Denise Bennett

Denise was named to the Meridian Board of Directors in 2019 and has been serving on the Meridian Board of Advisors (fund raising) since 2018. She relocated to Gainesville from Charlotte, NC in 2017 as a retired payments executive having worked at both MasterCard and Visa. However, many years prior, she worked in Upstate New York as administrator and intake counselor for a county-funded substance abuse organization called Outreach. Touched by anxiety and depression in her own family, Denise recognizes the importance of being able to talk about mental illness and substance use disorderes in the same way that we are open about any physical condition or ailment. She is passionate about breaking down the stigma of mental illness and bringing affordable, local mental healthcare to the communities that Meridian serves. Denise’s family includes her husband Ken here in Gainesville and her daughter Conner Elisabeth who resides in Charlotte.