Board of Directors for both the Indiana Coalition for Human Services and the Indiana Youth Legislative Task Force. Stephen is a former member of the Board of the American Society of Mental Health Association Professionals and the External Advisory Board of the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University. Stephen has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Common Cause of Indiana.

Before his appointment as President & CEO of Mental Health America of Indiana, Stephen served as the Director of Government Affairs for the Indiana Health Care Association (IHCA), where he directed the
 legislative activities of the statewide health care organization. Prior to his work at IHCA, Stephen was appointed by Governor Bayh to public service as the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Public Welfare. In that capacity, Stephen directed the medical and family service programs and policies of the department, which included the Office of Medicaid. Prior to that, Stephen held the positions of Associate Director for the Community Service Council/United Way, Legislative and Political Director for the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, and Assistant Finance Director for US Senator Birch Bayh’s Campaign Committee. Stephen began his career on Capitol Hill on behalf of U.S. Congressman Andy Jacobs.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Purdue University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Indiana University School of Law.